If you have come this far after reading all the stories of Angola, you already know it and it will not be any mystery: Angola has reached my highest personal award, that of having won my heart. If you are just starting to read, then now you know Therefore it occupies a place between my favorite countries in the world and certainly at the head of Africa.
The only negative about Angola will probably be the torture that is obtaining the visa, but after the two magnificent months that I spent in the country, today I look back and I have to recognise that a significant part of the magic of Angola is due to the virtually absolute absence of tourism, and therefore, the great reward of obtaining the visa, is to have the country practically only oneself. Just as their stupid visa regulations and rabid dogs they have as diplomatic staff do the best they can to keep you out of the country, they also quickly discourage the worst quality of tourists, those who arrive to pollute a culture instead of respecting it.
In that respect Angola is protected, and that is why its culture remains so genuine, so authentic. Coming from Namibia to Angola via the tribal heart of both countries is very revealing in that regard. From the globalised Himba of Opuwo and its surroundings, to the same Himbas, the Mundimba and other tribes, on either side of the Cunene river, the difference is ABISMAL! On one side they sell themselves for photos to the tourists that come avid for a human zoo experience, on the other, they share their lives and millenarian traditions with you expecting nothing and offering no more than disinterested smiles.
On the other hand, modern Angolans, despite sharing miseries similar to those in the rest of Africa, do not reflect a hint of suffering. Inhuman colonization, 27 consecutive years of a devastating civil war, Guinness book record standard of corruption, a tyrant in power for 38 years, exasperating social inequality; none of this seems to have an effect on people, who reflect a cheerful, simple and unconcerned spirit with so many abuses they have to suffer. Have they suffered so much already, that little pain remains to be discovered? I do not know, but if I had not studied anything about the history of Angola, I would not even get close to deciphering what these people have experienced based on their daily behavior today. That tells me a lot about the spirit of a society.
The Angolan people as a whole made me happy. From the first to the last day, Angola has given me nothing but good things, and for me there is nothing more valuable than that when it comes to being a guest in a foreign country. Away from home, my family is the local people, they are the ones who take care of me, love me and accompany me every day and as a family it's how I feel them. They illuminated my days in their country injecting energy from the moment I set foot in the country. with those constant "FORÇA AMIGO" (Be strong, buddy!). The tribes of the South, the poor, the rich, the expatriates, all conspired against my departure.
Angola is one of the true treasures of Africa. I am leaving, but carrying in my heart the phrase I most often heard along the way, which at first was curious but over time I clearly understood that it defined the essence of these wonderful Angolan people: "ESTAMOS JUNTOS!" (we are together)
Oh and by the way, how beautiful Angolan women are! But I said it before, right? :)
