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SU25-cover:Layout 1 22/2/10 13:52 Page 1 SONANGOL UNIVERSO Universo MARCH 2010 100m years BC Fabulous fossils found Job High life Luxury skyscrapers done in Luanda Angolan oil minister José Botelho de Vasconcelos ends his year as Opec president at the first ever Opec summit in Luanda ISSUE 25 – MARCH 2010 SU25.contents.pp2-3:SU25 23/2/10 10:19 Page 2 CONTENTS 16 6 26 Universo is the international magazine of Sonangol Board Members Manuel Vicente (President), Anabela Fonseca, Mateus de Brito, Fernando Roberto, Francisco de Lemos Sonangol Department for Communication & Image Director João Rosa Santos Corporate Communications Assistants Letter from the editor Nadiejda Santos, Lúcio Santos, Cristina Novaes, José Mota, s we enter the second decade of the Beatriz Silva, Paula Almeida, new century it is worth looking at Sandra Teixeira, Marta Sousa how Angola has transformed over A Sarah Monaghan the past decade. The country has just Publisher organized the two highest-profile events AFP/Getty Images 34 Sheila O’Callaghan that have ever taken place within its bor- Editor ders. Both are from different spheres, but 20 Alex Bellos together they show just how far the Art Director country has come. David Gould The first event to take place was the Sub Editor annual end-of-year summit of the Organi- Ron Gribble zation of the Petroleum Exporting Coun- Advertising Design tries (Opec), which was held in Luanda’s Bernd Wojtczack new Talatona Convention Center. Angola Circulation Manager was the venue because it held the Opec Matthew Alexander presidency in 2009, and the president tra- Project Consultants ditionally hosts the end-of-year summit. AFP/Getty Images Nathalie MacCarthy The second event was the Africa Cup Octávio Mateus Escom Mauro Perillo of Nations. The football tournament Group President required Angola to build four brand new 4 Angola news briefing 6 Rising again 16 A winning spectacle John Charles Gasser stadiums, open many hotels and upgrade International Monetary Fund A special report into the housing sec- The Africa Cup of Nations in Sonangol News its transport infrastructure. Even though approves $1.4 billion loan; tor in Luanda, which is growing again Angola was won by Egypt, while Universo is produced by Impact Media Custom Publishing. The views expressed in Angola was knocked out in the quarterfi- National Bank of Angola and after the slowdown in 2009. New the host nation put on an 32 Sonangol the publication are not necessarily those of nals, the country kept on cheering until Unitel study ways to enable bank buildings for high-end customers and amazing show news briefing Sonangol or the publishers. Reproduction in the final whistle blew. transactions via mobile phones; for the emerging middle classes are whole or in part without prior permission is But Angola’s newfound confidence President José Eduardo dos being built 20 Monsters of the deep 34 A day to remember prohibited. and aspiration can be seen not just by Santos addresses MPLA congress; Angola is a gold mine of prehistoric A report of the Opec This magazine is distributed to a closed looking at the stadiums or the new con- Yuri da Cunha becomes first 14 Homes for workers fossils, and even has a species end-of-year summit that circulation. To receive a free copy: vention centre: any visitor to Luanda can Angolan artist to sign contract The Sonangol co-operative Cajueiro is named after it: the Angolasaurus. took place in Luanda [email protected] see in the skyline a country that is looking with Sony; TAAG begins flights to building houses for its employees all We speak to the palaeontologists Circulation: 17,000 towards the future. We also have a report Cape Town and Havana; Angola over the country digging up the past 48 Oil for sale about the growing construction industry, plans science and technology An interview with Lucinda which is bringing homes to the people. museum; Standard Bank of South 26 In splendid isolation Guimarães Angola is unrecognisable from what it Africa to operate in Angola Universo travels to the beautiful was only ten years ago: it’s exciting to think islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, 50 The Big Picture 6 Snow Hill, how much further it will develop in the Angola’s closest cultural Three Angolan trees London EC1A 2AY 5 Figured out Tel + 44 20 7002 7778 years to come. A snapshot of Angola in neighbour, which is expanding Fax +44 20 7002 7779 numbers its tourism industry [email protected] Cover: AFP/Getty Images Sonangol 2 SONANGOL UNIVERSO MARCH 2010 3 SU25.Angola News.pp4-5:SU25 22/2/10 15:32 Page 4 Figured Angola news briefing out Call to account Global star President José Eduardo dos Santos has Popular singer Yuri da Cunha has become the called for “zero tolerance” on corruption in a first Angolan artist to sign a contract with 2000 bid to halt what he has called the “squander- Sony Music. The deal was sealed in Milan, number of jobs set to be created by ing of resources”. Speaking to members of Italy, and will last for six years. There are plans the Angola LNG project in Soyo the MPLA central committee just before the for a ‘Best of’ album, a possible collaboration party’s sixth congress, the president said the with Italian star Eros Ramazzotti and the party had been “timid” in holding things to international marketing of his music. Da account through the courts and parliament, Cunha’s third and most recent album Kuma $36 billion and that this had been “exploited by irre- Kua Kié featured music from a range of styles value of the Angolan government’s sponsible people and those of bad faith”. including semba, kizomba and zouk. 2010/11 budget Dos Santos was re-elected as president of dream-magazine.it the MPLA after winning the vote during the congress which was held in Luanda in Good science Angola is planning a science and December and attended by more than 2,000 technology museum for Luanda and party members. three technology parks in the provinces of Uíge, Huambo and Luanda. Maria Cândida Mobile banking Teixeira, the Minister of Science and Technol- ogy, said the idea was to invest in science The National Bank of Angola (BNA) is and research and boost the country’s aca- studying ways to work with mobile-phone per cent estimate for Angola’s GFP demic facilities: “We continue to strengthen 8.6 operator Unitel to allow people to make payments growth (global facilitation partnership ties with all the scientists of different research through their mobiles. There are plans for cus- for transportation and trade) in 2010 areas.” The plan puts an emphasis on educa- tomers to be able to access their bank accounts tion and training, she added, as well as sup- through their phones and make payments to The Boeing Company porting the public and private institutions of government organisations. António André Lopes, the various branches of scientific knowledge. administrator of BNA, said: “We hope that the More destinations 628,526 system of paying through a mobile phone will Angola’s national carrier TAAG has begun Now in Portuguese offer a greater convenience to the client.” direct flights to Cape Town in South Africa A Portuguese translation of the AFP/Getty Images and the Cuban capital Havana. It will fly tonnes 1971 book Angola, written by twice a week to Cape Town, the first direct amount of cement imported into Professor Douglas Wheeler of the Uni- service to the coastal city from Luanda. The Angola during the second quarter versity of New Hampshire, has just been IMF loan approved flights are likely to be popular with Angolans of 2009 published in Lisbon by Tinta-da-China. The International Monetary Fund has that addresses the macroeconomic and expats, especially those travelling to the The translation has new material includ- approved financial funding for Angola imbalances which emerged in the face World Cup in June. The Havana flight will ing an updated historical chronology, worth around $1.4 billion. The loan of the global economic crisis. The help transport the thousands of Cuban bibliographies and an essay outlining aims to help the country cope with the programme includes a determined teachers and doctors who are currently Angola’s history from 1971 to 2009. effects of the global economic crisis effort to restrain public expenditure, working in Angola and will be a useful link and the drop in liquidity, due largely to while providing adequate resources for for Angolan students who are attending New bank lower oil prices. The terms of the deal social spending and vital infrastructure universities in Cuba. Online tickets are now 7% Angola’s consumption of the total also include a reform agenda aimed at projects.” available from the airline’s new website – South Africa’s largest bank, Standard African beer market medium-term structural issues to foster In addition, the World Bank has www.taag.com – which also offers online Bank, is to begin operating in Angola in growth in the non-oil sector. opened a credit line worth $30 million check-in facilities and flight timetables. 2010. The bank, which has a representative Following approval of the arrange- to boost agriculture in Angola. The LAM of Mozambique has joined the office in Luanda, had been given the green ment with Angola, Takatoshi Kato, IMF financing will support 120,000 small growing list of international carriers serving light from the Council of Ministers to start deputy managing director, said: “The producers in the provinces of Bié, Angola with twice-weekly flights between business in the country.