Ana Paula Dos Santos

First Lady; business woman

Date of Birth: 17/10/1963
Place of Birth: Luanda

Married to President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos with two children

Career: fashion model; flight attendant, TAAG - Linhas Aereas de Angola

Education: National Insitute of Education, Luanda; teachers' training, 1990-94.

Commentary: Ana Paula's marriage to President dos Santos in 1991 is blamed by some MPLA supporters for the increasing isolation of the Presidency at Futungo de Belas. Some criticism is just chauvinist sentiment and snobbery; but many Angolans are appalled by the displays of wealth at Fungo, which contrasts sharply with the poverty and suffering caused by the war. A diplomat described the President and first lady as: 'a handsome couple, elegantly and expensively dressed, looking for all the world as though they're living in southern California.' In 1997 Ana Paula undiplomatically announced that her five-year-old son would enrol at the Portuguese school in Luanda because of the 'bad quality' of state education (for which many hold her husband responsible). She has also tried to make her presence felt in administrative matters; a move which has irritated the political mainstream. Also under fire are her business interests, particularly diamonds.