Historic City Series: Sumbe

On the South coast of Angola, a few miles from Luanda, is located the splendorous city of Sumbe, capital of the Kwanza-South province.  Sumbe comes from the word, in the national language kimbundo, “Kussumba”, which in Portuguese means “Buy”.

Historians indicate that the location of the city of Sumbe was significant as the city was always a central trade hub. Regular trade items between the peoples of the interior and the coast occured in the trade of salt and fish, as well as the fabrics brought by the Europeans have long served to feed the supply chain.  Significantly, historians note that Sumbe was a major trade port involved in the transfer and sale of black slaves. 

The importance of the place led the Portuguese colonial authorities to think about the founding of a city, also motivated by the “necessity of defense against incursions of English and French pirates and the link between the realms of Luanda and Benguela, as well as the copper mines”.  It was in this region, more precisely in Kicombo, that the Portuguese-Brazilian Salvador Corrêa de Sá e Benevides first anchored his fleet of caravels from Brazil, in 1648, and prepared the expedition which was to expel the Dutch who occupied Luanda.

According to historical data, the foundation of the city beganon January 7, 1768, when Governor Inocêncio de Sousa Coutinho commanded a brigade of engineers to make the choice of where they should establish a prison under the name of Novo Redondo. Its development took place from 1785 with the construction of the first stone fortress; the first church was built in 1811, while the first health services emerged in 1872 through the doctor Francisco Joaquim Vieira.

According to History, Novo Redondo was the first Angolan place to have home lighting, supplied by the hydroelectric dam of Cambongo’s River, later expanded and improved with the current treatment station for 50 years.

But the city has also been called Ngunza Cabolo after Angola's independence in 1975, in honor of the resistant leader to colonial occupation also called "Prince of the Wild."  But the city regained its original name – Sumbe, until today, equipped with its coastline of beautiful beaches, but also with
highlands such as Gungo, where we can find Hill Chamaco, which exceeds the thousand feet. It is a population of about 35 000 inhabitants, consisting predominantly of Mupindas, Mussel, Bailundos, Lumbar and Amboins and that in what concerns education benefits from loans from organic units of
the Katyavala Bwila University. This University has 13 courses in three Faculties and Institutes installed both in Sumbe, as in cities of Benguela and Lobito.  

The Economic activity of the population is centered on fishing and agriculture, particularly corn, potato and horticultural, as well as livestock and cattle.(TAAG Austral Magazine, 2011)

An Angolan Pageant That Seeks to Empower Women

Unlike most beauty pageants, these Angolan contestants wear their prosthetic limbs.  For this is Miss Landmine, a beauty pageant with a unique manifesto that aims to promote female and disabled pride and empowerment.

The event also aims to get people to re-examine established concepts of physical perfection, raise landmine awareness, and challenge inferiority and guilt complexes that hinder creativity in the historical, cultural, social and personal spheres. 

“Miss Landmine ultimately celebrates true beauty, and replaces the passive term of victim with the active term of survivor,” Miss Landmine director and creator Morten Traavik, a Norwegian artist.

Traavik’s unusual project came about in 2003 when he frequently visited war-torn Angola’s capital, Luanda, with his then-girlfriend who had an Angolan father. They could not travel much because of the thousands of landmines littering the countryside that claim countless lives each year. Angola is one of the world’s most heavily mined countries.

“It has been my objective all along that Miss Landmine would have a political or humanitarian impact. We only had one main criterion, that any woman or girl can participate as long as they wanted to. The women taking part are not being regarded as victims to be pitied. Rather, they are just like any other contemporary Angolan woman.”

In 2008, Traavik’s idea became a reality. He collaborated with local and national non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to disseminate information on the pageant that was open to women who had survived landmine explosions.

Miss Landmine was funded by the Norwegian Arts Council and the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, which had played a pivotal role in the global ban against unexploded ordnance (UXO) in December 2008 in Oslo. The pageant was co-funded by the Angolan government and the European Union Mission to Angola.

Angola’s First Lady Ana Pauyla dos Santos crowned Augusta Hurica, 31, representing the province of Luanda, the first Miss Landmine Angola. Hurica won a specially designed and customised prosthesis worth US$15,000 (RM45,000) from one of Norway’s leading orthopaedic clinic.

“What do I see when I look at the pictures of Miss Landmine contestants? I see true beauty. I see beautiful women who are proud, dignified and comfortable with who they are. And that strong, feel-good factor is all the while undermined by the tragic stories of mutilation and war that inevitably stay with a landmine survivor.”

But has Miss Landmine made any difference? “I think Miss Landmine has raised awareness inside and outside Angola and Cambodia of the problem of landmine contamination and the identity of disabled people and landmine survivors in general,” says Traavik.

“Of course, Miss Landmine won’t make landmines go away, or change the participant’s lives overnight; it was not intended to. “What’s important is that Miss Landmine has been a tool for the participants to overcome prejudice, fear and discrimination. It allows them to highlight their abilities while acknowledging their disabilities, both to themselves and the outside world.” (By CHIN MUI YOON, The Star - star2@thestar.com.my)

Glamping: a new type of tourism

Recently I heard the word "glamping" related to a new type of tourism that is rising in popularity. What would you say if someone asks you, do you want to go glamping? Do you know what glamping is?

Well, gampling is the combination of two words "glamour" and "camping." If you like going camping, but you want to the comforts of a hotel, then you need to go glamping and not just camping. Some people are put off from doing camping because of the bugs, wild animals, sudden storms, leaking tents, uncomfortable sleeping bags and questionable food. But there is now a new camping option: glamping. Here the tourist is presented with amenities, stays in fashionable decorated tents with pleasant illumination as well as is provided with full-course meals.

Let´s have a look at the following video that illustrates this new type of niche tourism:

What do you prefer: camping or glamping?Please leave your comments

The Legacy of a Missionary Doctor

Throughout the centuries of past medical ministry, missionary doctors have sacrificed much to serve the needy with vital medical care.   One great example of this commitment and service is Dr. Robert Livingstone Foster.  Dr. Foster was a pioneering missionary doctor in western Zambia and Angola and in conjunction with his son, Dr. Steve Foster, they worked to establish the CEML Hospital in Lubango.

Now in his retirement years, Dr. Foster tells his story about his past work and passion for medical ministry in Africa.  It is truly an enthralling and compelling story as told in his biography 'The Sword and the Scalpel' penned by author Lorry Lutz.  Please see the accompanying video highlighting his life work.  Enjoy!