Angolan Food: Desserts. Yum!

For the most part, dessert is not a part of the traditional Angolan meal. Most Angolan desserts consist of simple fruits, but there are also western-like puddings like Cocada amarela, which was inspired by the Portuguese cuisine; since Angola was previously ruled as a Portuguese colony, some of its food and cuisine owe much to the culture of Portugal.

Cocada amarela (yellow coconut) is the best known Angolan dessert and its main ingredients are: sugar, water, whole cloves, coconut, egg yolks and ground excellence.  The yellow color is derived from the abundance of egg yolks in the recipe. There are several recipes for this dish, but the differences between them are represented mainly by the cooking technique. Since Cocada amarela is a very sweet and heavy dessert, it is best served in small portions.  ENJOY!

Cocada Amarela

Ingredients
2 cups Sugar
4 whole cloves
12 egg yolks
6 cups water
4 cups grated coconut
ground cinnamon

Directions
Combine the Sugar, cloves and water in a 4 to 5 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling and stir

Angola's New War: Against TB

Wednesday March 24 marked 'World Tuberculosis Day' and during the Angolan celebrations the coordinator of the National Tuberculosis Programme, Conceição Palma, suggested for the Health Ministry to integrate this sickness as its priority project, as she considers it a national emergency.

The official added that tuberculosis must be considered as a primary health issue, because it is interlinked with HIV/AIDS, deficient feeding conditions and access to medicines.  Coordinator Palma informed that in 2009 alone, 42,380 cases of TB were registered throughout the country with the significant cities of Luanda and Benguela marking more than 30 percent of all cases.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease. Like the common cold, it spreads through the air. Only people

Angola: The New Detroit?

Angola so far does not have any car producing industry, as contrasted to the major vehicle producer South Africa.  Major investing countries such as China and Germany are seeking to take advantage of the new resurgence in the country as well as the centralized oil wealth in Angola's capital, Luanda.

CSG Automovel-Angola, a new venture, is set to begin producing cars in October at a new factory in Viana, on the outskirts of Angola’s capital, Luanda. Using technology from Nissan, the plant will make passenger cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs. Expected to produce some 5,000 units in its first year, it should reach its full capacity of 30,000 within a few years.  Funded also entirely by the China International Fund, the plant will employ some 680 people, with 510 of the jobs reserved for Angolan citizens, an unusually high percentage for a Chinese project in Africa.

Volkswagen and its Angolan partner ANCAR have announced that they are to build an assembly plant in the

Ovimbundu Wisdom No. 3

More Ovimbundu wisdom.  Enjoy!

Proverb: Ukwenje Wang Kayula-Yula

Literal Translation:  My partner never gets wet.

Formal Meaning:  "What is the thing which has the shape of a person and never gets wet?  It is the shadow" (Ocilelembia or ocimbelembe).  Some external things cannot affect us.

Angola: An Emerging Haven for 'Birders'

For almost thirty years, because of the safety aspects of the civil war, Angola's highly sought after endemic birds like the Red Crested Turaco pictured above were beyond safe reach to all bird watchers.   Now, with the advent of safety and freedom of travel in the country, 'birders' or ornithologists can see the wealth of over 170 bird species which inhabit the country of Angola.  

Birders can view rarely seen birds such as Swierstra’s Spurfowl, Gabela Helmetshrike, Gabela Bushshrike, White-headed Robin-Chat, Angola Cave Chat, Pulitzer’s Longbill or Gabela Akalat. (To be honest, this is not my area of expertise, so I guess these are gold-mine sightings for the most serious birders!)  Here, I will try to show just a few of the beautiful, unusual and rare bird species of the country.

White-Fronted Wattle Eye

Luanda Video; A Look at Angola's Promising Capital

A missionary friend has directed me to a new, vivid and exciting video about the city of Luanda, the capital of Angola.  Funded and produced by the Angolan Government, this video has a good overview of the country's past history and promotes the progress of the city.  Though the video highlights Luanda's promising future, there are still vast healthcare, infrastructure, social and spiritual needs in the remote south and southeastern parts of the country.  View the video here on this website.  Enjoy!