Corruption Teodorín Obiang: 25 Lamborghinis and Ferraris less... but the same life of luxury as always
Link The commented presence of Enrique Cerezo at the wedding of Teodoro Obiang's son in Madrid
Portrait Teodoro Obiang, the longest-lived dictator in the world
For decades, June 5 has been a holiday in Equatorial Guinea.
The only Spanish-speaking country in Africa turns on this date
to honor the birth of its leader.
Through pharaonic tributes, Teodoro Obiang Nguema (Mongomo, 1942) seeks to feel the venerated figure of him.
Biographical television marathons, dances in his honor and commemorative posters in the streets precede what is known as the "awakening the president" ritual, in which citizens flock
to the Malabo Palace to sing "happy birthday" to him.
Teodoro Obiang came to power in 1979,
through a coup against his uncle,
the democratic president Francisco Macías Nguema.
Trained at the Zaragoza Military Academy,
where he shared ranks with King Juan Carlos
, Obiang reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
After the independence of Equatorial Guinea in 1968, he was
governor of the Island of Bioko
thanks to his family ties.
However, the drift towards a dictatorial regime of the former Spanish colony made him
justify what he called "coup of freedom",
which resulted in the execution of his uncle Macías and his henchmen.
But what was to come was only a government of terror with a different name and the same surname.
Considered a dictator
by a large part of the international community, Obiang Nguema created the authoritarian Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea in 1987.
In 1996 he was forced by international pressure to call the country's first plural elections
in which he would win by an absolute majority.
With high rates of poverty and a military regime completely assimilated by the population, Guinea
suffered other failed coups until 2017
with the aim of overthrowing the so-called Mongomo clan, which brings together Obiang and his family in power.
Teodoro Obiang in Madrid in 2014GTRES
Mongomo's clan
"Guinea has always been governed as a clan"
, journalist Mocache Massoko tells LOC.
An exiled Guinean, he describes Obiang as a polygamist who seeks to exercise his power through a
"family patronage network"
in a country of fewer than two million people.
Married to five women, the African president defines himself as a Christian.
However, his belonging to the Fang ethnic group, the majority in the country, allows him to
live with several polygynous couples
with whom it is estimated that he has had thirty children.
But only two of his wives appear at public events and official trips.
Almost always separately.
In 1968, Teodoro Obiang
married Constancia Mangue
in the Church of Mongomo.
This Catholic marriage did not prevent him from taking
Celestina Lima a short time later as his wife as well.
With his political and military career on the rise, Obiang made it a point to have
offspring with women from all three of Guinea's main ethnicities
.
Which is why he also joined a young bubi named Shaw and a benga named Elema.
His last known spouse is the Venezuelan María Verminia Buckanan García.
According to Massoko, the latter
"perform the role of lovers",
although, like the official ladies, "they hold positions in the government".
Teodoro Obiang with one of his wives in Madrid in 2014GTRES
"When it was discovered in the 1990s that the country had oil, Obiang reported that it
belonged to him and his family."
During these years, black gold was not able to dilute the tears of a people who continued to live in extreme poverty.
Corruption was on the rise,
but the country had great allies like Russia and China.
The presence of crude oil ripped the state coffers to lead Obiang to the podium of the richest leaders in Africa, only behind Mohamed VI and Gabonese President Ali Bongo.
His fortune has been
estimated at $600 million
by Forbes magazine.
Meanwhile, Equatorial Guinea ranks ninth in the ranking of the
most corrupt countries in the world
according to Transparency International.
According to the ranking of Reporters Without Borders, the African nation ranks 141 out of 180 in terms of press freedom.
The writer of a country without bookstores
(2019)
has been one of the few journalistic works that have been carried out within the country.
Directed by Marc Serena, this documentary narrates the return to his home of the exiled writer Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel.
The most internationally translated author within his borders and
one of the government's biggest critics.
The film also exposes the high standard of living that the Obiang have despite the fact that their people suffer from malnutrition and power outages.
While Obiang's children collect
Ferraris and luxury properties abroad
, relatives and friends of the protagonist live in dramatic situations due to the lack of health and cultural infrastructures.
Decline and succession
In 1997, Obiang
survived prostate cancer.
Since then, his visits to the Mayo Clinic are constant.
But his weak state of health has not put his will in check.
The president
has arranged the board in favor of a blood government.
Currently, Teodorín Obiang Mangue, son of his first wife, holds the position of Vice President of the Government.
While Gabriel Obiang Lima, a descendant of his second lady, acts as Minister of Mines and has control of national oil.
Both brothers compete to succeed their father
and "hate each other to death".
Teodoro Obiang Mangue (Teodorín), Vice President of Equatorial GuineaGTRES
Obiang's 79th birthday
seemed to indicate that the relief is near.
With deciduous power, the withered dictator seeks to see his legacy green through his family tree.
Although he does not know in which of his branches
Of him.
"Gabriel and Teodorín had to give each other a hug
, which was faked," Masokko describes.
What did seem real was the joy of the president when he came out to
greet the public with two of his five wives.
Showing that paradise has welcomed him decades before his death.
Happy 80th, Hefner of State!
Conforms to The Trust Project criteria
Know more