This beautiful coastline was once considered the African Riviera. Scarred by decades of civil war, the city is in decay but there is still a shadow of the former beauty.
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The architecture shows the centuries-long Portuguese influence. |
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This former monastery is now a school. |
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There is an effort to restore some of these buildings; Chevron restored this private school. Unfortunately, governmental corruption dramatically increases restoration costs. Angola's oil production is $15-18 million every day (that's per DAY), yet the city continues to crumble. |
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In the early-90's, a cease-fire took effect and elections were held. Both government and rebel militaries were in Luanda when election results came in. The rebels lost and fighting erupted in the streets. Many of the Portuguese expats, wealthy Angolans, and multinationals fled the country overnight. Today, the skeletons of abandoned construction projects litter the skyline. |
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There are some 11 million people in Angola and an estimated 14 million landmines; the countryside has been abandoned. Luanda has grown from a couple hundred thousand to 2 million. Crowded with refugees, barrios fill every corner of the city. |
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Because of conditions in the countryside there is little farming and no produced goods. Virtually everything must be imported, fuelling rampant inflation. In the 10-month interval I travelled to Luanda, the exchange rate rocketed from 5 Cwanza/dollar to 17. That's 240% in 10 months! Most educated Angolans work for dollars, but others must contend with the worthless Cwanza. |
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This view looks out over the Atlantic Ocean. The Isla is the narrow strip of land separating the harbor from the ocean, in the upper right. The Isla is party-central on weekends. |
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Angolans are heavily influence by the Brazilian party culture. On weekends, these beaches are packed with scantily-clad sun-worshippers. Then it's a siesta in the evening and party all night long. During the war, curfews were in effect from midnight thru 6 am. Luandans entered the clubs before midnight, the doors closed, and it's Samba 'til dawn. There's no longer a curfew but the habits remain. Oh the sleepless nights... |
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Angola's ongoing civil war is financed through the lucrative diamond and oil trade; rebels control the diamonds, the government, oil. In fact, the war has become big business, with stakeholders in Europe, the US, and South Africa. The UN continues vying for peace, but most Angolans understand it's all about money.
Because of the landmines, it's not possible to drive outside major cities. However, in the security zone around Luanda one can still visit the countryside. This section of coastline is about 2 hours south of Luanda.
Kisses to Shannon for sharing his photos.
