Five Africans who have risen to become some of the most powerful people in European governments

Francisca Van Dunem

Portugal’s first-ever black minister since November 2015, Van Dunem was born in Luanda, Angola.

She left Angola shortly before a coup in the 1970s in which her brother was killed. In Portugal, Van Dunem studied law and later worked as the director of the Lisbon Public Protection Service.

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Now, she is Portugal’s Minister of Justice.