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Sindika Dokolo, businessman and husband of Isabel dos Santos, died this Thursday in Dubai of drowning, according to Congolese newspapers, with little information available, the country where he was born 48 years ago (in Kinshasa, in March 1972). His marriage to Isabel dos Santos in 2002 – which, it is said, costs something close to 900 thousand euros and had around 10,000 guests, among them former Prime Minister Durão Barroso, among many other Portuguese – brought him closer to Portugal.
And more specifically from Porto, where he wanted to move the European headquarters of his foundation. The connection with Porto dates back to 2015. In March of that year, Sindika Dokolo received the Medal of Merit from the city of Porto, within the framework of the contemporary art exhibition ‘You love me, you don’t love me’.
The tribute served as recognition by the city for the contribution of Sindika Dokolo, which allowed the city of Porto to develop one of the most relevant contemporary art projects today. And it happened at the height of the commotion that surrounded the entry and then the exit of the Angolan businesswoman from the BPI shareholder group.
Surrounded by journalists from the reception in the corridors of the City Hall to the rooms of the Almeida Garrett Municipal Library -where the exhibition was located- Isabel dos Santos tried to ‘hide’ behind Sindika Dokolo so as not to steal her role, which that night should be her . The mayor, Rui Moreira, a caring host, also tried to direct general interest towards the exhibition, which took a long time for the couple to reach the venue. But BPI was, in those days, too desirable in terms of news and Isabel dos Santos ended up having access to address a few words to the large battalion of journalists. Just to say I wouldn’t talk about BPI!
Subsequently, in January 2016, the Sindika Dokolo Foundation would finally decide to choose Porto to host its European headquarters, which would be located in the Casa Manoel de Oliveira building.
Art has always been the vehicle of personal satisfaction for Sindika Dokolo, who did not hide her status as heir and continuator of the legacy of her father, the first banker born on the African continent.
The son of a Congolese father and a Danish mother, he spent most of his childhood in Europe (Belgium and France).
With the death of his father in 2001, he would take over the family empire, which extended to banking, real estate, insurance, livestock and mining, among other details, while creating his own empire with his still girlfriend Isabel dos. Saints. But his interests were always equidistant between his business, which he knew caused him frequent headaches, namely the accusations or suspicions of fraud in both Congo and Angola) and art, which he considered a form of identity and identification. of the African people.
Chronicles say that his collection began when he was 15 years old, instigated by his father and at a time when he knew Africa more than postcards than because he took his pulse. Since then, it has brought together more than three thousand works, including paintings, prints, photographs, videos and installations, in a collection that experts estimate at around 50 million euros. It was through her that he found recognition in various capitals, especially those that, such as Madrid, Venice or São Paulo, have one of their differentiating options in the arts.
Member of the board of directors of several Portuguese companies, due to the connection of Isabel dos Santos with some Portuguese businessmen, as was the case with Amorim, her disappearance was clearly unexpected. On her Twitter account, Isabel dos Santos posted a photo of the couple without captions.
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