View
1
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
SON
ANG
OL
UN
IVER
SOISSU
E 30 – JUN
E2011
INSIDE:oil and gas news
Sounds sensationalLURING TOURISTS:how Luanda’s visitor appeal is widening
OLDEST ALLY:why Brazil enjoys such close links with Angola
FIGURES OF POWER:Paris bows to the force of Angolan art
UniversoJUNE 2011
2 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Universo is the international magazine of Sonangol
Board MembersManuel Vicente (President),
Anabela Fonseca, Mateus de Brito, Fernando Roberto, Francisco de Lemos,Baptista Sumbe, Sebastião Gaspar Martins
Sonangol Department for Communication & Image
DirectorJoão Rosa Santos
Corporate Communications Assistants
Nadiejda Santos, Lúcio Santos, José Mota, Beatriz Silva,
Paula Almeida, Sandra Teixeira, Marta Sousa
Publisher Sheila O’Callaghan
EditorJohn Kolodziejski
Art DirectorTony Hill
Sub EditorRon Gribble
Circulation ManagerMatthew Alexander
Project ConsultantsNathalie MacCarthyMauro Perillo
Group PresidentJohn Charles Gasser
Universo is produced by Impact Media Custom Publishing. The views expressed in the publication are not necessarily those of Sonangol or the publishers.
Reproduction in whole or in part withoutprior permission is prohibited.
This magazine is distributed to a closed circulation. To receive a free copy:
circulation@universo-magazine.com
Circulation: 17,000
The Universo team while in Luanda stay at:
www.hotelrouxinol.com
Davenport House16 Pepper Street,London E14 9RP
Tel + 44 20 7510 9595Fax +44 20 7510 9596
sonangol@impact-media.com
Cover:Chris Saunders
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
16 30
48
Our June edition throws light on different aspects of life inAngola, reflecting its increasingly dynamic economy andreconstruction process.
Improvements in the quality of Luanda’s hotels along with theattractions of the capital’s short-break tourism options are examined inour Luring Tourists feature.We follow this with an X-ray of Brazil’s long-standing connections
with Angola, relations that continue to expand, especially in the buoyantservices sector.Angolan music in its multiple and infectious forms is the theme of
our third feature. Angola has not only inspired Brazilian samba butnewer genres, such as kuduro, which are wowing audiences worldwide.Their sensationally elastic dance moves make Michael Jackson’sroutines appear almost wooden in comparison. Paris, the birthplace of Cubism, is the fitting venue for our fourth
story, where Angolan art is on show. Universo reviews the exhibition ofAngolan artefacts of a kind that served as inspiration for this giant steptowards modern abstract art.
Mu
seée
Dap
per
& H
ug
hes
Du
bo
isJohn Kolodziejski, Editor
Kim
esso
Kis
soka
JUNE 2011 3
CONTENTS
6 4322
4 AngolA news briefing
Angola’s giant dinosaur named; China’s Vice-Premier
visits Luanda; Russian credit boosts Angola satellite
project; Namibe-Lubango railroad on track; Luanda sea
terminals plan; Angola gets World Bank anti-poverty
loan; Luanda clampdown on traffic crime; Angola’s
largest import; Angolan census date set
5 figured out
A brief look at Angola in numbers
6 luring tourists
Luanda’s hotel sector is rising fast in quantity and
quality, helping provide growing visitor numbers
for the embryonic local tourism industry which is
also enjoying easier access to beaches, mountains
and wildlife
16 AngolAn Art
A look at inspirational Angolan art, traditional and
modern, in Paris’ Dapper Museum
22 oldest strAtegiC AllY
Brazil and Angola’s relationship dates back to the 16th
century but only fully-flowered in a mutually-
beneficial way after Angola’s independence. Today,
both countries are not only trading but investing
heavily in each other’s assets
30 AngolA’s HeArtbeAt
An A-Z of Angola’s music with a panorama of the
current scene in Luanda
39 sonAngol news briefing
Sonangol pens 30-year São Tomé port and airport
concession; El Paso Mississippi plant on schedule to
receive Angolan LNG; Sonangol invests in accident
prevention; Sonangol plans new office in Venezuela;
Girassol Clinic starts paediatric heart surgery
programme; Sonangol backs Saurimo schools;
Sonangol rally team wins Desert Challenge race;
Sonangol petrol stations boom; go-ahead for more
subsalt wells; Sonangol drilling in Iraq begins
43 PlAnet suite suCCess
Sonangol names its latest floating production storage
and offloading vessel, PVSM, after four planets, each
letter representing an oilfield off Angola’s coast
48 leAder role in refining
Sonangol vice-president Anabela Fonseca takes the
chair of the African Refiners Association, which aims
to attract greater investment to the sector
50 AngolA CountrY inforMAtion
The key facts and figures
PMP
Glo
bal
Od
ebre
cht
BP
Exp
lora
tio
n (
An
go
la)
Ltd
.
John Kolodziejski, Editor
Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Qishan visited Luanda on a two-day visit to promote
relations between China and Angola.
The two countries established a strategic partnership in 2010, and Wang Qishan said
China was ready to increase its co-operation with Angola. New areas in the partnership, he
said, could include trade, energy, mining and the agricultural sectors.
China raises co-operation
The Moçâmedes train line (CFM)
from Namibe to Lubango is due
to relaunch in 2011. It will be followed
by the Benguela Railway (CFB), which
links the port town of Lobito with the
eastern border with Zambia via
Huambo in the heart of the country.
The Caminhos de Ferro de Luanda
(CFL) opened for service in late
December 2010 linking the capital
Luanda with Malange.
Desert lineon track
Angola’s giant
Angola news briefing
Angola has been granted a loan
worth $278.5 million from Russia’s
Export and Import Bank to fund a new
satellite project.
Placing the satellite, planned since
2008, will make it possible to provide
international access, support and expan-
sion of broadband internet services,
transmission to telecommunications
operators and access to support for
television and radio network services.
The financing agreement for the An-
gosat project was signed by Angola’s Fi-
nance Minister Carlos Lopes and the
chairman of Russia’s Eximbank, Nikolai
Gavrilov, representing a syndicate of
Russian banks including the Development
and Foreign Trade Bank, Roseximbank
and VPD. The satellite is expected to be
sent into orbit by a Russian operator
in 2012.
Set for liftoff
The first dinosaur found in Angola has been named the Angolatitan adamastor.
Angolatitan means ‘Angolan giant’ and adamastor refers to the mythical sea
giant of the South Atlantic feared by Portuguese sailors.
The long-necked sauropod was uncovered in 2005 about 70km north of Luanda by
Portuguese paleontologist Octá vio Mateus from Portugal’s Universidade Nova de
Lisboa and Museum of Lourinhã.
Remains of the large plant-eating dinosaur, which was believed to have been 13
metres long and lived 90 million years ago during the late Cretaceous period, were
found in marine sediments.
“These and other fossils tell us an amazing story about the climate and climate
change in this part of the world,” says Louis Jacobs from the Southern Methodist
University, who is a member of the Mateus PaleoAngola Project team. “In an oil-
producing country like Angola, this project helps us to understand the geology of the
region and the implications for its richness.”
The detailed description, in which the Angolatitan adamastor officially received its
scientific name, was presented in the publication Anais da Academia Brasileira de
Ciências (Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences).
As well as discovering Angola’s first dinosaur, the PaleoAngola team has uncovered
mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, turtles and other cretaceous marine animals.
The long-term goal of the project is to create a strong and lasting institutional and
scientific collaboration with Angolan academia.
4 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Kam
ene
M T
raça
Angola is to get
eight maritime
passenger terminals
along the coast of
Luanda, Transport
Minister Augusto da Silva
Tomás told parliament.
The sites will be at the
slave museum (near
Luanda golf course),
Panguila, Samba and
Benfica with longer-term
plans to extend the
scheme to Cabinda, Zaire, Benguela and Namibe – and to rivers in Kuando Kubango.
Last year a private water-taxi service began commuter services between Futungo,
Luanda Sul, Sonils and Ilha do Cabo in the centre of Luanda.
Sea terminals plan
The World Bank has lent Angola $81.7 million to fund development projects. The
money will be spent on local schemes run by the government’s anti-poverty agency,
the Social Action Fund. It includes developing infrastructure, strengthening institutions
and improving local economic opportunities.
World Bank loan
Red light for traffic crimeThe provincial government of Luanda has created a special unit to combat traffic
problems and reduce congestion in the city. Plans include cracking down on traffic-
law violations by using cameras to record them, and having extra traffic signalling in order
to promote freer flow of vehicles. There are also plans for increased public transport
services, particularly to outlying areas.
Cement leads importsCement is Angola’s largest import
item. Figures from the Conselho
Nacional de Carregadores (CNC) show
that Angola imported more than 14 million
tonnes of goods in 2010 with cement
making up 19 per cent of that total.
Beer was the second biggest import,
followed by sugar and sugar products,
wine and meat. China was the largest
source of Angolan imports (with almost 25
per cent), followed by Portugal, Brazil,
Belgium, Spain and South Africa.
Census date setA full population census is to be
carried out in Angola in 2013.
The long-awaited study will collect data
on all aspects of Angolans’ lifestyles
including occupation, income, living
conditions and access to water
and electricity.
More than 40,000 people will be
involved in collecting and analysing the
data. It will be the first full population
census to be carried out since 1970,
before Angola gained independence
from Portugal.
JUNE 2011 5
Fivenew hospitals are being built
in Luanda during 2011
millioncarats of diamonds produced
by Angola in 2010
8 55.
399,469 expatriates living in Angola
GDP growth prediction for2012 by IMF
10.5OO
Amount to be spent on preserving the Palanca Negra giant antelope:
Figured out
$6million
Mar
io P
aco
te
6 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
HOTELS & TOURISM
View from the Hotel Skyna
TOURISTSLURING
JUNE 2011 7
Luanda’s expanding hotel sector, sparked by Angola’s economic boom, is clearly inevidence as new tower blocks sprout along the city’s skyline. Universo examines whatthey offer and takes a look at tourist options within reach of the ocean side capital �
Co
urt
esy
Ho
tel S
kyn
a
Luanda’s story in recent decadeshas been one of crushingdemand for accommodation asthe population has swollen to
over 4 million. The city’s hotel sector has developed
at a somewhat slower pace than residentialdevelopments but hotels are now thereason for a raft of excitingly prominentprojects, especially at sites with easy accessto Luanda’s business district.
Luanda’s historic room shortages arereflected in sky-high prices. Thecomfortable but modest family-runRouxinol Guesthouse, at the lower end,charges $270 a night, while a room at thetop-of-the-range Hotel Talatona in theupmarket Luanda Sul district on the city’ssouthern fringes costs around $600.
New outlookA recent addition to Luanda’s
accommodation portfolio is the swish four-star Hotel Skyna. This bright, modern hotelwas completed in time for the 2010 AfricanCup of Nations, hosted by Angola.
“We took a long time planning thehotel and opened in time for the soccertournament, showing we can deliver,” saidDanilo Cruz, marketing director atSociedade Comercial de InvestimentosGerais Lda, Socinger.
The Skyna is the first hotel projectdeveloped by the Socinger investment firm.“Socinger goes where the opportunitiesare,” said Cruz. The company has aneclectic approach to investment in Angola,which includes a glass factory, magazineand further-education publication sales.
HOTELS & TOURISM
8 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Bra
zuk
Ltd
.
New blocks ease accommodation shortage
Hotel Skyna dining room
which historically had been booked upmonths in advance, now had vacancies.
Hotels with a service ethos are nowchallenging the previous take-it-or-leave-it mindset that resulted from chronicroom shortages.
Clients are not only being wooed bynew hotels but also by the growing supply ofaccommodation in residential blocks, oftenbuilt by multinational companies with long-term business interests in the country.
Although new rival hotels can be seenfrom the Skyna’s own doorstep, Cruzremains unfazed by competition. “Newhotels are good for Luanda as they offersynergies and help advertise the location.Corporate customers also open doors totourism,” he said.
Service rewardsSkyna rewards good service and also
runs an Employee of the Month schemewhere staff can nominate other colleagues.Its methods appear to be working as staffturnover rates are low.
Cruz believes that the secret of keepinggood staff and avoiding poaching by rivalsis not just about salary, but in makingemployees feel excited by their owndevelopment, learning experience and job security.
Growing competitionAs the supply of hotel rooms expands,
finding a place to stay is slowly easing inLuanda and is kindling competition. Onehotel manager noted that at least one hotel,
Cruz formerly held down top jobs inproduct planning and customer analysisfor Honda in Europe and is one of a newbreed of experienced, highly-qualifiedmanagers and specialists entering Angola’shotel sector.
He recognises staff training as the keyingredient in running a successful hotel,but points out that the concept of customerservice is a relatively new one in Angola andneeds developing. “Hotel service is ournumber one priority, and it’s equallyimportant to use Angolan staff,” he said.
Skyna treasures good local workersand wants them to stay with the hotel andmake their careers with it, said Cruz.“Eagerness and willingness to learn aremore important than having experiencebecause someone with a good curriculummay not have good work habits.
“We teach everyone the basics andassume they know nothing. We then offerstaff a clear career path, keep on trainingthem and aim to keep them happy.”
JUNE 2011 9
Skyn
a
Hotel Talatona
Bra
zuk
Ltd
.
“Hotel service is our number one priorityand it’s equally important to use Angolan staff”
– Danilo Cruz
HOTELS & TOURISM
10 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Location, location, location
year-old son of owners Farah and FoadNaimi, enthusiastically embraces hisparents’ philosophy of personalised,dependable service and hospitality.
Our differential“Our differential is a clear identity and
knowing our clients,” said Shervin Naimi.His claim is backed by an impressive recordof customer loyalty with good numbers ofrepeat bookings, which include aidspecialists working with foreign embassiesin the nearby Miramar diplomatic quarter.
“You know what you’re getting at theRouxinol; good quality and personalservice in a family environment withhomely hospitality,” Naimi added.
Rouxinol ensures reliable facilities forguests. Two generators guarantee energywhen there are network problems,reflecting the belt-and-braces approach ofowner Foad, an electrical engineer.
Backup water supplies come fromhuge reserve tanks, and advanced
microfiltration equipment means ice andfood-preparation water is free fromharmful bacteria.
Rouxinol also provides cable TV anddependable Wi-Fi communications withsix high-speed routers, giving net coverageto all corners of the hotel.
Cleanliness and effective, silent air-conditioning complete the Rouxinol guestexperience in a quiet corner of a cul-de-sac.
Rouxinol’s assiduous service also paysoff in customer loyalty. When theguesthouse has faced unavoidabledisruptions, guests have been moresupportive, and during recent dusty andnoisy extension work they stayed on ratherthan sought alternative accommodation.
The newest addition to Luanda’s rangeof top-line hotels is the 288-room EpicSANA. This 5-star hotel, conference andleisure complex is very near completionwith opening on track for late 2011.
The venture is part of a well-established chain already boasting nine
Cruz said he saw signs of his runningcosts coming down. All the Skyna’s salads,vegetables and some fruits are now locallysupplied and delivered, he said. Thesuppliers themse lves are also facing morecompetition from greater rural productionbecause of improvements to Angola’s roadsand bridges.
However, Luanda’s current high costsare justified, said Cruz, listing hefty bills formaintenance, reserve generators, high landprices, fuel and technicians in order toprovide air-conditioning and other services.
A travel company specialising inadventure tourism noted that prices forflights to Angola and hotels had beenfalling slightly since the beginning of theyear, while prices to competitordestinations have been rising.
The Rouxinol Guesthouse providesarguably the best regarded lodgings inLuanda, recording the highest customersatisfaction in online reviews.
Administrator Shervin Naimi, the 22-
A key consideration for new hotel
projects is location. Luanda’s basic
geographical division is between the
lower and upper city. The lower city, the
Baixa, is home to the busy port,
offshore services, banks, oil and
diamond companies and some
government ministries.
The upper city hosts the
international airport and diplomatic
representations, as well as government
offices and commercial establishments.
Physical proximity is important
because Luanda’s roads are notoriously
clogged with traffic and short journeys
are as well done on foot.
Several major hotel projects are
halfway up the hill between the two
levels: the well-established Hotel
Trópico, newcomer 4-star Skyna and
two new much larger hotel complexes –
Epic SANA and InterContinental – both
currently under construction.
Epic SANA Hotel (left) InterContinental (extreme right)
Leisure complexThe hotel also boasts a conference
centre, swimming pools, sauna, Turkishbaths and gyms. The Epic SANA includes 50suites for long-term residential guests, a keysegment in Luanda where many visitors areex-pat workers on long contracts.
The fact that SANA is part of a chaingives the company a competitive edge andaccess to a pool of trained staff.
SANA has a department focused ontraining through its academia scheme.“One of the main characteristics of SANAhotels is the care and attention to thequality of personal service,” said Nunes.
Weekend tourism optionsAngola is blessed with many of the
natural resources that have provedmagnets for tourism in other parts of theworld. These include a tropical climate,hundreds of kilometres of unspoilt beachesand varied landscapes ranging from humidrainforests to highland plateaux. There arealso exotic flora and fauna and an oceanteeming with fish, and potential fornautical sports.
Heavily-populated Luanda has a goodnumber of these attractions within strikingdistance, especially for a weekend trip,thanks to much improved highways.
While some excellent beaches arewithin walking distance of the downtownarea, on the long protective spit of the Ilha sheltering Luanda’s harbour, the touristneed not go too far to enjoy almostdeserted beaches.
Just south of the city is another longstrip of less-visited beaches on the island ofMussulo. Access by boat restricts largemigrations to the beaches even at weekends.
Good quality beaches also abound,especially south of Luanda en route toKissama National Park and beyond. Here,turtles lay their eggs largely undisturbed.
Angola’s new investment law hasmade tourism a priority area, and RosaCruz, director general of Infotur, thegovernment’s tourism-promotion agency,is keen to help the sector grow. “Tourism
“You know whatyou’re getting at the Rouxinol;
good quality andpersonal service”
JUNE 2011 11
hotels in the Lisbon area and one in Berlin.SANA is part of the Azinor Group tradingcompany that has a strong presence inPortugal and Africa.
“Africa, especially Portuguese-speaking countries, is a strategic marketfor SANA. Angola isn’t an unknown marketfor us,” said Diana Sequeira Nunes,SANA’s marketing and communicationsdirector. “We can be a reference forexcellence in Angola as we are in Portugal.SANA has lots of experience, so adds valueto the Angola market.”
A range of luxury services planned forits Luanda hotel supports SANA’s bid forexcellence. Apart from panoramic views,the hotel will host five international eatingplaces that include Italian and Japanesecuisine, as well as five bars.
Bra
zuk
Ltd
.
Hot propertyRouxinol is fortunate to have
attracted the versatile João Pedro
Kasseca Muaxianu, who really
understands customer service.
João Pedro has experience of
managing hotels, restaurants and bars,
including the upmarket Cais de Quatro
and Espaço Bahia, Luanda bayside
leisure points.
He not only can turn his hand to
room equipment repairs but also works
as chef, and has been known to bake
cakes for the guests in between his
supervisory duties at the hotel.
Bra
zuk
Ltd
.
– Shervin Naimi
The largest hotel and leisure-complex project under way in Luanda is the giant
389-room InterContinental. The complex will give the city more specialty
restaurants and extensive conference facilities.
The wide frame of the 25-storey unfinished building dominates the hillside
leading up to the desirable Miramar diplomatic district, a likely source of visiting
guests. Construction of the steel-framed hotel slowed to a snail’s pace in 2010
during the global economic downturn, but by April 2011 work appeared to be
picking up speed again. InterContinental says completion is set for late 2014.
New giant on the block
12 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Bra
zuk
Ltd
.
Bra
zuk
Ltd
.
will add to Angola’s economy and helpdiversify it from mainly oil and mining,”she said.
She has been active in raisingAngola’s international profile in recentmonths by leading a mission of domestictour operators and hoteliers to industryfairs in Lisbon, Madrid, Berlin, Durbanand Beijing. Future plans includeattending similar events in the UnitedStates and Brazil.
Skyna’s Danilo Cruz agrees. “We thinkAngola has huge tourism potential, and thistranslates into future investment indeveloping Angola as a destination. Ibelieve we won’t have enough hotels here.”
He sees tourism opening up a new
facet to Angola’s oil-dependent economywith good, long-term prospects.
Special packagesCurrently, however, the Skyna though
busy during the workweek, is almostdeserted on Saturday and Sunday, so thehotel offers special packages to encourageweekend occupancy. Skyna’s clients canalso make use of local tourism optionsprovided by specialist companies such asEco-Tur.
Angola’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourismwill complete an inventory of tourismresources by July 2011, on which to base itsmaster plan for developing the sector.
Angola’s tourist sector created almost
Good-quality beaches also abound, especially south of Luanda en route to Kissama National Park
32,000 jobs in 2009, making a total of134,600 employees in the area, accordingto the Angolan Hotel and Tourism MarketStatistical Bulletin.
Most of the new jobs were madeavailable in the restaurant subsector, which rose to a total of 54,300. Luandaaccounted for the lion’s share of jobsgrowth during the year.
Nearly 366,000 people visited Angolain 2009, 55 per cent more than in 2008.Europeans made up the bulk of the touristswith 130,000 visitors, followed byAmericans with 76,000.
“I believe tourism will be one ofAngola’s top five industries by 2016,”predicted Infotur’s Rosa Cruz.�
HOTELS & TOURISM
JUNE 2011 13
Pau
l Wes
son
Jai I
mag
ens
A comprehensive one-stop shop for
hotels in Angola is available at the
www.hoteisangola.com website.
www.tripadvisor.com is a review
site indicating clients’ perceptions
of hotels.
Local tourism service providers:
www.eco-tur.com
www.aasafaris.com
Hotel contacts
Short break options from Luanda
HOTELS & TOURISM
14 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
One day: Kwanza River and Kissama game tour
One day: Massango (16th-century colonial fort on the Kwanza)
Two day: Dondo – N’dalatando-Malange – Pedras Negras (mammoth
black rocks on a plain) – Kalandula falls and Capanda Dam
Two day: Benga Waterfalls – Cada – River Queve – Sumbe –
Porto Amboim (seaside town)
Two day: Dondo – Calulo – Cabuta (highland coffee farm)
Two day: Calulo- Quibala – Waku Kungo
Source: Eco-Tur
Bra
zuk
Ltd
.
Bra
zuk
Ltd
.
Bra
zuk
Ltd
.PM
P G
lob
al
PMP
Glo
bal
Mohamed Abdo, a Saudi national
and senior technical account
manager with Microsoft, took
advantage of his weekend break
while working in Luanda, by joining
Eco-Tur’s daylong safari jeep tour
combined with a Kwanza River trip.
“I really enjoyed every second
of our safari tour. The boat trip and
the welcoming experience by Má rio
[an Eco-Tur guide] impressed me
the most. I would absolutely
recommend it,” he said.
Abdo believes Luanda has great
potential in developing its tourist
industry. “It’s got the natural gifts to
be a very good tourist country: the
ocean, green land, weather, animal
reserves and mountains.
“But more 5-star hotels have to
be built and the visa process and
requirements need to be eased a
little,” he said, to improve the
tourist experience.
Kissama National Park
JUNE 2011 15
Bra
zuk
Ltd
.
Bra
zuk
Ltd
.
Bra
zuk
Ltd
.
ART
16 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
FIGURESOF POWER
JUNE 2011 17
By Bill Hinchberger
Angolan art is currently the subject of a dedicated exhibition at the
Dapper Museum in Paris. Interestingly, the show is in the very district
where Picasso saw an African art exhibition in 1907 and was inspired to
embark on his Cubist period �
The museum is opposite the formerresidence of Paul Valéry (on a street namedafter the poet) and within walking distanceof the Arc de Triomphe. It is located in thesame district as the now long-demolishedPalais du Trocadéro, where Pablo Picassovisited an exhibition of African art in 1907.That experience changed the history ofWestern art in the 20th century by inspiringPicasso, in tandem with Georges Braque, tocreate Cubism.
Press praiseOnly time will tell whether any
budding Picassos have visited Figures ofPower, but the exhibition has caught theattention of the French press. “Astonishingartistic creativity,” said Le Figaro. “Afascinating universe, a rare artisticensemble,” added La Tribune. One ofFrance’s leading art critics, Philippe Dagen,wrote in Le Monde: “Unlike mostexhibitions on Africa, this one is notexclusively ethnographic in its approach.Among the 140 works on show, many canonly be understood in the context ofpolitical or economic history.”
In that respect, the exhibitioncatalogue comes in handy – assuming thatyou read French, as Portuguese versions areprovided only for a preface by ManzambiVuvu Fernando, the national director ofmuseums in Angola, and in theambassador’s introduction.
The catalogue describes, for instance,the background story of the oldest item ondisplay. Dating from 750 to 850 AD, it isconsidered the longest-surviving woodensculpture from central Africa. Discovered in1928 by an engineer named Camille Turlotin the bed of the Liavela River, about 270 km
southwest of the southernmost point of theterritory now occupied by the Chokwe, thewell-preserved but weathered objectrepresents an animal head.
Before the better-known histories ofcolonialism, independence, civil war andreconstruction, the territory that is nowAngola was populated by a number ofrobust native civilisations. For a time afterthe first Portuguese expedition arrived in1482, commerce defined the relationsbetween the Europeans and the main tribalgroups such as the Kongo. But the growthof the slave trade and colonisation tooktheir tolls. Africans fled the coastal regions,and a whole way of life was disrupted. Thisexhibition highlights the surviving linksbetween the pre-colonial civilisations andtoday’s society.
Mythic heroPerhaps nothing better symbolises
this link to the past than the story of themythic hero Chibinda Ilunga, representedin the exhibition by his own wooden
P aris likes to think of itself as theworld’s cultural capital. Whetheror not it deserves that designationis open to debate, but it has helped
to solidify its position by hosting the city’sfirst comprehensive show of Angolan art.
The 140 pieces in the exhibition,entitled Angola: Figures de Pouvoir (Figuresof Power), come from ten Europeaninstitutions and the National Museum ofAnthropology in Luanda, as well as fromprivate collections. For some of the pieces,this is the first time they have left Africa.
The works include sundry styles ofmasks, carved statues of chiefs evoking themythic hunter hero Chibinda Ilunga,stunning magical-religious figures, andmuch more from the Chokwe, Kongo,Lwena, Lwimbi, Mwila, Ovimbundu andother tribal groups.
As Miguel da Costa, the Angolanambassador in Paris, says in hisintroduction to the exhibition catalogue:“French society and especially Parisians,along with art lovers and students ofAfrican art, have the opportunity to seetogether, as never before, artistic andcultural artefacts that give witness to thecreative genius of the peoples and culturesof Angola.”
The show is curated by ChristianeFalgayrettes-Leveau, director of the DapperMuseum, with Boris Wastiau, director of theGeneva Museum of Ethnography, servingas a scientific consultant. Figures of Poweropened in November 2010 and runs untilJuly 10, 2011. The Dapper Museum, whichspecialises in African culture, is namedafter Olfert Dapper, a Dutch humanist whoin 1668 wrote a seminal book calledDescription of Africa.
A FURNITURE FACTORY’S REVIVALART
18 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Bill
Hin
chb
erg
er
Mbenza ya ngana throneSongo, Angola
Ru
i Tav
ares
(Opening spread) Chihongo mask, Chokwe,
Angola Ol ivier Gallaud
statuette, an imposing, if small (only 40cmhigh), sculpture of Chokwe origin, and bysimilar pieces representing different chiefsin his likeness.
With its broad shoulders, oversizedfeet, oversized hands – one holding whatcould be a club or a spear and the other arifle, and somewhat oversized genitalia, theChibinda Ilunga statuette bristles withvirility. His animal-like ears and dilatednostrils show that he is in a state of alert.
Chibinda Ilunga’s story is said to dateback to around 1600, when the hunter anddescendent of Luba kings married Lueji,the Lunda queen and granddaughter of theserpent king Chinawezi. After theirmarriage, she named him king. Resentful,her brothers stomped off into thehinterland, each with his own partisans, tofound new tribes. Unfortunately Lueji wasunable to have children, so she allowedChibinda Ilunga to take a second wife. Theson of this liaison ultimately engendered aline of Lunda rulers.
The statuettes of Chibinda Ilunga andthe chiefs in his image represent the first ofthe three “powers” presented in theexhibition – the political. Indeed, one of thedetails common in these statuettes is theMutwa wa kayanda (high hat-style headornament), a symbol of sovereigns inChokwe culture. Other symbols of poweron show include ceremonial knives, swordsand axes.
Among the most interesting are stoolsthat can be understood as symbolic thrones,sometimes very ornately decorated. One ofthe most remarkable is a Songo woodenstool, 74 cm high, called the mbenza ya
JUNE 2011 19
With its broad shoulders, oversized feet,
oversized hands andsomewhat oversized
genitalia, the ChibindaIlunga statuette bristles
with virility
Hu
gh
es D
ub
ois
Nkisi phemba –Cabinda, Angola
Mythic hero, Chibinda Ilunga – Chokwe, Angola
Sceptre –Ovimbundu, Angola
A FURNITURE FACTORY’S REVIVALART
20 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Pwo mask, Chokwe, Angola Kongo/AmbaquistaFuneral urn, Angola
Chikunza mask, Chokwe, Angola
Caryatid seat, Chokwe, Angola
Nkisi Nkondi
Altar, Hamba wa mwim Panel detail Nkanum, Angola / Democratic Republic of Congo
Hu
gh
es D
ub
ois
Joe
Pess
oa
Oliv
ier
Gal
lau
dTh
ierr
y O
livie
r an
d M
ich
el U
rtad
o
Joh
nat
han
Wat
tsR
og
er A
ssel
Ber
gh
s
MARCH 2011 27
Before they reach the main exhibition,visitors to Angola: Figures of Powertraverse an anteroom that featuresseven works by one of Angola’s topcontemporary artists, António Ole.This multitalented artist has worked inpainting, sculpture, installation art,film and photography. Though he hasbeen active for decades, this is hisfirst solo exhibition in Paris.
The works, dating from 1994 to2009, often make use of found orrecycled objects, notably modernones – for example,an old steeringwheel. So at onelevel they appeardistant from thetraditional objectsthat follow. Yet,especially in theirspirit and also inthe way the worksare shaped andpresented, theyprovide the perfectintroduction to thelarger exhibition.
Indeed, most if not all of Ole’sworks seem to draw directly from thenkisi (medicine sculpture) tradition,bridging the spiritual and physicalworlds in a seemingly crude, almostaggressive way, creating an emotionthat takes its effect before the mindcan catch up and figure out what isgoing on.
António Ole’s work is pervaded byhis doubts and intentions, his hopesbut also his sorrows. Sculptures andlarge-scale assemblages in the main,the seven works displayed here bearthe traces of the country’s collectivememory, much of it scarred by war.Ole’s further reminiscences embracesystems of signs that reflect theartist’s interest in the beliefs of severalAngolan populations, in particular themagical-religious practices of theChokwe and Kongo.
ngana throne. It depicts a sitting figure,holding up the seat with its hands and chest,its head sticking up slightly like a backrest.
Most of the other artefacts can bedivided into two broad categories: culturaland spiritual, the latter sometimes rootedin magic, sometimes in religion.
The spirits of ancestors can be invokedat various times, including for thecoronation of a chief, but they are alwayspresent at the initiation rites of adolescentboys, carried out in bush camps distantfrom the main villages.
Dancers who wear stylised masksrepresent the ancestors. The most colourfulitem in the exhibition is probably the red,black and white mask of Chihongo, theancestral male archetype (see picture p.16).
Chihongo’s female counterpart is Pwo,represented by a wooden mask withintricate carvings adorning her face, said torepresent the ideal of female beauty.Alongside is Chikunza, an aggressive figurewhose job is to keep evil spirits at bay fromthe camp of initiates. Black and white, withred highlights around his eyes and mouthand on his nose, and sporting a dunce cap-like pointy head, Chikunza could be a scaryclown out of a Stephen King novel.
Perhaps the most striking, and themost unsettling, items in the exhibit are theminkisi (plural term for the nkisi – sacredmedicine sculptures). Some of thesetortured figures of between 35 and 70 cmhigh have dozens of nails spiked into their
António Ole
JUNE 2011 21
humanesque wooden forms. Some carryknives, and one wears a soldier’s helmet.These figures are used by healers to bridgethe spiritual and physical worlds, and thusas tools to help sick and troubledindividuals recover from illness or solvetheir personal problems.
The exhibition features a myriad ofcultural objects. Indeed, in a strict sense,everything in the exhibition symbolises orrepresents a facet of the culture of one ormore of the tribal groups that inhabit Angola.
One important universe is that ofwomen, which the exhibition makes aserious effort to display. The mask of Pwo(mentioned earlier) is the most memorablefemale image in the show. Also noteworthyis a Kongo/Ambaquista terracotta funeralurn, rounded into a feminine shape anddepicting arms, breasts and genitals. Thereis also a small showcase of items used forfemale adornment by the Himba, Hereroand Kwanyane.
When the show closes, many itemswill make their way back to their respectiveethnographic institutions. But as Picassorecognised, one person’s ethnography isanother person’s art. So, for a few monthsin Paris, the world has been able to see therichness of the traditional art of the peopleof Angola. n
A former correspondent in Brazil forARTnews magazine, Bill Hinchberger is afreelance journalist based in Paris
An
tón
io O
le
Oliv
ier
Gal
lan
d
BRAZIL:BLOOD BROTHERAND OLDEST ALLY
BRAZIL ANGOLA
22 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
South America’s leading economy has had a major business friendship withAngola for over 30 years, its influence visible throughout the country. Universolooks at how those links developed and how they go far beyond just trade �
JUNE 2011 23
country’s morale. A Brazilian supermarketchain set up the country’s first post-independence hypermarket while Braziliansoap operas distracted a population rackedby shortages and hardship.
Brazilian companies, at that timeaccustomed to a chaotic domestic economicscenario, proved more adaptable and less risk-averse than rivals from more stableeconomies. They were more willing to look seriously at business opportunities in Angola.
Brazilians working in Angola, with theireffortless sociability and skill in improvisingsolutions, especially when facing obstructivebureaucracy – the so-called jeitinho, adaptedwell to the local environment and endearedthemselves to their Angolan hosts.
“It’s unnecessary to stress the sharedblood, closeness of behaviour and affection
“Angolans don’t forget that Brazilwas the first country to recogniseAngola’s independence, a
courageous gesture which upset importantsectors.... Its example conferred immediatediplomatic legitimacy on the new country,”said Angola’s President José Eduardo dos Santos.
Brazil’s modern-day partnership withAngola began with that “courageousgesture” in 1975 when its Ministry ofForeign Affairs determined it shouldpursue a pragmatic, strategic approach tointernational relations, regardless of theCold War politics of the time.
Recognising Angola, an ally of Cubaand the Soviet Union, was opposed byelements in the right-wing militarydictatorship then in power in Brazil. Butthe president at the time, General ErnestoGeisel, was very slowly clearing the pathback to democracy and favoured theforeign ministry’s long-term strategic aims.
Access to Africa’s oil resourcesundoubtedly played a part in the decision.At the time, Brazil was supplying only asmall part of its own needs when the 1973oil crisis put the brakes on its “economicmiracle” years of double-digit growth.
Indeed, state oil company Petrobraswas one of the first Brazilian companies todeal with the new Angolan government andhas had a long and mutually beneficialrelationship ever since, especially intechnology, now that Brazil is self-sufficientin oil.
Cultural affinitiesHowever, natural resources have had
nothing to do with the broader, positiveattitude of the Brazilian people towardsAngola. Brazil’s repressed domestic politicalopposition, led by artists and intellectuals,warmly supported Angola’s independencefor what it meant for the Angolans.
Brazil’s cultural affinities with Angolain terms of race, language, music, dance,cuisine and religion long predateindependence. As part of the Portugueseempire, Angola was a major source of theseveral million slaves shipped to Brazil.
Brazil’s greater presence in Angolaafter 1975 provided a welcome boost to the
between our two brother peoples,” Presidentdos Santos has said.
Dijalma Mariano da Silva, the tradesecretary at the Brazilian Embassy inLuanda, agrees. “Brazil’s relations withAngola are much wider than purelycommercial interests, much more than justtrade,” he said.
However, that trading partnership isdoing rather well. The general trend ofAngola’s economic exchanges with Brazil isone of growth. It more than quadrupled from$520 million in 2005 to peak at $4.2 billion in2008 before declining with the globaleconomic downturn.
While Brazil exports a wide variety ofgoods to Angola, over half of them processedfarm products such as sugar, meat, poultryand other foodstuffs, Angola’s return cargois almost all crude oil.
BRAZIL ANGOLA
24 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Practical exercises
Brazillian instructors
Training simulators
Bra
zuk
Ltd
Bra
zuk
Ltd
Bra
zuk
Ltd
Brazil’s role in Angola’s post-independence economy has been largelyled and performed by multinationalcompany the Odebrecht Group. Thecompany has not only offered a variety ofsolutions to Angola’s reconstruction needsbut has proved resilient in implementingthem in often extremely tough conditions.
Odebrecht, Angola’s second-largestemployer after Sonangol with over 20,000staff, developed the civil engineering workof perhaps the most significant projectsince independence, the 520-megawattCapanda Dam.
Capanda, located near Malange,450km from Luanda currently suppliesnearly all Angola’s electricity. The deal wassigned in 1982 and the first generatorturned in 2004.
The Brazilian company won the
respect of the Angolan government byexecuting the project throughout the longperiod of conflict, enduring complicatedlogistics and at one stage witnessssed thewrecking of the company’s installations.Regardless of the dangers, Odebrecht fullycompleted the dam in 2007.
Despite the difficulties, the Braziliansdelivered Angola’s main power project.President dos Santos said Capanda“consolidated in practice a relationshipbased on dialogue, which a commonlanguage favours, on mutual trust andrespect, and above all on friendship”.
Just as Brazil’s relationship withAngola is not one of mere commerce,Odebrecht’s links with the countries itworks in are not limited to individualprojects. It has a philosophy of serving thecommunities where it acts.
Education and development havebeen a bonus coming with its Angolanprojects. At Capanda, technicians havebeen trained to operate the dam, whileschools and farming in the region havebeen supported. This has given locals astake, directly or indirectly, in theenterprise and has raised living andhealth standards.
As a result of the confidence and trustearned with the government, Odebrecht hasbeen a key player in Angola’s reconstruction.Since Capanda, the multinational has beentasked with developing water supplies notonly for Luanda as its population swelled toover 4 million, but for Benguela and Lobitoas well.
The company has also beenresponsible for major highway projects thathave been praised for their quality. There
Angola - Brazil TradeYear Brazil Exports Angola Exports Total Bilateral Trade
$ millions $ millions $ millions
2002 199.6 11.6 211.2
2003 235.5 7.5 243.0
2004 357.2 3.6 360.7
2005 521.3 0.1 521.4
2006 837.8 459.5 1,297.3
2007 1,218.0 946.3 2,164.6
2008 1,974.5 2,236.4 4,211.0
2009 1,333.0 137.8 1,470.8
2010 947.1 500.1 1,447.9
JUNE 2011 25
Source: Brazilian Foreign Trade Secretariat - Secex
Od
ebre
cht
Bra
zuk
Ltd
Bra
zuk
Ltd
Recently graduated mechanics
student João Kafino
Hands-on experience
promote Angolan food self-sufficiencyand replace imports.
The Pungo Andongo farm consists of amassive 90,440 acres and produces cornand manioc flour, Angola’s staple food.Odebrecht developed this huge farm andstorage complex and then transferred it toAngolan control.
Fuel developmentA second major agribusiness project,
still under development, is Biocom, whichwill produce sugar and, in future, ethanol.The Brazilians are drawing on theexperience of its highly-efficientcommercial farming sector, where thecompany processes around 40 million tonsa year of sugar.
Angola currently imports around260,000 tons of sugar annually, largely fromBrazil. However, in 2012, Biocom will havethe planned capacity to supply all that isneeded. Angolan staff have been trained inall aspects of the business on Odebrechtplantations in Brazil.
Given Africa’s limited domestic oil-refining capacity, locally-produced ethanolcould be a cheaper way to run vehicles,either as a petrol additive or as pure fuel.This would be especially attractive in rural
was a time when Brazilian companiesstruggled to compete on the world stage.No more.
Odebrecht has itself proved a world-class operator, winning tenders inenvironments demanding the very higheststandards such as an airport in Florida inthe United States.
The company is also completinganother airport at Catumbela to serveBenguela and Lobito.
The South American conglomeratebegan building residential condominiumsin the city’s southern suburbs, Luanda Sul,in 1997 and has since developed large-scalehousing projects to meet priorities set by theAngolan government. It built Angola’s firstshopping centre and a high-class businesspark where it has its own headquarters.
Developing major projects providingAngola with basic infrastructure inelectricity, highways, water and housingwere the first steps by the Brazilianheavyweight, which has since expanded into a wide range of additionaleconomic activities.
Two major farming projects havebeen established by Odebrecht near toand benefiting from Capanda’s powersupplies. The aim of the giant farms is to
areas a long way from petrol supplies.The Brazilian major is also responsible
for developing the industrial park in theSpecial Economic Zone (ZEE) in Viana, inLuanda’s eastern suburbs, whereenterprises dealing with auto parts, glasspanels, electronics, irrigation equipment,hospital drips, paints and varnishes havebeen established.
Odebrecht also brought its logisticskills to the founding of the Nosso Supersupermarket chain, which has over 20branches throughout Angola. Furthermore,Odebrecht also has stakes in Angola’sleading industries; drilling for oil and gas,and diamond mining,
The Brazilian company’s presence inAngola has had a multiplier effect. It hasattracted to the country its own huge supplychain. Of Odebrecht’s 2,817 suppliers,nearly all of them have set up in Angola todo business. Other Brazilian companies andinstitutions have also followed in its wakeand are growing in number.
Brazil’s assistance in the educationand training of Angolans is also apparent.A shared language facilitates teaching andtraining. Angolans can almost seamlesslybe sent to train in similar functions in Brazilwithout the need for a special course in a
BRAZIL ANGOLA
There was a time when Brazilian companies struggled to compete on the world stage.
No more
26 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Sugar cane project – Biocom
Od
ebre
cht
Od
ebre
cht
Odebrecht Luanda offices
completely different language – this is anexperience many Angolans had previouslyhad in very different places such as theSoviet Union, Algeria and Bulgaria.
Odebrecht prides itself in itsdevelopment of local workforces and‘Angolanisation’, the training-up of localpersonnel to replace ex-pat workers.
Belief programmeAn excellent example of Brazil’s
contribution to Angolan development isOdebrecht’s Acreditar (Belief) programmewhere personnel undergo training close toits construction sites.
Acreditar gives vocational training to truck drivers, digger operators and also mechanics.
The project was first developed inBrazil and was implemented in Angola inSeptember 2010. So far, 530 Angolans havebeen trained and a further 1,500 are on thewaiting list for courses.
The growing presence of otherBrazilian companies in Angola has beenmarked since 2002.
At the top end of Brazilian technologysales to Angola is the highly successfulaircraft manufacturer Embraer thatrecently delivered executive jets to the
JUNE 2011 27
Odebrecht Luanda offices
Bra
zuk
Ltd
country. The company has an impressivesales portfolio that includes passenger jetsfor China and training planes for Britain’sRoyal Air Force.
Brazil’s prestigious agriculturalresearch institute Embrapa also enjoys aclose relationship with Angola’s farm sector.Embrapa has developed crop strainsespecially suited for the local environmentand has wide experience in tropical farming.
This role is likely to develop as Angolahas the potential to produce many crops inwhich Brazil leads world supplies, such ascoffee, sugar, oranges, cocoa and soya.
Brazil’s world-class media, publicrelations and publicity companies are alsodoing well in Angola. Brazilian PR played apivotal role in Angola’s election campaign.
Angolan TV shows a strong Brazilianinfluence in its programme format andcontent. A live appearance in Luanda ofBrazil’s Xuxa, a children’s TV presenter,attracted bumper crowds.
Brazilian writers, singers andmusicians have enthusiastic followings inAngola and frequently visit the country.Angola is now reciprocating in this areamore fully with an eye to a larger audience.
Brazilian soap operas have beenpopular in Angola for more than threedecades, helping raise Brazil’s profile andreinforce its positive image with the public.One area of Luanda, once home to a giantopen market, was even named after thelong-running 1980s Brazilian soap operaRoque Santeiro.
Services sectorBrazil’s service sector is finding a
profitable niche in Angola’s fast-expandingeconomy. Specialist doctors and dentistsfrom São Paulo find it worthwhile topractice part of the year in Luanda’sinflated market, while Angolans mayundergo relatively cheap medicaltreatment in Brazil while enjoying a vacation.
The country is Angola’s largest serviceprovider, the Brazilian Embassy says, withover 25,000 visas a year granted. Theseinclude those for Angolan students atBrazilian universities where they are betterable to assimilate courses and can save onthe expense of language courses needed inother foreign countries. A total of 130
The Association of Brazilian Businessmen in Angola, Aebran,has members in the following sectors:Oil and Gas Petrochemicals Diamonds
Power supply Logistics Agribusiness
Fish farming Cold storage Trucks
Textiles Catering Educational services
Construction Health Property developers
PR and Marketing Estate agencies Domestic electronics
Satellite TV Informatics Telecoms
Source: Aebran
28 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
BRAZIL ANGOLA
Co
urt
esy
Emb
raer
Brazilian Embraer-supplied jet for Angola’s Air Force
Angolan graduates are currently on post-graduate courses in Brazil. Brazil alsotrains Angolan teachers from higher-educational institutes.
Angola’s economy is alsointernationalising through Sonangol’sbusinesses abroad. One project involvesdrilling for oil in Brazil via local companyStarfish Oil & Gas S.A. Brazil’s deep-seasubsalt layer is expected to yield a bonanzaof between 10 and 20 billion barrels of oil.Angola, which shares similar geology toBrazil, is likely to also make such rich finds.
A strategic partnership in this areawith Brazil, which has developed leading-edge drilling technology and holds records
for deep-sea oil exploration, would be aperfect match.
Brazil’s Petrobras has been helpingSonangol study its subsalt region and hasalso trained Sonangol specialists in Brazil.It has been training Angolan oil technicianssince the 1980s. In Angola, Petrobrasparticipates in six offshore blocks. In Block34 it partners Sonangol in drilling in ultra-deep waters down to 2,500 metres.
The relationship between Angola andBrazil has flourished, and both countrieshave changed in so many ways since the1970s. Angola is now at peace and in aperiod of sustained growth as itreconstructs its economy.
Brazil is also in a period of acceleratedeconomic expansion and has also beenenjoying the benefits of a stable economysince 1994. It is self-sufficient in oil and hasa booming export market based onburgeoning world demand for its hugecommodity output – commodities thatAngola, with a similar climate, is alsocapable of producing on a large scale.
Furthermore, Brazil’s technologicaladvances and the success of its world-classcompanies, such as Odebrecht and Petrobras, mean Angola’s old strategicpartner has even more to offer as it diversifies and develops its economic potential. �
JUNE 2011 29
São Paulo, Brazil’s powerhouse
Ch
rist
ian
Ko
stn
er
Brazil is also in a period of accelerated economic expansion
Angola’s varied musical heritage draws upon deeply-
rich roots that have inspired not only major styles
such as Brazilian samba, but also continuously
absorbs influences from many parts of the world.
Universo surveys the current sound scene �
ANGOLA’SHEART
30 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Ch
ris
Sau
nd
ers
ANGOLAN MUSIC A–Z
JUNE 2011 31
street music which since its inception in thelate 1990s is continuing to win globalacclaim. In a typical performance, lyrics areshouted into a microphone over the top ofa high-paced techno-style beat.
It is hardly melodic, but the draw ofkuduro, I have always been told is thedancing, and before my eyes in that tinyclub, I realise why. After a small break in themusic to allow the MC to shout the namesof the 12 contestants, the bass comes back.This time it seems even louder, and theshow begins.
Twisting, jumping, bouncing and evenshaking, these kuduristas move theirbodies in ways I have previously thoughtimpossible, somehow keeping in time withthe frenetic beat, and even occasionallypausing for cheers when their lyrics strikea chord with the assembled crowd.
“It’s about the dancing,” part-timewaiter and aspiring kudurista EstevãoChaves tells me. “It’s about involving your
whole body in the movement and reallyfeeling the rhythm.”
Twenty-two-year-old Chaves laughs atmy aversion to the volume and bass levels.“Yes, it’s noisy, but kuduro is a youth thing,and young people like loud music and lotsof rhythm and above all they like dancing,”he says.
The kudurista uniform seems to be aswacky as possible although it is usuallyshaped around a fashion label T-shirt,skinny jeans and big trainers. Sunglasseshelp, as does a peaked cap, preferably withsome sort of gold or silver emblememblazoned on the front.
According to CAN club owner andkuduro promoter Carlos Araújo, the style,sound and dancing of kuduro is uniquelyAngolan. “It’s an Angolan invention that’scome about through Angolan creativity,” heexplains, adding that despite its tough streetimage it is in fact an important vehicle forkeeping young people out of trouble.
It’s Sunday evening. The day’s stiflingheat is finally fading, as is the light,and a dusty glow hangs over theunpaved street outside the CAN club
in Luanda’s Cassequel district.The insistent boom of the bassline
beat from behind the metal door is makingit reverberate against its slightly crookedconcrete frame, but the pulse is invitingand we go in.
Down the corridor and inside, themusic is so loud that I can feel my internalorgans bouncing from within, and thesmoke pumped out of a machine next tothe DJ booth tickles my throat.
Pink and green disco lights alternatewith seriously powerful strobes, flashingonto a small hexagonal dance floor where agroup of “kuduristas” (singers / musicians/dancers) stand, assembled like a suspectline-up in an American police movie.
Kuduro is slang for “hard ass” and isthe name of a uniquely Angolan type of
32 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Chris Saunders
kuduro’s evolution mirrors Angola’s own,from its long preoccupation with war andstruggle, to its new focus on a better future.
“A lot of children listen to this type ofmusic and the older ones have aresponsibility to make sure that they don’tmake material that is offensive, immoral ornegative,” adds Chaves the waiter.
One dreadlocked performer, dressedin what can only be described as an
“When it started, Angola was goingthrough its conflict and civil war, andkuduro helped a lot of young people whowere feeling marginalised – those who weregetting involved in crime and things – tostay right.
“It used to be very much a freestylething, where you’d sing whatever came intoyour head at that moment,” says Araújo.“Of course, that was often about theconflict and difficulties people were goingthrough, but now it has evolved and it’simportant to have good written lyrics and astrong message throughout.”
The messages, he says, are by youngpeople for young people, warning aboutthe dangers of getting involved in drugsand crime, and encouraging them to stickto their studies to make sure they get agood job.
Although there are still controversialkuduristas whose lyrics you would not playto your grandmother, in many ways
anarchic outfit of luminous yellow T-shirt,black and white floral plus-twos, knee-highwhite socks tied with rainbow laces and achessboard-checked peaked cap, backedthis up.
Expecting him to be advocating somesort of world revolution, General da China(as he calls himself ) informs me politely:“My kuduro has one very simple message.And that right now is advising everyone tostick to their career goals. When we arefighting for something, we mustn’t give up.”
According to club owner Araújo thereare more than 5,000 kuduristas in Angola,all striving for a lucrative record deal whichwill give them fame like idols such as thegenre’s creator Tony Amado or more recentsuccess stories Bruno M, Os Lambas andCabo Snoop.
The wide-appeal of kuduro isundisputable, certainly in Luanda wheremost weekends you will see kids as youngas five body-popping on a street corner,
“Yes, it’s noisy,but kuduro is ayouth thing”
ANGOLAN MUSIC A–Z
JUNE 2011 33
Chris Saunders
– Estevão Chaves
economy started to open up, with moreAngolans in work and with free time andsome money to spare, they startedinvesting in music, particularly semba.
“Also, you started having local culturalproducers who would take live musicshows from place to place at theweekends,” she says.
And while there had generally beenonly formal music venues in thePortuguese part of Luanda known as theBaixa, by the late 1960s clubs startedopening up in the townships or mussequeswhere the Angolans lived and the demandfor music and performances grew.
This home-grown music, Dr Moormansays, offered Angolans who were otherwiseheavily repressed by the colonial powers anoutlet to be themselves and enjoy theirAngolanidade (Angolan identity).
“People said they spent their day atwork speaking Portuguese and being astheir Portuguese bosses wanted, but atnight they could go home and becomeAngolan again, wearing their own clothes,
speaking in their own language, eating theirown food and listening to their own music.”
One of the bands that helped Angolansfind their identity was Ngola Ritmos(Angolan Rhythms) who were famous forsinging in the national dialect ofKimbundu, rather than Portuguese.
They formed in 1947, led by LiceuVieira Dias who went on to be a foundingmember of the MPLA (People’s Movementfor the Liberation of Angola), which is nowin government, and continued playing intothe late 1960s.
Inspired by natural rhythms and usingseveral layers of guitars, some almost likepercussion, Ngola Ritmos are widelyregarded as the fathers of Angolan music andtheir work has been described as “not only amusic genre but a state of mind, an attitude”,says music historian Dr Moorman.
Unfortunately, few recordings stillexist, but among their most well-knownsongs are Mbiri, Kolonia, Palamé and theirarrangement of the much-coveredMuxima, which tells the story of a man who
some to music blaring out from aneighbour’s house, others just following aremembered rhythm inside their heads.
Kuduro is popular well beyond Angola,filling dance floors in Lisbon, Paris,Amsterdam, São Paulo and New York withbands such as Buraka Som Sistemawinning critical acclaim.
But if you thought all Angolan musicwas loud and urban, you would be wrong.In fact, Angola boasts a rich heritage ofmusic formed by a variety of Atlanticinfluences from Brazil, the Caribbean andeven Cuba, but, like kuduro, shaped to theAngolan context.
Semba is widely acknowledged as thetraditional Angolan sound, although it onlybegan to be commercialised from the 1950s.Its roots go back to the 17th-century danceknown as massemba or umbigada, whichcomes from the term “belly-bumping”,giving you a clue to the fast-paced andsensuous style of movement.
Samba’s sisterOriginally played on tarola drums and
dilonga basins, but more recently on moreformal instruments such as guitars, sembais widely believed to be the precursor to itsmore famous Brazilian sister samba, havingtravelled there across the Atlantic on theslave ships.
Just as kuduro grew out of its uniqueAngolan context, so did semba, accordingto Marissa Moorman, author ofIntonations: A Social History Of Music AndNation In Luanda, Angola, From 1945 ToRecent Times.
Dr Moorman, an associate professor inthe Department of History at the Universityof Indiana in Bloomington, believes thepolitical and social context in the 1960s and1970s led to a real growth in semba.
“At this time there was an explosion inradio stations which play an important partin spreading music,” she says. “And therewas also a deliberate tactic by thePortuguese colonial administration inwanting to encourage local music overimports from neighbouring Congo whichwas already independent and seen as a badinfluence.”
Dr Moorman explains that as the
The term ‘belly-bumping’,gives you a clue to the fast-paced and sensuous style of movement
ANGOLAN MUSIC A–Z
34 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Cec
ile d
e C
om
arm
on
d
BongaJosé Adelino Barceló de Carvalho –
better known as Bonga – began his
career as an athlete, representing
Portugal in the 400 metres.
Carvalho was forced into exile in
Rotterdam in 1972 after a warrant was
issued for his arrest in Luanda over
allegations that he passed messages
between freedom fighters in the
diaspora. He recorded his first album,
Angola 72, in Holland and changed his
name to Bonga.
Forty years later, with nearly three
dozen albums to his name and still
recording, the critically-acclaimed
Bonga is known as the “ambassador of
semba” and his music continues to be
popular around the Lusophone world.
Paulo FloresPaulo Flores is seen as the modern
innovator of Angolan music, as
comfortable singing semba and
kizomba as he is performing blues, jazz
and bossa nova.
His music combines a rich mix of
different rhythms and styles, from light-
hearted dance tracks to deeply melodic
ballads with thoughtful lyrics.
Flores spent part of his childhood
in Lisbon and is as well known in
Portugal as in Angola. He tours
regularly at home and abroad,
performing both stadium-style concerts
and more intimate acoustic sessions.
His first album Kapuete was
released in 1988 and he has recorded
ten more since then, his latest
being the eclectic three-disc box
set Ex-Combatentes.
Buraka Som SistemaBuraka Som Sistema put Angolan
kuduro firmly on the global map.
Although based in Lisbon, the group
claims Angolanidade (Angolan identity)
and has taken the unique sound of
Luanda’s streets to dance floors in
Paris, Tokyo, Amsterdam, São Paulo,
London and New York, winning much
critical acclaim along the way.
Yuri da CunhaYuri da Cunha is a true showman who
has opened for Italian pop legend Eros
Ramazzotti. Hugely popular in Luanda
and the rest of the Lusophone world,
including Brazil, Yuri mixes playful
semba, rumba and kizomba with great
dancing and plenty of fun.
Born in Sumbe, Kwanza Sul, in
1980, he got his big break aged 13 when
he won a singing competition for
youngsters organised by Rádio Nacional
de Angola.
He was voted best male singer in
Angola several times, and Sony will be
produ cing his next album.
Puto PortuguêsPuto Português (real name Lino
Serqueira Fialho) is the new kid on the
semba block. Known for his sharp
outfits and crowd-pleasing
performances, the 23-year-old started
out playing kuduro but switched to
semba last year, releasing his first album
Geração de Semba in December 2010.
Winner of the Rádio Nacional
de Angola record of the year in 2010,
he looks set to get even bigger in the
near future.
AfrologiaAfrologia is a new Angolan electronic
outfit made up of regular Elinga DJ
Soulbreakxtra (Carlos Cunha) and his
brother Coca o Faray Sem Mobile (or
Coca F.S.M. for short).
They offer a fresh Luandan sound,
mixing jazz, soft piano, chilled
electronic and, of course, plenty of
Afro-beat. Catch them at Elinga Teatro.
JUNE 2011 35
Kam
ene
M T
raça
Some key Angolan artists – and two to watch
Today, kizomba and its sensuousdance moves remain central to the Angolanmusic scene with its poppy electronic topand bass-heavy beat taking many awedding and party into the early hours,sometimes to the extreme displeasure ofthe rest of the neighbourhood which istrying to sleep.
Today’s popular singers such as Yuri daCunha, Anselmo Ralph, Matías Damásio,Yola Semedo and Ary fill football stadiumson a weekly basis with their mix of catchykizomba tunes and crooning love ballads.
Heady mixClaudio Silva, the creator of the
Caipirinha Lounge blog dedicated to theLusophone musicscene, says Angolanmusic is unique.
New York-basedSilva refers to a “powerful confluenceof traditional rhythmsfrom Luanda’s nearbyislands of Ilha andMussulo, psychedelicguitar sounds im-ported from neigh-bouring Congo, Latingrooves, old schoolCaribbean merengueand the hard beat
of the Angolan carnival bands”.This heady mix, he told Universo,
creates the “unique Angolan sound” whichis starting to catch people’s attention anddriving a new interest in Angolan musicfrom overseas.
“It’s hard to know how this resurgencestarted,” he says, “but it seems that as the country has opened up, so its music hasgot out.
“I suppose it only takes one person toplay it for it to be heard, and because it’s sogood people are then saying they want tohear more!”
Because of that, as well as a revival ofolder songs, there have also been severalinteresting new 21st-century takes ontraditional Angolan sounds.
Two albums of note, says Silva, areComfusões, which saw Brazilian producer
has been accused of witchcraft going to theMuxima Sanctuary near Luanda to provehis innocence.
Overlapping with Ngola Ritmos butplaying on into the 1970s, Os Kiezos areanother seminal Angolan band whosehighly rhythmic music is still heardregularly on the radio and widely respectedby people of all ages.
Artists such as Ngola Ritmos, OsKiezos, Carlos Lamartine and Jovens daPrenda were all part of that formative era ofAngolan music which is now enjoying arevival through new compilations such asAngola Soundtrack: The Unique Sound ofLuanda (1968 – 1976) released late last yearby the Analog Africa label.
Through the1970s, as Angola became independ-ent from Portugal,semba remained themainstay of Angolanmusic, with artistssuch as Alberto Teta Lando, Banda Maravilha and many others all leavingtheir mark on musi-cal and social history.
Kizomba’s arrivalBut then in the 1980s came
kizomba, semba’s cheekymodern nephew, which also hasthe power to fill a dance floor in seconds andis famed for its sensuous moves.
Kizomba was born through a fusion ofsemba and the at-the-time popular soundof Caribbean zouk, which was brought toAngola by the Martinique/Guadeloupianoutfit Kassav.
Based on a mixture of carnival, folkand calypso-style music, using keyboardsand electronics and with influences from asfar afield as Haiti and Jamaica, zouk was allthe rage across Africa and the French-speaking diaspora in the 1980s and it strucka similar chord in Angola.
Not content with just copying zouk,artists such as Eduardo Paim decided tofuse its tropical sound with their Angolansemba and so created kizomba.
ANGOLAN MUSIC A–Z
36 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Kam
ene
M T
raça
Kam
ene
M T
raça
Danny L
C4 Pedro
“It only takes one person toplay for it to be heard, andbecause it's so goodpeople are saying theywant to hear more”
– Claudio Silva
Maurício Pacheco raid the vaults of the Rádio Nacional de Angola and mix upold tracks with new beats, and similarly,Luanda-based Semba Comunicações’Angolan Sound Experience.
This had the likes of Yola Semedo,Matías Damásio and Sandra Cordeiroperforming modern twists on classicAngolan ballads by respected songwritersFelipe Mukenga and Ruy Mingas.
Silva says he believes that part of thegrowing appetite for Angolan music iscoming from the many twentysomethingswho have spent time abroad studying butare now returning to Luanda to live andwork, bringing with them eclectic tastescombined with a hunger for the traditionalsounds of their homeland.
Also informed by their study spells
abroad is a new generation of sometimescontroversial rappers such as Luaty Beirão,MC Kappa and O Conjunto Ngonguenha,whom Silva says are using the medium ofmusic to register their many views onmodern society.
And just like in the 1960s, whenAngolans wanted their own venues inwhich to listen to and play their music, sothe pattern is repeating itself with arenewed emphasis on live music events,particularly in Luanda.
Every weekend you will find an artistsigning copies of his or her new CD in thePraça da Independência and at large open-airvenues such as Cine Atlântico and Cine KarlMarx, along with the Cidadela and Coqueirosfootball stadiums where packed crowdswatch the band or singer of the moment.
Suggestions for further listening…Recordings by individualartists and bands
Ex-Combatentes – Paulo Flores
Eclectic, jazzy and refreshing. A
brilliant collection
Memórias 1968-1990 – Teta Lando
Catalogue of the late Teta Lando’s
most celebrated work
Best of Bonga – Bonga
Greatest hits compilation of Angola’s
ambassador of semba
Kuma Kwa Kié – Yuri da Cunha
Catchy fun pop performed by this
talented semba showman
Black Diamond
– Buraka Som Sistema
Second album of this global kuduro
electro sensation
Nós os do Conjunto
– Conjunto Ngonguenha
Gritty Angolan rap that tells it how it
is but not without some humour
Minha Alma – Yola Semedo
Angola’s queen of soulful kizomba is
in fine form in this powerful solo
album, sung in a mixture of English
and Portuguese
Tata Nzambi – Sandra Cordeiro
Afro-jazz at its best, fused with
Angolan rhythm and soul
Compilations
Angolan Sound Experience
– Various Artists
Modernist twist on Angolan classics
written by Felipe Mukenga and Ruy
Mingas and produced by Luanda-
based Semba Produções.
An excellent collection of classic
Angolan songs from the golden era
of semba including Os Kiezos,
Jovens da Prenda and David Zé
Pérola
Kam
ene
M T
raça
Kam
ene
M T
raça
Kam
ene
M T
raça
Própria LixaYola Semedo
JUNE 2011 37
Angola jazzLaunched in 2009, Luanda now has its
own International Jazz Festival whichshowcases local and other African jazztalent, along with big-name stars such asGeorge Benson.
Partly run by the organisers of theworld-renowned Cape Town InternationalJazz Festival, the event filled the CineAtlântico for three consecutive days and islikely to become a much-loved fixture onthe city’s entertainment calendar.
At the end of May, US rap star SnoopDogg was due to headline the Blue Fest atthe Coqueiros football stadium, the concertstill boasts top acts such as the new youngsemba sensation Puto Português, kids’kuduro favourite Cabo Snoop and Lisbon-based Buraka Som Sistema, playing theirfirst gig in Luanda.
This type of top-billing event follows ashow at Cidadela in April where the currentmembers of Kassav – of kizomba inspirationfame – drew a crowd of 30,000 to the Festivalde Saudades (Nostalgia Concert).
At the other end of the scale, the zanyMovimento X group has turned ElingaTeatro near Luanda’s Marginal into anessential destination for the morediscerning Angolan music lover who wantsto hear something new.
The preferred hang-out for the city’seducated trendsetters, Elinga almostnightly offers a wide range of music, fromhard house and hip hop to softer Afro-jazzand acoustic performances, all put on inthe inviting outdoor balcony bar with its
views across the bay. With Elinga’s’ focus on multicultural
inclusivity, there is a relaxed atmospherewith no dress code or formalities such as
guest-lists and VIP areas.The crumbling theatre, long
threatened with demolition, is seen as theheartbeat for alternative entertainment inthe city, also hosting dance, art andphotography exhibitions and theatre.
Caipirinha Lounge’s Silva loves EspaçoBahia, the restaurant-cum-bar-cum-club-cum-acoustic venue located a few hundredmetres along the Marginal.“All you need isone guitar and that place comes alive,” hesays. “It has a great vibe and there are someexcellent performances there.”
Another old theatre, Chá de Caxinde, isan equally trendy music venue and wasused extensively during the 2010 Trienal deLuanda which featured a number of livemusic, dance and theatre shows.
What is most certain is that throughAngola’s past and present, music is at thecentre of what it is to be Angolan.Remembering the family lunches of hischildhood, Silva says: “Whenever wewould get together there would always bemusic; someone would always play ordance or sing.”
Dr Moorman, from the University ofIndiana, adds: “Music is and always will bea very powerful force in everyday life inAngola. It’s very much part of the waypeople live, communicate and enjoythemselves.
“I have memories of sitting at thepublic archive office in the late 1990s whenthe power would go off and we’d beplunged into darkness. But the guy in thebarber’s shop across the road always hadsome batteries for his little radio, and so themusic never stopped...” �
ANGOLAN MUSIC A–Z
With Elinga’s’ focus on
multicultural inclusivity,
there is a relaxed atmosphere
38 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Yola Semedo
Kam
ene
M T
raça
JUNE 2011 39
Luanda’s Girassol Clinic, run by Sonangol, undertook its firstpaediatric heart surgery in April when children with congenitalabnormalities were treated successfully. The operations werepart of a programme in partnership with specialists from thePortuguese Red Cross.There are around 300 children on the waiting list for treatment
at Girassol as part of the programme, which aims to reduce thenumber of children sent abroad for operations. The programmealso provides training for local doctors.
Heart surgery successSonangol will open new offices in Venezuela,
according to Jesus Alberto Garcia, trade secretary
at the Venezuelan embassy in Angola. The offices
will be used to oversee a recent 25-year oil and
gas exploration agreement signed by the two
countries and Cuba.
The trade secretary said the agreement brought
Angola and Venezuela, two important members of
OPEC, closer together and they could develop a
common position on oil prices. Garcia noted that
the IMF had said consumer dependence on oil
would be even greater over the next 30 years in
the wake of the nuclear accident in Japan.
South American ties
JUNE 2011 39
Sonangol news briefing
Sonangol news briefing
40 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Being prepared Sonangol’s Quality, Health, Safety and Environment Office has bought 3,000metres of absorbent barriers to contain any accidental oil spills at sea. Thepurchase is part of Sonangol’s ongoing efforts to equip its emergency servicesfor pollution risks.
Saurimo schoolsupport
The Pascagoula liquefied natural gas terminal in
Mississippi, US, is on schedule for start-up in October
says El Paso Corporation, Sonangol’s partner in
the project.
Pascagoula has 1.3 billion cubic feet send-out
capacity and will be primed with its first test shipment
this summer. The facility will eventually receive natural
gas from Sonangol’s LNG plant being built at Soyo.
Esso Angola Limited, in thename of Sonangol and itspartners in Block 15, has laid thefirst stone for a new primaryschool in Saurimo, Lunda Sulprovince. Saurimo is 994km eastof Angola’s capital, Luanda.Block 15 is providing over
$800,000 for the new 12-classroom school in the firstphase, rising to $3 million intotal. The new educationalcentre will also contain arefectory, library, theatre andsports fields.
$12m ports deal
Stepping on the gas
Jacq
ues
Gu
illem
Sonangol has signed a 30-year concession
agreement with the São Tomé and Príncipe
government to modernise and operate its
port and airport. Investment of $5 million will
be made in the seaport and $7 million in the
São Tomé and Príncipe International Airport.
Sonangol’s administrator Baptista Sumbe
signed the deal, following two years of
negotiations, with Carlos Manuel Vila Nova,
São Tomé’s and Principe Minister for Public
Works and Natural Resources.
Sumbe described the concession as “the
start of a great
partnership” that he
hoped would turn the
tiny island nation into a
transport hub for the region. “We hope that a
year from now, when we return to sit here, it
will be to raise a toast with greater joy
because the port and airport will be
operational and we will by then have started
new projects,” he said.
Oil products are the largest items imported
by São Tomé and Príncipe.
Kam
ene
M T
raça
Baptista Sumbe
NEWS
Sonangol Schlesser’s buggy won
two stage victories in the Abu Dhabi
Desert Challenge in April. The
second-round race took place in
soaring temperatures, in the heart of
the burning sands of magnificent
dunes in the United Arab Emirates.
This was in sharp contrast to the wet
and muddy first-round venue in Italy.
Driven by veteran Formula 1
driver Jean-Louis Schlesser, the
Sonangol-sponsored team won the
two-wheel-drive category, putting
Sonangol-Schlesser ahead in the
Cross Country World Cup for dri-
vers and vehicle manufacturers
Schlesser’s co-driver was the Russian,
Konstantin Zhiltsov.
JUNE 2011 41
Rally team’s desert win
Sonangol news briefing
Piling on the pumps
Sonangol has given Cobalt International Energypermission to go ahead with plans to drill twosubsalt exploratory wells in Block 21. Drilling of thewells, Cameia-1 and Bicuar-1, is expected to startby the end of 2011.There are great hopes that Angola’s subsalt layer
will yield large oil reserves, as the same layer hasdone on Brazil’s continental shelf. The subsalt layeris a common geological feature of both countries,whose areas formed a single continental massmillions of years ago.
Licensed to drill Work starts in Iraq
42 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Sonangol’s fuel arm, Sonangol Distribuidora, plans to build 200 more petrol stations in Angola over the next fouryears, bringing the total up to 639 units.
Al J
azee
raSonangol started drilling work on two fieldsin Iraq in April, according to the Iraqi Ministryfor Oil. The company won the explorationconcessions in an auction in 2009.The fields are Najmah and Quaiyara in
the Nineveh region. Najmah has reservesof 858 million barrels and a productiontarget of 110,000 barrels a day, whileQuaiyara holds 807 million barrels and willhave an expected output of 120,000 barrelsa day.
Sonangol officially christened Angola’s latest giant floating
production vessel at a Singapore shipyard in April. Universolooks at the new addition to the country’s oil-sector fleet �
PLANET SUITE
JUNE 2011 43
SUCCESS
NEWS
BP
Exp
lora
tio
n (
An
go
la)
Ltd
NEWS
Sonangol, along with BPExploration (Angola) Ltd and theBlock 31 partners, took part in thenaming ceremony of a new giant
floating production, storage andoffloading vessel (FPSO).
The vessel is called PSVM, an acronymfor Plutão, Saturno, Venus and Marte, thePortuguese spelling of the planet namesand also the title of a cluster of deep-sea oilfields in Block 31 off the Angolan coast.Overall development of the block projectwill cost a total of approximately $10 billionand is scheduled to produce on average150,000 barrels a day in 2012.
The FPSO was christened with thetraditional bottle of champagne by Dr AnaMaria Martins, wife of Gaspar Martins,administrator of Sonangol EP.
The vessel will travel under its ownpower to the ultra-deep fields in Block 31located around 400km northeast ofLuanda, where it will be moored for itsworking life of around 20 years.
PSVMwill operate in sea depths downto 2,000 metres – serving Africa’s deepestsubmarine wells – and will be connected to77,000 tonnes of subsea equipment. A series of flexible and rigid flowlines willconnect the vessel to 48 wells spread over asea-floor length of 28km.
The double-hulled FPSO wasconverted from a very large crude carrier(VLCC) called Bourgogne at Singapore’sJurong Shipyard, a subsidiary of SembcorpMarine. The Bourgogne was built in theCadiz shipyards in Spain in 1996.
Sonangol and its partners led by BPsubcontracted Modec to undertake thework. The work involved leaving part of thetanker with a storage function but addingproduction units and an external turret.
The FPSO has a total of 19 moduleswith functions including oil and gasseparation, water and gas injection systemsto boost productivity from the reservoir,and water treatment. There are also fourgas turbine units capable of generating 100 megawatts of power.
One of the most noticeable changes tothe vessel profile is the superstructure, wherethe new pipe-laden processing modulesalmost double the height of the tanker.
PSVM will operate in sea depths down to 2,000 metres – serving Africa’s
deepest submarine wells
44 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
26.67
25
20
13.33
10
5
Block 31 partner stakes
Values as %
BP Exploration (Angola)
Limited (operator)
Esso Exploration and
Production Angola (Block 31)
Sonangol P&P
StatoilHydro ASA
China Sonangol
International Holding Limited
Marathon International
Petroleum Angola Block 31 Ltd
BP
Exp
lora
tio
n (
An
go
la)
Ltd
JUNE 2011 45
All
imag
es: B
P Ex
plo
rati
on
(A
ng
ola
) Lt
d
46 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Completion of the 8.1 million man-hourtask was undertaken without a single DayAway From Work case (DAFWc).
A number of key components used inbuilding the FPSO were manufactured inAngola and shipped to Singapore for fitting,including the pipe-rack structures, modulesupport stools and pressure vessels.
Although a total of 16 countries as farapart as Indonesia and Scotland wereinvolved in supplying equipment for theproject, work was done at 12 assembly andmanufacturing sites in Angola, includingtwo new facilities for wellhead machiningand tree assembly near Luanda and apipeline multi-jointing and marine supplybase at Porto Amboim. �
The forward turret is the mostprominent alteration to the ship’s overallprofile. It acts as a giant swivel, allowing thevessel to move in accordance with oceancurrents and tides.
To install the external bow-mountedturret, a portion of the tanker’s bow had tobe removed.
Local contentThe turret for PVSM weighed 3,000
tonnes. The huge external tower surroundingthe turret and swivel was a source of pride forSonangol as Angolan engineer Kimi de Sousawas involved in its design.
The construction process safety recordwas another reason for self-congratulation.
NEWS
Gaspar Martins, administrator of Sonangol EP
and Dr Ana Maria Martins
All
imag
es: B
P Ex
plo
rati
on
(A
ng
ola
) Lt
d
JUNE 2011 47
FPSO PSVM Key Data
203157m
22.2m 120crew
245,000,000ft3
1,800,000
20,000 tonnes
width
335mlength
In production until
draughtweight
Storage capacity of
barrels
Production capacity of
barrels per day
150,000Gas processing capacity of
Sonangol assumed the presidency ofthe African Refiners Association(ARA) during its annual conference at
Cape Town on March 28-30. AnabelaFonseca, the Sonangol vice-president withresponsibility for refining, took over thechair from Algeria’sAbdelkader Benchouia andwill preside for a year.
ARA was set up in2006 with the aim ofestablishing a forum for the exchange ofideas, and seeks to apply African synergiesand solutions to the continent’s oil-refining needs.
Africa currently produces 12 per centof the world’s crude oil but has only a 3.6per cent share of global refining capacity,according to a refinery survey conductedby BP in 2010. The continent is also facingthe prospect of importing more refined fuelto meet growing local demand.
Africa, therefore, requires significantfunding to upgrade existing refineries and
Angola Egypt Libya
Zambia Kenya South Africa
Nigeria Morocco Ivory Coast
Senegal Algeria Cameroon
Ghana Gabon Sudan
Congo Brazzaville Democratic Republic of Congo
build new ones. Many of its refineries are inneed of investment and modernisation.Angola is a case in point. The countryimports two-thirds of the refined productsit uses, Anabela Fonseca reported earlierthis year.
Africa wants the cleaner, higher-quality fuels demanded by consumerswhile aiming to reduce imports, especiallypoor-quality products.
The keynote speaker at Cape Town wasIan Taylor, chief executive of the VitolGroup, the recent purchasers of Shell’sdownstream assets. The conference was also attended by bankers, oilmen,government representatives, energyregulators and international and local oil traders.
Subjects discussed included the
development and protection of oilresources and the competition emergingfrom the Middle East, India and Far Eastwhere new refineries are being built.
ARA aims to attract new investors todevelop the continent’s refining capacity
and also wants its membersto support the newly createdAfrican Academy of Energy(ACAFE). This is aninstitution where best
practice may be shared across thecontinent on refining, technology,environment, human resources andsustainable development.
ARA originated in 2006 as a Pan-African non-governmental organisation forAfrica’s oil supply, refining and distributionindustry. It represents 36 of the 44 refineriesin Africa as well as many productimporters, storage companies andgovernment regulators. ARA’s annualconference is the only meeting place for thedownstream oil sector in Africa.
Sonangol vice-president Anabela Fonseca has been made president of Africa’s
Refiners Association which aims to increase local crude processing and cut imports
LEADER ROLEIN REFINING
ARA aims to attract new investors todevelop the continent’s refining capacity
ARA member countries
48 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
NEWS
Kim
esso
Kis
soka
Refining historyUp until 1954 Africa had no refineries.
Small demand before independence andthe wider use of road vehicles was met byrefined-product deliveries down the eastand west coasts from refineries in theCaribbean, Europe and the Middle East.
Tankers usually served more than onecountry on each trip.
The first refineries built were in 1954in Algeria and South Africa. Angola’sLuanda refinery was Africa’s third facilityin 1958.
The bulk of Africa’s refineries werebuilt in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s with onlytwo new refineries added in this century:Khartoum, Sudan, in 2001 and Middle East Oil Refinery (Midor) in Egypt in 2002.
The largest individual oil refineries arefound in Algeria (Skikda, 300,000 barrelsper day), Libya (Ras Lanuf, 220,000 bpd),Nigeria (Port Harcourt, 210,000 bpd) andSouth Africa (Durban, 165,000 bpd).
In terms of capacity, Africa’s mainrefining countries are Algeria, Egypt,Nigeria and South Africa.
However, many refineries producewell below capacity because of operationalproblems, often caused by prolongedunderinvestment.
Although a total of 48 refineries werebuilt on the continent, at least 11 havebeen closed, the first being SouthernRhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe) as aresult of UN-imposed sanctions. The moreusual reason for closure was that therefineries were uneconomic. �
Anabela Fonseca was born in Huambo in 1961 but was brought up in
Kuito. In 1979 she studied chemical engineering at Luanda’s Agostinho
Neto University. She is married and lives in Luanda with her husband and
three children.
From 1982 to 1995 she worked in Angola’s oil ministry, eventually
specialising in the refining department. Fonseca joined Sonangol in 1996,
rising to be a vice-president and board member in 2005. Her responsibilities
include heading Sonangol’s refining-operations arm, Sonaref.
ARA’s new president
JUNE 2011 49
Kim
esso
Kis
soka
Kam
ene
M T
raça
Cabinda
ANGOLA
Luanda
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
BOTSWANA
ZAMBIA
AFRICA
ANGOLA
Map
orig
inate
d f
rom
Gin
kg
oM
ap
s p
roje
ct
Government of Angola: .............................................................................................www.angola.gov.ao
Banco Nacional de Angola: ..................................................................................................www.bna.ao
ANIP (Investment agency): .............................................................................................www.anip.co.ao
Tourism information: .............................................................................................www.minhotur.gov.ao
Jornal de Angola: ............................................................................................www.jornaldeangola.com
Angola News Agency (Angop):...........................................................................www.portalangop.co.ao
Angola online: ......................................................................................................www.angola-online.ao
RNA (Rádio Nacional de Angola): ..........................................................................................www.rna.ao
TPA (Televisão Pú blica de Angola): .......................................................................................www.tpa.ao
Fundação Eduardo dos Santos: ......................................................................................www.fesa.og.ao
50 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
www.angola.org 2100-2108 16th Street, NWWashington, DC 20009Tel: + 1 202 7851156
Consulates general in Houston and New York
UNITED KINGDOM
www.angola.org.uk22 Dorset Street London W1U 6QY Tel: + 44 20 72999850
PORTUGAL
www.embaixadadeangola.org Avenida da República, 68Lisboa 1050Tel: + 351 21 7967041 / 7967043
Consulate general in Porto
FRANCE
www.emb-ang.fr 19 avenue FochParis 75116Tel: + 33 1 45015820
BRAzIL
www.embaixadadeangola.com.br SHIS - QL 6 - Conjunto 5 - Casa 1Brasília DF 71620-055lTel: + 55 61 32484489 / 32482999
Consulate general in Rio de Janeiro
SOUTH AFRICA
1030 Schoeman StreetHatfield Pretoria 8685Tel: + 27 12 3420049 / 3420052
Consulates general in Johannesburg and Cape Town
Embassies Abroad
Useful websites
NAMIBIA
ANGOLA COUNTRY INFORMATION
LOCATIONSouthern Africa, bordering the South AtlanticOcean, between Namibia and the DemocraticRepublic of Congo. The province of Cabinda isan exclave, separated from the rest of thecountry by the Democratic Republic of Congo
TIME zONE UTC + 1 (6 hours ahead of Washington DCduring standard time) AREA1,246,700 sq km (23rd largest country in theworld). Slightly less than twice the size ofTexas or just over five times the size of the UK
CLIMATESemi-arid in south and along coast to Luanda;north has cool, dry season (May to October)and hot, rainy season (November to April)
TERRAIN Narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vastinterior plateau. Morro do Moco (2,620 metres– 8,596 feet) is the highest point
POPULATION13,338,541 (70th country in comparison to theworld) (July 2011 est.)
MAJOR CITIESLuanda (capital) 4.5 million, Huambo, Lubangoand Benguela
ADMINISTRATIvE DIvISIONS18 provinces – Bengo, Benguela, Bié, Cabinda,Cuando Cubango, Cunene, Huambo, Huila,Kwanza Norte, Kwanza Sul, Luanda, LundaNorte, Lunda Sul, Malange, Moxico, Namibe,Uíge, zaire
ETHNIC GROUPS Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo13%, mestiço (mixed European and nativeAfrican) 2%, European 1%, other 22%
RELIGIONSIndigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15% (1998 est.)
LANGUAGES Portuguese (official), Bantu and other Africanlanguages
NATIONAL HOLIDAYIndependence Day, 11 November (1975)
NATURAL RESOURCESOil, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper,feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium, ornamentalstones
GDP$114.1 billion (2010 est.)
GDP PER CAPITA$8,700 (2010 est.)
GDP COMPOSITION BY SECTORAgriculture 9.6%, industry 65.8%, services24.6% (2008 est.)
AGRICULTUREBananas, sugar cane, coffee, sisal, corn,cotton, manioc (tapioca), tobacco,vegetables, plantains, oranges, livestock,forest products, fish
INDUSTRIESOil production, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates,quarrying, feldspar, bauxite, uranium and gold,cement, basic metal products, fish processing,food processing, brewing, tobacco products,sugar, textiles, ship repair, glass forconstruction, offshore services
ExPORTS$51.65 billion (2010 est.)
ExPORT PRODUCTSCrude oil, diamonds, refined petroleumproducts, coffee, sisal, fish and fish products,timber, cotton
MAIN ExPORT PARTNERS China 35.65%, US 25.98%, France 8.83%,South Africa 4.13% (2009)
IMPORTS$18.1 billion (2010 est.)
IMPORT PRODUCTSMachinery and electrical equipment, vehiclesand spare parts, medicines, food, textiles,military goods
MAIN IMPORT PARTNERS Portugal 18.71%, China 17.39%, US 8.51%,Brazil 8.22%, South Korea 6.72%, France4.51%, Italy 4.28%, South Africa 4.02% (2009)
CURRENCYKwanza (AOA)
INTERNATIONAL DIALLING CODE+ 244
INTERNATIONAL INTERNET CODE .ao
JUNE 2011 51
Partly-sourced from:https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ao.html Source: CIA, the World Factbook
Information
Palanca Negra GiganteGiant Sable Antelope
Proudly Angolan
Our mission is to promote the sustainable growth of the national oil industry and
to guarantee a higher return for Angola by engaging with national companies and
the workforce thus ensuring the generated results benefit Angolan society.
Recommended