SU_22-cover:Layout 1 18/5/09 11:28 Page 1 SONANGOL UNIVERSO Universo SUMMER 2009 Phoenix rising Ten-page report on Huambo As old as T-Rex The amazing welwitschia Our ISSUE 22 – SUMMER 2009 Father Angola welcomes Benedict XVI INSIDE: oil and gas news SU22.contents.pp2-3:SU21 18/5/09 11:33 Page 2 CONTENTS 8 18 Universo is the international magazine of Sonangol Sonangol News Board Members Manuel Vicente (President), 40 Anabela Fonseca, Mateus de Brito, Fernando Roberto, Francisco de Lemos Sonangol Department for Communication & Image Director João Rosa Santos Corporate Communications Assistants Nadiejda Santos, Lúcio Santos, Cristina Novaes, José Mota, Beatriz Silva, Paula Almeida, Sandra Teixeira, Marta Sousa Publisher Sheila O’Callaghan Editor Kamene M Traça Alex Bellos 6 24 Art Director David Gould Sub Editor Ron Gribble Advertising Design Bernd Wojtczack Circulation Manager Matthew Alexander Group President iStockphoto.com Photolibrary CIRO FUSCO/epa/Corbis John Charles Gasser Kamene M Traça Project Consultant Nathalie MacCarthy 4 Letter from the editor 8 Huambo in bloom 18 The day the Pope 38 Sonangol 44 Refine time In a ten-page feature we look at came to Angola news briefing Focus on the $8 billion Universo is produced by Impact Media reconstruction work in Huambo, Benedict XVI flew in to Luanda Angolan Oil Minister José project for a refinery in Custom Publishing. The views expressed in 5 Readers’ letters the publication are not necessarily those of Angola’s second city, and see how on the first African trip of his Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos Lobito, which will make Sonangol or the publishers. Reproduction in 6 Angola news briefing far it has come since the end of the Papacy. Louise Redvers was there conducts his first meeting as Angola self-sufficient in whole or in part without prior permission is Luanda hosts first housing civil war. Residents like Idalina president of Opec; Sonangol refined petrol products. We prohibited. forum; Emirates is latest airline Chimuanga, pictured below, talk 24 Gold, chocolate and oil and Portuguese bank CGD set speak to Anabela Fonseca, This magazine is distributed to a closed to fly to Angola; state bank about their hopes for the future Nicholas Wadhams on Ghana’s up investment bank joint who is in charge of the project circulation. To receive a free copy: issues treasury bonds in preparations to be Africa’s newest venture during first Angolan and the only woman on [email protected] kwanzas; Cuban President Raúl 17 oil producer state visit in Lisbon; Sonangol Sonangol’s board Circulation: 17,000 Castro makes official visit to among the bidders for a Luanda; traffic laws introduced 28 Old man of the desert contract in Iraq; São Tomé 50 The Big Picture to reduce accidents on the roads; The welwitschia, which lives in and Príncipe deal close; A map of the four railway US grants Angola $120m credit the Namibe desert, is one of the helping those hit by floods; lines in Angola with details facility; business parks planned strangest plants in the world new laboratory opens at Sonils of plans to restore them to 53 Chandos Place, for all 18 provinces their former glory. It is hoped London WC2N 4HS 34 G-force 40 Full steam ahead that the Angolan lines will Tel + 44 20 7812 6400 Fax +44 20 7812 6413 7 Figured out An interview with Angolan Excerpts from Sonangol chief eventually be connected to [email protected] A snapshot of Angola in R&B singing sensation Paul G, executive Manuel Vicente’s the networks of neighbouring numbers nominated for a top award annual speech to journalists countries Cover: Ciro Fusco/epa/Corbis Kamene M Traça 2 SONANGOL UNIVERSO SUMMER 2009 3 SU22.editor-letters.pp4-5:SU22 18/5/09 11:32 Page 4 OVERVIEW READERS’ LETTERS Eye-popping pictures Dear Sir I very much enjoyed the article about Angolan postage stamps featured in the last edition of Universo, as I did the reports on Luanda’s art scene and the Fundação Sindika Dokolo published in the previous edition. These are stories that Alex Bellos many people do not know about until brought to their attention by your magazine. Total has been present in Letter from the editor Angola for many years and we believe it is very important to support the country culturally as well as economically. That Hinterland to the fore was one of the reasons why, in conjunction with the Total Foundation for Biodiversity, we ost foreigners working in Angola rebuilding of the road network means that Secondly, Angola’s President José sponsored the Os Abismos exhi- only know one city: Luanda. It Huambo is only five hours by car from Eduardo dos Santos made his first state bition of underwater photogra- Mis where the international Luanda – less than half the time than the visit to Portugal. During the visit, the phy at Luanda’s Natural History planes land, where the multinational journey used to take. presidents of both countries announced Museum this year. The photo- companies are largely based and where Huambo is also a stop on the the creation of a development bank graphs remind us of the hidden about a quarter of the country’s 13 million Benguela Railway, which once connected jointly funded by Sonangol and the beauty in the oceans around us. people live. the Angolan Atlantic coast to what is now Portuguese state-run Caixa Geral de I hope that your readers were Luanda’s position as a safe haven the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the Depósitos. able to enjoy the exhibition and during the civil war meant that its popula- inside back pages we print a map of the Despite the global economic down- I look forward to reading about tion rocketed. Hundreds of thousands of four railways in Angola with details of the turn, Sonangol is continuing with its the next cultural event in your the Angolans fled there from areas inland renovation work that is being done on major investments in Angola – such as I can see inside your mind: pages. glass squid, which lives in the beset by fighting. them. In the next few years more than a the new refinery in Lobito. We interview deep oceans of the Southern André Teixeira, In this issue of Universo, however, we thousand kilometres of track are due to Anabela Fonseca, the only woman on hemisphere, can grow to about Communication Division, show that Angola is much more than just come into use. Sonangol’s board, who is in charge of the 20cm in length. The image was in Total E&P Angola the capital. Over ten pages we print a South of Huambo, near the border refinery project. We also include extracts the Os Abismos exhibition. special report on Huambo – the nation’s with Namibia, the landscape becomes from Sonangol chief Manuel Vicente’s Peter Batson, ExploreTheAbyss.com second city. Huambo was caught up in hotter and more arid. The desert here is annual speech to journalists. When asked some of the worst fighting of the war. Now home to a remarkable inhabitant: the whether the financial crisis will have any Flying high there is peace, the city is reviving. welwitschia, one of the world’s most impact on the company’s activities, he Dear Sir Kamene M Traça Huambo may receive less attention fascinating plants. It is believed that the was bullish. Referring to investments in I was interested to read your feature on Angola’s and financial support than Luanda, but it welwitschia may live for up to 2,000 years. the refinery project, in the expansion of booming aviation industry. I have recently moved has advantages over the capital and in The resilience and peculiar beauty of the the fuel distribution network and in stock, to Luanda and have never seen such an in-de- many ways is a much nicer place to live in. plant has made it a national symbol. he replied: “These investments will not mand route for business travellers. It is good news Situated in the central highlands, it has a Since our last issue appeared, two slow down. On the contrary, they will that even more airlines are now flying to Luanda less harsh climate and it is a lot less significant events have taken place. First, be increased.” and this should bring down the cost of flights. crowded. It is a city of parks, tree-lined the Pope visited Angola. Our reporter Angola currently has only one When TAAG returns to flying in Europe, this streets and open spaces. Louise Redvers was there and witnessed refinery, in Luanda. The decision to build will also increase the competition and benefit Much of Huambo’s future success will extraordinary scenes including a Mass the second one in Lobito reinforces the travellers. The upgrade of the airport is also much depend on its transport links. The city is that was seen by about a million people. point that regeneration is happening on a needed and very welcome. We welcome your opinions. If you would like to have a letter published, please email surrounded by fertile land that used to be Angola has the highest percentage of large scale in the rest of the country too. Henrique Almeida, [email protected]. Letters may a centre of agriculture – and hopefully will Catholics than of any country in Africa, a Luanda be edited for length. be again in the years to come. Already the result of Portuguese colonisation. [email protected] 4 SONANGOL UNIVERSO SUMMER 2009 5 SU22.Angola News.pp6-7:SU22 18/5/09 11:32 Page 6 Figured Angola news briefing out Million homes More than 700 people attended the first national Wind power housing forum at Luanda’s Palácio dos Congres- Angola could start producing electricity sos.