Angolan Communities Today and Yesterday

Created By: Emily Ye

Angola Culture.

Angola has many customs and one of the many popular greetings is a handshake. Close friends will usually embrace, kiss, or offer a friendly backslap. Meanwhile other African countries take their time greeting others. There is also a statue that welcomes all to the Chokwe village and is well respected in Angolan culture, it’s the Thinker. The Thinker symbolizes human thoughts and represents the country. This precious artifact is a protecter in the Chokwe village and keeps everyone in a happy mood. The Thinker is also one of the oldest and most well known artifacts in Angola. In addition traditional arts of Angola play an important role in cultural ritual markings, such as births, deaths, reaching adulthood, the harvest, and hunting seasons.

Many of the different things that are celebrated are part of the stages in life. Angolan traditions expect proper funeral rites for celebrating the dead. Angolan beliefs state that life continues after death. Masks are one of the very parts that make up Angola’s

culture. Ritual masks are created by the Lunda-Chokwe represent figures from myths in Angola. Ceremonial masks are used with music and stories. These cultures have been passed down from generation to generation, portraying the traditions of Angola.

Angola Economics

Angola is one of the fastest growing countries in the world and one of the best oil producers. It is still recovering from the Angola Civil War that was fought for independence. The Angolan Civil war started when there was a power struggle between the MPLA, which is Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, and the UNITA, which stands for the National Union for Total Independence of Angola. Although having many kinds of resources Angola has fertile soil, rich in oil, gas, diamonds, hydroelectric potential, and rich agriculture. Angola remains poor and a third of the population relies on subsistence agriculture and living with just enough crops for the village to be fed. Since 2002 the country has worked very hard to repair and improve savaged infrastructure so that the country can rebuild itself. High international oil prices and rising oil productions have contributed to the very strong economic growth since 1998. Angola grows all kinds of crops like fruits and vegetables. Half the population has health care. Here are some of the different jobs in Angola. An engineer, someone who specializes in something, a business, like accounting, or marine operator, someone who deals with sea animals. A crop of skyscrapers encircles a harbor decorated with sleek motorboats and a Ferretti yacht costing $5.5mEconomic growth is expected to reach 8.2% in 2013, and 7.8% in 2014, because of the growth in oil and gas sector. That is how Angola works and some of the ways they do things.

Angola History

Angola was a country with a very tragic history. Long ago Angola was inhabited by Khoisan speakers. Then Bantu speakers migrated to the region. Angola derives its name from the Bantu kingdom of Ndongo, whose name for its king is Angola. After Angola was discovered by explorers and settlers of Portugal, and took in many of their customs. The Portuguese explorers found trading posts and forts along the coast of Africa, this was just the beginning of the 15th century. A while after the Portuguese arrived, during the 16th century, the Capital of Angola, Luanda was discovered. Paulo Dias de Novais the first Captain-Governor, of Portuguese Angola was also a colonizer, he discovered Luanda in 1575. Years later Angolan Civil War began in the 1800s. During the war land mines were left from the war, leaving the country torn from the years of hard work. Even to this day people are still blowing up the land mines. Angola’s history has not been forgotten by its people to this day.

Angola Geography

Do you know anything about Angola’s geography, like some landforms in it? I do and Angola has many different landforms. There are ancient baobab trees growing along the gorge of one of the most popularly known rivers in Angola, the Cunene river. Angola is bordered by 3 countries and 1 ocean, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Zambia, and the South Atlantic ocean. The Cunene river flows through Angola to the south border of Namibia. The Epupa dam was built on the Cunene river. Every year many people come to visit the Cunene river and do water sports there too. Like rafting, canoeing, and much more. Ancient baobab trees would multiply by the river in the gorge, they could also grow up to 25 meters tall! Another type of landform is the different type of rock formations that are in Angola. There are three distinct regions. The littoral zone, the median zone, and the central plateau. The littoral zone is the part of the shore that is close to a sea, lake, or river. The median zone is made up of many crystalline rocks, granite, and Palaeozoic unfossiliferous rocks. Finally the central plateau contains many rocks, minerals, and fossils of many sorts. Those are three different types of rock formations Angola has. Angola’s capital city is Luanda. Angola’s longitude is 18 degrees 30’E and it’s latitude is 12 degrees 30’S. Angola’s climate is very humid approximately degrees fahrenheit in the summer, it has a damp tropical kind of weather. It is also very dry from May to October. It is hot and rainy from November to April. That is the importance of Angola's land.

Angola Government

What kinds of positions are there in Angola and what do they do? Angola holds an election every 4 years. They have a president, vice-president, deputy ministers, and 90 appointed ministers. Currently the president is José Eduardo dos Santos. What are their positions? The president makes important decisions for the country. The vice-president becomes president if anything happens to the president. The deputy ministers represent the country, like the representatives do. The 90 appointed ministers keep the country working and making sure all rules are followed. Those are their jobs. There also paces or categories that they are in, like the ministers of state, council of ministers, and Executive branch. Angola adopted it’s very own constitution in 2010. Executive branch exercised by the government Legislative power invested in the president government, and parliament. The Angolan constitutions much like America’s, it guarantees freedom for all the people. It also promises to implement “peoples power”. It also guarantees health care, access to education, state assistance in childhood, motherhood, disabilities, and old age. That is how the government works with the country.