Media from Other Countries: "Angola"
Jun. 19th, 2019 11:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebI've decided to share more of what I'm learning from my quest for books and movies about other countries. And rather than share all the notes I'm taking for myself, I'll share just the most interesting information.
The book: Sheehan, Sean; Brethany Bryan; Jiu Lin Yong. Angola (Cultures of the World) (2019)
The country: Angola is on the southwestern coast of Africa, between the Congos and South Africa (except for the Cabinda province, to the north, on the coast between the two Congos) and is twice the size of Texas.
Most interesting things I learned:
1) Angola gained independence in 1974 after 400 years of rule by Portugal, then suffered civil war for the next 27 years. Can you imagine? And that's partly because different sides were egged on by the superpowers. Sadly, the communist-leaning side was much less corrupt than the side that my country supplied. And China is still the country providing the most help today. Unlike in many countries, the ethnic infighting seems to be over, so the improvements are not being undone all the time.
2) As the eighth largest producer of oil, Angola is part of OPEC. But oil production is only increasing the wealth of some people. Luanda, the capital, is one of the most expensive cities in the world and aspires to be a new Dubai, but the poor are extremely poor. (I prefer the way Ghana and Norway handle their oil--the government gets a bunch of the money and uses it to improve the lives of a large percentage of their citizens). Also, don't look here for human diamond mining.
3) The government wants food to be sold in retail stores to protect the people from food-borne illness, but the people are still most comfortable buying from street vendors and at open-air markets. New stores are trying to feel more comfortable by moving next to the old markets and playing Angolan music. Civil war, drought, and fluctuating oil prices have really messed up agriculture, so they actually import most of their food these days.
4) The health situation is horrifying except: the rate of AIDS is pretty low, possibly due to the high rate of male circumcision, and they've eradicated polio.
5) I mentioned this book to friends at a party while I was still reading it and they said they had learned an Angolan dance style, kizomba. They said that during the civil war, it wasn't safe to go out at night. So people would go to parties at friends' and relatives' houses and then stay all night, dancing. Because they were dancing all night, they preferred a low-energy style. And because they were only with close friends and relatives, it was very intimate. The book has a whole page on this kind of dancing, which says it's "known for the sensual nature of the dance and the focus on the intense connection between dance partners. Learning the steps is fairly easy. There are only four to five moves that a dancer needs to practice to learn kizomba. The tricky part is learning to master those moves with a partner and conveying emotion through those dance steps." Online research shows me it looks a lot like Argentine tango with Cuban (hip) motion.
Review of Angola - I always like these childrens' books about specific countries. The Cultures of the World series may have the thickest books, though there is a bit of repetition in this one as if they don't expect you to actually read all of the chapters. This series also has links to other websites including recommended videos.
The book: Sheehan, Sean; Brethany Bryan; Jiu Lin Yong. Angola (Cultures of the World) (2019)
The country: Angola is on the southwestern coast of Africa, between the Congos and South Africa (except for the Cabinda province, to the north, on the coast between the two Congos) and is twice the size of Texas.
Most interesting things I learned:
1) Angola gained independence in 1974 after 400 years of rule by Portugal, then suffered civil war for the next 27 years. Can you imagine? And that's partly because different sides were egged on by the superpowers. Sadly, the communist-leaning side was much less corrupt than the side that my country supplied. And China is still the country providing the most help today. Unlike in many countries, the ethnic infighting seems to be over, so the improvements are not being undone all the time.
2) As the eighth largest producer of oil, Angola is part of OPEC. But oil production is only increasing the wealth of some people. Luanda, the capital, is one of the most expensive cities in the world and aspires to be a new Dubai, but the poor are extremely poor. (I prefer the way Ghana and Norway handle their oil--the government gets a bunch of the money and uses it to improve the lives of a large percentage of their citizens). Also, don't look here for human diamond mining.
3) The government wants food to be sold in retail stores to protect the people from food-borne illness, but the people are still most comfortable buying from street vendors and at open-air markets. New stores are trying to feel more comfortable by moving next to the old markets and playing Angolan music. Civil war, drought, and fluctuating oil prices have really messed up agriculture, so they actually import most of their food these days.
4) The health situation is horrifying except: the rate of AIDS is pretty low, possibly due to the high rate of male circumcision, and they've eradicated polio.
5) I mentioned this book to friends at a party while I was still reading it and they said they had learned an Angolan dance style, kizomba. They said that during the civil war, it wasn't safe to go out at night. So people would go to parties at friends' and relatives' houses and then stay all night, dancing. Because they were dancing all night, they preferred a low-energy style. And because they were only with close friends and relatives, it was very intimate. The book has a whole page on this kind of dancing, which says it's "known for the sensual nature of the dance and the focus on the intense connection between dance partners. Learning the steps is fairly easy. There are only four to five moves that a dancer needs to practice to learn kizomba. The tricky part is learning to master those moves with a partner and conveying emotion through those dance steps." Online research shows me it looks a lot like Argentine tango with Cuban (hip) motion.
Review of Angola - I always like these childrens' books about specific countries. The Cultures of the World series may have the thickest books, though there is a bit of repetition in this one as if they don't expect you to actually read all of the chapters. This series also has links to other websites including recommended videos.