Tools to Destroy the Dictator and Avoid a New Dictatorship: A Decade of Struggle and Resistance in Angola and Mozambique

A new edition of Domingos da Cruz's book, originally published in 2015, has been released, providing civil resistance methods for authoritarian contexts like Angola and Mozambique. Da Cruz, a journalist and human rights defender, was detained in 2015 for discussing peaceful protest methods, and has since been living in exile, coordinating a civil society organization that monitors Angolan media. The book includes contributions from academics and activists in Brazil, Mozambique, and Angola, refining strategies to combat political oppression.

Key Takeaways:

• The new edition of "Tools to Destroy the Dictator and Avoid a New Dictatorship" includes analyses from several academics and discusses tools of civil resistance, such as protests, boycotts, and holding vigils.
• The book aims to provide practical solutions to confront dictatorships, as Da Cruz noted in an interview with Global Voices, "academia should promote human dignity and that means confronting the dictatorship with practical solutions."
• In Angola, police brutality and chronic malnutrition among children are among the problems listed in the 2025 report by the 'Observatório da Imprensa', a civil society organization that da Cruz has been coordinating.
• The book was censored in Angola in May 2025, leading the author to make it available for free online.
• Da Cruz observes that in authoritarian contexts like Angola, relying on elections organized by the regime would be falling into a trap, and that there is no possibility for a transition of power as in democracies.
• He compares the Angolan context with the example of Fana, a musician who passed away in 2023, and whose music made social commentary that was met with police repression.
• In Angola's last general elections in 2022, the "Citizen Electoral Monitoring Project" initiative by theLEC was conducted, incorporating activists and citizens from various parts of the country and highlighting a disparity with the official results.
• Da Cruz believes it is urgent to promote deeper political and philosophical exchanges between Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Angola, Mozambique, and Brazil.

Statistics:

• In 2025, the 'Observatório da Imprensa' reported on police brutality and chronic malnutrition among children in Angola.
• The book "Tools to Destroy the Dictator and Avoid a New Dictatorship" was released 10 years after the original edition.
• Da Cruz was detained for six months in 2015 for discussing peaceful protest methods.
• The book includes contributions from 7 academics and activists in Brazil, Mozambique, and Angola.

Sources:

• Da Cruz, D. (2025). Tools to Destroy the Dictator and Avoid a New Dictatorship. (Translated by Global Voices).
• 'Observatório da Imprensa'. (2025). Report on police brutality and chronic malnutrition among children in Angola.
• LEC. (2022). Citizen Electoral Monitoring Project initiative.
• Global Voices. (2015). Interview with Domingos da Cruz.