ANGOLA Future powerhouse of the African continent

[Simba Nerevu]

• Dr. Boaventura Cardoso, that country’s minister of culture, visited Havana for the 5th International Culture and Development Congress
• The African leader spoke with Granma International about his country’s reality and projections for the future

BY NAVIL GARCIA ALFONSO — Granma International staff writer —

"THE Angola of today is very different from the one that Cubans came to know 30 years ago," Culture Minister Boaventura Cardoso said. "We are in the midst of a process of rebuilding our society and the economic infrastructure that could make our country into one of the powerhouses of the African continent."

Angola is the No. 2 oil producer in the region, with one million barrels daily, which account for 90% of its exports. According to the website of the Angolan government’s embassy in Washington, it is expected that oil production will rise to 2.3 million barrels daily next year, making the country the No. 1 oil producer in Africa, instead of current leader Nigeria.

"My country is very rich in natural resources," Cardoso noted. "Along with large oil reserves, we have minerals such as diamonds, gold, iron, phosphate, marble, granite and quartz. In addition, the vast territory that comprises our nation is very fertile, and rainfall patterns favor the development of agriculture."

Why is development being talked about now and not when independence was declared?

"Because the country attained peace just five years ago after almost 30 years of a civil war that cost us many lives and destroyed our economic and cultural heritage. It is only now that we are able to project our future as an independent and organized nation.

"The simple fact that we are able to travel from one side of the country to the other completely safely is a sign that we are living in a nation at peace. The government and the Angolan Liberation Movement (MPLA) – the ruling party – are determined to take advantage of this situation of social harmony and fulfill our plans for modernization.

"Many of our compatriots who left the country and went elsewhere in Africa or even to the former colonizer, Portugal, during the civil war, are returning, and that is what we want to happen: we want to build a new Angola with the help of everyone.

"One of our main goals is to bring development to the country’s interior, and for that, we are building roads, aqueducts and other networks of communications and energy, although we still have much to do.

"The consolidation of a national industry capable of utilizing our full potential in natural resources is also a government priority."

Your country is also showing progress in the areas of education and culture.

"Certainly, great efforts are being made to educate our people. We need to have highly-qualified technicians and specialists participate in development. Cuba has helped us greatly in that aspect, in having educated thousands of young Angolans in the most diverse scientific fields. Some of them are now part of the government.

"Several European countries have also played an important role in the continuing education of our professionals.

"In the interim, we are continuing to increase our educational capacity, with the creation of schools and the recovery of our identity.

"Angolan culture is African, and thus is very rich in every manifestation: dance, art, song, literature. The work we are doing to safeguard our material and immaterial patrimony shows that culture should be on a par with economic development.

"Last year, we held our third symposium on national culture, in which we had important discussions on the Angolan identity. Based on that, we drew some conclusions that will be included in the country’s future cultural legislation.

"We are also planning the consolidation of our cultural industries, such as publishing, recording and filmmaking. Our arts and most importantly, our indigenous languages, are elements of our identity that we must protect and consolidate."

You referred to relations between Cuba and Angola in relation to educational cooperation. What do you think of these bilateral relations?

"We have always had good relations. Angola does not forget about the help Cuba gave us in achieving independence, and all of the other actions it took later, such as education for young people, the reconstruction of bridges, agricultural development, and in the medical field.

"A number of Angolan students are soon to arrive in Cuba to study at the Higher Institute of Arts. And a group of Cuban doctors are soon to head for Angola to provide support for my country’s health care.

"One element that could help to strengthen and expand cooperation would be the return of direct flights between Havana and Luanda, which for many years after our independence facilitated such exchange.

"Angola is a country that has great plans for the future. I believe that with well-founded policies for economic and social development, we will be able to attain a high level of social well-being for our people and to hold an outstanding place in the region," he concluded.

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2007/jul.../25Angola.html

[Olùkọ́ Ọbádélé]

This is interesting. I haven't seen resources in the soil translate into wealth for the Afrikan country. As Amos Wilson used to always say, the wealth of a people is not in their soil but in their minds citing examples of Japan, Britain, etc in how they just gangster the resources of others. Hopefully this is the dawning of a new mindset in Angola that will help them to gangster in their own right Venezuela style. Time will tell.

/me

[AfrikanLegend]

The economic growth in Angola is great, and very encouraging for many Afrikan nations. Many areas especially Luanda have seen many changes in these last couple of years. To see what's going on in Angola (Construction Wise), there's a site dedicated to the developments in Angola.

-Kwame