People in parts of the Angolan capital, Luanda, are still afraid to talk openly about what happened in July when protests brought part of the city to a standstill and disturbances rocked other provinces too.
What began as a call among taxi drivers to come out against the jump in the price of fuel turned violent over three days with at least 30 people losing their lives and thousands subsequently arrested.
Roads were blocked with burning tyres, shops were looted and clashes erupted between demonstrators and police.
It was one of the most significant waves of protest since the end of the civil war in 2002.
In the run-up to oil-rich Angola marking 50 years of independence from Portugal on 11 November, the demonstrations highlighted continuing concerns about poverty and inequality.
In neighbourhoods where the demonstrations were strongest, few people are willing to speak openly, worried about reprisals or persecution in light of the numerous arrests during and after the protests.
Things may have got a little out of control, but we needed to make that much noise to wake up those in power, a 24-year-old Luanda street vendor, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the BBC.
Having left school before completing secondary education, he now sells soft drinks along Avenida Pedro de Castro Van-Dúnem Loy, one of the capital's busiest thoroughfares, to help support his family.
He is one of the millions here struggling to get by amid the gleaming skyscrapers built by oil money.
For the vendor, joining the first day of protests was a way of showing that we have a voice and that people like him deserve a share of the wealth of the country that is rich for some, but miserable for so many of us.
Youth unemployment has been a major driver of protests in this young country where the median average age is less than 16.
Unemployment among 15-to-24-year-olds stands at 54%, official figures show. Out of the 18 million young people of working age, only three million have jobs in the formal sector - meaning they get regular wages and pay taxes.
In Angola's main cities, the many jobless young people, who are no longer in school, highlight the state's difficulty in meeting their aspirations.
Angolan sociologist Gilson Lázaro was not surprised by what happened in July. He believes that those at the heart of the protests were the dispossessed.
These are young people, the majority, who have nothing left but their lives. That is why they took to the streets without fear, he said.
The protests emerged spontaneously in some of Luanda's more populous and poorer neighbourhoods, where some residents lack access to basic sanitation as well as other essential infrastructure.
Gradually, demonstrators moved into the capital's main avenues, causing chaos and lifting the veil on a social problem that has long existed but which the political elite has preferred to ignore, according to the sociologist.
President João Lourenço has condemned the protests as acts committed by irresponsible citizens, but many Angolans feel their grievances are rooted in the economic disparity that persists in the nation.
The looting was simply the way young people found to draw attention from those in power. Political awareness is growing in Angola, and as the nation approaches the 2027 elections, this dissatisfaction could lead to further unrest.
