Back from Angola

I'm back from my 2-week long trip to Angola. Luanda (the capital) is quite different from the city I lived in before moving to the US in 1990.  There's no doubt that the end of the civil war just a few years ago brought new life to the city.  Luanda has grown in size tremendously and I could easily get lost today if I ventured outside the "old city".  Life has come a long way from the days when you could hardly find bread at a bakery or anything at any store for that matter.  It was communism at its "best".  Today, there is construction everywhere, from houses to apartment buildings to business parks. There are new enterprises of all sorts and sizes from pharmacies to car dealerships.  Impossible to even imagine it just about 10 years ago. There is an excitement that's palpable.

Unfortunately, some things still haven't changed or changed for worst.



 Traffic has increased tremendously and it's almost impossible to drive anywhere within the city.  It took me 2 1/2 hours to drive what used to take 30 minutes.  This is primarily because there are about 4 million people living there when the city and its roads were originally built for well less than 1 million.

  But that's probably the smallest of the problems.

It's also unreasonably expensive.  For comparison, a bottle of Opus One wine which I believe retails in the US for about $180, goes for $900 in Luanda.  Yes, $900 USD... this is not a mistake.  That's a luxury product but almost all basic necessity goods are priced extremely high with the exception of gasoline (Angola is one of Africa's top oil producers).  It's difficult to understand how the two thirds of Angolans who live with less than $2 per day can feed their families.



Blackouts are still the norm with electricity being cut every single night and there's lack of clean water in many areas.  There’s garbage piled up on the streets in a lot of places and broken glass all over the beaches that surround Luanda. Corruption still runs top to bottom.  At the airport on my way out, I had to dish out a $10 bill to resolve what the customs officer on duty called a "minor problem" with my belongings.


Despite all this, I feel that Angola is moving in the right direction.  You may find this strange given what I’ve just described, but believe me... at some point in a not too distant past, it would have been difficult for things to get any worst for Angolans. Today, the country’s economic growth is undeniable. Will the rising economic tide raise all boats?  I don’t know, but I certainly hope so.  Angola is a very young nation and its potential is enormous... that is certain.

After centuries of colonialism and a civil war that lasted nearly 30 years (and in which the US government was deeply involved), Angolans finally have a reason to smile.  The future is looking a lot brighter now.

P.S. Just a quick note... to accurately talk about Angola in a single blog post is simply impossible.  Much of what I've written here is based on generalizations, just my attempt to "scratch the surface".

Comments

[Derek F.]

Thanks for the update marco. So how many of bottles of Opus One did you bring back?

[Marco Montez]

Hi Derek... that would be none! :-) Hope all is well... see you soon.