Rebuilding the National Railway

In 1899, the Portuguese government initiated the construction of a trans-nation railway to give access to the central Angolan plateau and the mineral wealth of the then Congo Free State. A concession, running for 99 years, was granted to Sir Robert Williams, a Scottish mining engineer and a pioneering explorer of Africa, on 28 November 1902. His Benguela Railway Company took over the construction which commenced on 1 March 1903.  Construction was halted until 1920 after which the railway's connection to Luau at the border to the DR Congo was completed in 1929. The primary purpose was the export trade and the 'domestic Angolan traffic would be of secondary importance.'  The line proved very successful and profitable, especially in the early 1970s after Zambia closed the border with the then Rhodesia. 


The construction and running of the railway was a huge enterprise.  At the time of full operation of the railway, the railway company owned the world biggest private eucalyptus plantation. They had imported seedlings of fast growing Australian Eucalyptus and planted vast forests ready for harvesting for locomotive fuel. With not supplies of oil or coal along the rail route, this was the perfect fuel.  Some 37 000 ha of land was used to produce the annual need of 570,000 tonnes of wood to fuel locomotives from Lobito, at the coast, to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

After Angola's independence in 1975, the Angolan civil war brought operations to a halt. In the 2000s, most of the infrastructure were still heavily damaged or destroyed. In 2005 talks were initiated between Angola and Zambia to restore operations. The government of Angola has invested to date $1.8 million dollars in repairing the Benguela Railroad, including demining, replacement of railroads, bridges construction and 16 stations construction. The People's Republic of China provided $300 to $500 million in financial aid to help the replacement of the war-damaged track.  Much of the reconstruction of the railway system has been accomplished by Chinese companies with Chinese workers transported to Angola.

Angola's Orphans

The war has had a profound impact on Angolan society and on the children of Angola. The USA-based Christian Children's Fund reports that throughout the country, approximately one in ten young people between 8 and 25 were abducted at least once during the long 27-year civil war. Boys were typically assigned to serve as personal assistants to soldiers; girls provided logistical support and accompanied the attacks. Both girls and boys describe extreme physical hardship with long- term after-effects from injuries. Few of the affected young people have benefited from formal demobilization or reintegration programs.

Additionally, as well as recovering from the affects of a prolonged civil war, Angola is having to come to terms with a rising rate of HIV / AIDS. Nearly 4% of the adult population is affected and leaving more than 160,000 children orphaned as a result of HIV / AIDS (source UNICEF).  There are social repercussions to the children as well.  “It is noticed that many children infected or affected (sons and daughters of HIV/AIDS infected people) are discriminated, abandoned and separated from the family environment,” Maria da Luz Magalhães,  Angola Vice-Minister of Social Affairs has stated.

One of Angola's Treasures: The Giant Sable Antelope

The Giant Sable Antelope, also known in Portuguese as the Palanca Negra, is a large, rare species of antelope on native to the region between Cuango and Luanda Rivers in Angola.  The antelope is held in a great respect by the country and people of Angola and regarded as one of its national treasures.  In African mythology, just like other antelopes, they symbolize vivacity, velocity, beauty and visual sharpness.

Thought to be almost extinct, because of the ravages of the 27 year civil war which decimated the animal's population, there have been five confirmed sightings recently in its native habitat around the Cuango River.  Several animal conservation agencies are currently working to protect and repopulate the antelope to conserve its species.

The Giant Sable is a national symbol of Angola and is portrayed on numerous stamps, banknotes, and even passports of the nation. The Angolan National Football Team, currently playing in the African Cup of Nations hosted in Angola, is fondly known as the Palancas Negras in honor of this antelope.

Ovimbundu Wisdom! No.2

Here is more Ovimbundu wisdom to start the week.  Enjoy.

Proverb: Ilongo ikukuata; kaiole.  Maka akukute: kaol.

Literal Translation: Problems dry not rot. (Unresolved issues remain)

Meaning: We should not run away from problems or delay its resolution while today has the best solution.

Angola's Statues and Memorials

Angola has numerous statues and memorials signifying various religious or historical significances.  I will cover a few of the most significant and popular ones here.

Probably the most recognizable is the Cristo Rey (Christ the King) statue overlooking the southern city of Lubango.  This 30 m large, white marble statue of Jesus built in 1945 is only one of three in the world and is a replica of the one found in Rio de Janeiro. 

(When I lived in Lubango during the '90s, I used to look out my kitchen window every morning to see this beautiful statue on the hill over Lubango.)

Still in Lubango is the monument Nossa Senhora do Monte.  This religious site (Catholic) consists of a slender white concrete tower and a series of smaller white pillars whose frame enclose an altar and a tall cross.  At the back of the alter, up some steep steps is a tall, simple chapel, built in 1919, that is annual place of pilgrimage and renewal for Catholics each year.

In Luanda, the tall Mausoleum of Agostinho Neto towers unfinished over southern part of the city. Neto was Angola’s first president, leading the country from 1975 until his death in 1979. Mr. Neto was originally embalmed, in the style of many communist leaders such as Lenin and Stalin, but was apparently later cremated and transferred to the unlit depths of his mausoleum.

Next is the Momument to the Battle Kifangondo.  The battle of Kifangondo  was fought between the anti-communist FNLA, with the help of the Zairian army, Portuguese soldiers and South African Defense Force artillery and air, and the MPLA on November 10th, 1975. The Angolan forces were supported by the Zairian army, Portuguese-Angolan soldiers and South African Defense Force artillery on the FNLA side, and Cuban Special Forces on the MPLA side. The attack, launched by FNLA leader Holden Roberto, was designed to occupy Angola's capital, Luanda, less than a day before the declaration of Angolan independence and relinquishment of control of the capital by the Portuguese.  As his troops crossed, they encountered heavy rocket fire from the Cubans, who ultimately pinned the FNLA between the coast and river's lagoon, decimating them. The South African gunners, outranged by the Cuban rockets, were powerless to help. They ultimately withdrew to a South African frigate, ending SADF involvement in the Angolan conflict.

The explorer Paulo Dias de Novais (1510–1589) founded Luanda in 1575 as "São Paulo de Loanda," with 100 families of settlers and 400 soldiers. The São Miguel Fort built in 1576 by the Portuguese to serve as protectorate and as the administrative centre of the colony.  This old fortress of São Miguel overlooks Luanda Island beyond the port and was a major outlet for slave traffic to Brazil. Luanda was Portuguese Angola's administrative center from 1627, except for the period from 1640 to 1648, when the Dutch ruled Luanda as Fort Aardenburgh.

Benguela - Angola's Success Story

During the present African Cup of Nations Soccer Tournament in Angola, the foreign press is discovering previously hidden examples of Angola's progress in rebuilding the country.

Here is a good BBC report  about the rebuilding and regeneration of the city of Benguela, located along the Atlantic Ocean, some 700 km south of the Angolan capital of Luanda.  Spared the worst by the civil war that reduced most other inland towns to piles of smouldering rubble, Benguela is Angola’s second city and self-appointed cultural capital. It was founded by the Portuguese in 1617 and is a former slave port and the erstwhile terminus of the cross-continental Benguela Railway. 

Many cast the future of Angola in the railway's reconstruction. Prior to Angola's civil war, the 1,500-kilometre Benguela Railroad was a major transportation thoroughfare that carried Zambian copper to Angolan ports in Lobito and Benguela.  As one government official recently stated, "The demolition of the railway, starting at Benguela was like cutting an artery. Reconnecting it and the economy will flow once again, and then….well, who knows? Anything is possible."  It is great to see the hope and positive outlook of the people of Benguela in the rebuilding effort.