magazine of embassy of angola 2015 n. 17

1
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
2
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
WEZA MAY - JUNE 2015 n.17
Director: Embaixador Miguel Neto
Editor & Proofreading:
António Nascimento
Photography: Francisco Bernardo,
António Nascimento and
Rogério Tuty
Translation: Marga Holness
Graphic Design: Cassius Gontijo
Copies: 2000 copies
Printer: Creative Printer
Graphic Execution: Press Office
of the Embassy
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.angola.org.uk
Address: 22 Dorset Street, London
W1U 6QY United Kingdom
Tel: 020-72999850 Fax: 020-79354960
2015 N. 17
3
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
INTERNACIONAL
a mutually beneficial
relationship
T
he state visit to the People’s
Republic of China recently
made by President José
Eduardo dos Santos is
clear evidence of Angola’s
position as one of the major powers on
the African continent and an important
factor in international relations.
Regarded as positive by the two
governments, the protocol and diplomatic welcome given to President José
Eduardo dos Santos confirmed the fact
that Angola is China’s major trading
partner in Africa south of the Sahara,
once again reflecting the mutual respect that exists between the two governments in a relationship that has every
sign of continuing to be positive.
Unfortunately, for reasons we all
know, a donor conference was repeatedly refused for Angola. The international economic institutions that
could have helped Angola made the
conditions for any aid the holding
of immediate elections and the establishment of austerity measures to
balance the state accounts.
Appreciating the geopolitical and
geostrategic situation, President José
Eduardo dos Santos approached
China, which understood Angola’s
needs and established credit lines
that made it possible to rebuild
essential health, road, railway and
airport facilities, and creating new
housing schemes, among the many
other unquantifiable benefits that
enabled Angola to achieve domestic stability, strengthen national
unity and develop noteworthy
economic growth in thirteen years.
Owing to the impulse provided
by Chinese aid, Angola’s growth rate
became one of the greatest in the
world, with direct positive effects
on the lives of Angolan citizens
from Cabinda to Cunene and from
the Atlantic to the east, without forgetting the Angolan communities
abroad, which are closely linked with
their origins.
During this recent visit, Angola and
China signed agreements on new areas
of cooperation, including trade, energy
and water, agriculture and education,
from primary to higher education.
The People’s Republic of China
gives unconditional support with
mutual advantage to projects in
Angola and currently has one of the
biggest international reserves of
foreign currency in the world, which
makes its economy more able to
invest in other countries.
4
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
United Kingdom
New
members
of United
Kingdom
government
T
he United Kingdom held
general elections on 7
May, an event that gave
rise to heated disputes as
the country voted for its
new parliament.
The Conservative Party led by
David Cameron came first, winning
311 seats in parliament. It was
followed by the Labour Party, which
won 232 seats, having lost many
of its traditional constituencies in
Scotland to the Scottish National
Party (SNP). The SNP won 56 seats,
the Liberal Democrats 8 and the
United Kingdom Independence
Party (UKIP) 1.
Among the issues debated during
the campaign were the potential crisis
in the National Health Service, the
policy of austerity, immigration and
whether or not the United Kingdom
should leave the European Union.
David Cameron
Prime Minister
George Osborne
Chancellor of the Exchequer
2015 N. 17
5
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
Theresa May
Home Secretary
Philip Hammond
Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs
Michael Andrew Gove
Secretary of State for Justice
Greg Clark
Secretary of State for Communities
and Local Government
Jeremy Richard
Secretary of State Health
Justine Greening
Secretary of State for
International Development
Nicky Morgan
Education Secretary
Patrick McLoughlin
Secretary of State for Transport
Sajid Javid
Secretary of State for Business,
Innovation and Skills
Theresa Villiers
Secretary of State for
Northern Ireland
Elizabeth Truss
Secretary of State for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs
Iain Duncan Smith
Secretary of State for Work
and Pensions
Stephen Crabb
Secretary of State for Wales
John Whittingdale
Secretary of State for Culture,
Media and Sport
David Mundell
Secretary of State for Scotland
Amber Rudd
Secretary of State for Energy and
Climate Change
6
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
Commemoratives dates
2015 N. 17
7
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
T
he African continent, on 25
May, celebrated the 52nd
anniversary of the founding
in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
of the Organisation of
African Unity (OAU) through a charter
signed by 32 African heads of state or
government. It represented the political commitment of African leaders to
hasten the end of colonialism in Africa.
Owing to the importance of this
event, in 1972 the United Nations
made 25 May African Freedom Day.
The day also has profound significance in the collective memory of the
peoples of the continent and reflects the
African Union as a need to face the
challenges faced by the continent
owing to social, economic and political
changes in the world.
Africa has approximately 30.27
million square kilometres of land. It
extends from the Mediterranean in
the north to the Indian Ocean in the
east and the Atlantic in the west. The
latter two oceans meet in the south of
the African continent. It is the second
most populated continent in the world,
after Asia, with about 800 million
inhabitants.
The continent as a whole has low
economic development figures.Gross
25
celebrates May
African Freedom
Day.
Africa has
approximately
30,27
million square
kilometres
of land
It is the second
most populated
continent in the world
800
million
inhabitants
Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma,
Head of the African Union Commission
shared aim of ensuring the unity and solidarity of Africans in the struggle for the
economic development of the continent.
The establishment of the OAU
showed the determination of Africans
to form a single institution capable of
responding, in an organised and united manner, to the many challenges
faced in creating the conditions needed to build a new future for Africa.
Subsequently, on 12 July 2002,
in Durban, the South African Thabo
Mbeki formally declared the dissolution of the OAU and the birth of the
domestic product represents only 1%
of world GDP. Most African countries
have poorly developed industry and
some are not at all industrialised,
living essentially on agriculture.
The major economic bloc is the
Southern Africa Development
Community (SADC) comprising fourteen countries: Angola, Botswana,
Democratic Republic of Congo,
Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi,
Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia,
South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania,
Zambia and Zimbabwe.
8
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
Justice
People sentenced to death
abroad to be subject to the
Angolan legal code
A
ny Angolan sentenced
to death or life imprisonment abroad will,
following extradition,
be given a sentence in
keeping with the Angolan legal code
(where there is no death sentence).
This is stipulated/ in the law on
international legal cooperation on
penal matters recently approved and
published in the Diário da República
de Angola (the official gazette) as
Law No 13/15.
The law is intended to guarantee cooperation with other states on
these matters, not only in respect of
Angolan citizens, but also foreigners,
and all criminal acts committed in
Angola and internationally.
It is also aimed at regulating extradition, the transmission of legal cases,
the implementation of penal sentences and the transfer of people
condemned to death or deprived of
freedom for security reasons. A further purpose is regulating the observation of people freed on bail, mutual
legal assistance on penal matters and
crime related to IT systems or data.
According to Rui Mangueira,
Minister of Justice and Human
Rights, this legal framework will enable Angola to deal with a number of
issues through cooperation, as provided for by the law.
He said that the law will make
it possible to identify the issues on
which international cooperation on
penal matters should apply, establishing the prerequisites for international cooperation and the grounds
for refusing it.
Rui Mangueira,
Minister of Justice and Human Rights
The law is intended to guarantee cooperation
with other states on these matters, not only in
respect of Angolan citizens, but also foreigners,
and all criminal acts committed in Angola and
internationally.
He noted that the law increases
the range of issues on which Angola
has extraterritorial authority, the
implementation of which is subject to
treaties or other international agreements o which Angola is a party and
which must always respect the principles of sovereignty, national security
and protection of the interests of
national defence.
9
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
Information & Technology
P
Angolan TV to adopt
digital system in 2016
ublic Television of Angola
(TPA) is making studies
with a view to replacing
the analogue TV system
with digital TV in 2016,
following the recommendation of the
International Telecommunications
Union (ITU) that all countries make
the change.
José Luis de Matos,
Minister of Social Communication
This will make the TPA system
the same as the one in Europe, in
accordance with a consensus of
the Southern African Development
Community (SADC).
Helder Figueiredo, a TPA technical
adviser, speaking on the sidelines of the
Globalcom 2015 Congress telecommunications market in Angola, said that
Rui Fernandes Vasco,
National Director of Information
every country in the region will use
the system in keeping with its specific
needs. The digital system provides better signal and structural quality.
Analogue TV uses outdoor antennas
to capture the signal, while the digital
system uses a means of modulation and
compression to send data to TV sets
compatible with the technology.
Hélder Bárber, Chairman of the
Board of Angolan TV-TPA
10
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
ENVIRONMENT
National Geographic
to make environmental study on
Cuito and Cubango rivers
F
átima Jardim, Angola’s
Minister of the Environment,
recently signed a memorandum of understanding with
National Geographic in
Cuito Cuanavale, Kuando Kubango
Province, on research into biodiversity
along the Cuito and Cubango rivers.
For the initial three month phase
of the research, the memorandum
plans an expedition in an area of
about 450 kilometres from the source
of the Cuito river in Bié Province,
to the confluent of the
Cubango on the border
with Namibia.
The project aims
to study aquatic species in the two rivers
in order to promote
eco-tourism within
the framework of the
Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier
Conservation Area (OKACOM), which
also includes Botswana, Namibia,
Zambia and Zimbabwe.
When the research is completed
a film will be produced and a book
on the biodiversity of the Cuito and
Cubango rivers.
In addition to government authorities, other people involved in the
research rae scientists, biologists,
university lecturers and students,
film makers, photographers and
sappers.
National Geographic has
already made similar scientific studies in Namibia
and Botswana, especially
in the Okavango delta,
where there is an 18,000
square kilometre protected area.
Fátima Jardim, Minister of Environment
2015 N. 17
11
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
ECONOMY
Angola comes second
in Africa in attracting
foreign capital
A
ngola was the second
biggest African recipient
of direct foreign investment (DFI) last year,
with US$16 billion, a
little less than Egypt, which received US$18 billion, according to the
Financial Times.
The British newspaper reported
that Africa was the region of the world
that showed the greatest growth in
terms of DFI, with a 6% increase in
projects and a 65% increase in sums,
amounting to US$87 billion, compared with the world growth of only 1%.
He five African countries that
attracted most DIF last year also
include Mozambique, which came
fifth with about sums of about US$9
billion in a list headed by Egypt, with
US$18 between billion, and includes
Nigeria, with US$11 billion, and
Morocco, with US$5 billion.
According to the report, DFI
growth was balanced between the
two halves of the continent, with
investments in north Africa being
more than duplicated, from US$10
billion to US$16 billion, while in
Africa south of the Sahara investment increased from US$42 billion
to US$61 billion.
The African continent grew by 5%
last year, more than 1.5 points more
than the growth of the world economy.
The International Monetary Fund
and the World Bank warn that growth
may fall to between 4 and 4.5 this year,
owing to the decrease in the price of oil
and the impat of ebola, though recovery
to 5 is expected next year.
According to the
report, DFI growth
was balanced between
the two halves of
the continent, with
investments in north
Africa being more
than duplicated, from
US$10 billion to US$16
billion, while in Africa
south of the Sahara
investment increased
from US$42 billion to
US$61 billion.
12
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
Society
Angola - thousands of
kilometres cleared of mines
O
ver the past thirteen
years, as a result of effective peace, 47,150 kilometres of highway have
been cleared of mines.
The figures were recently revealed
in Menongue, capital of Kueando
Kubango Province, during the second
plenary meeting on action against
mines held by the National Intersector Demining and Humanitarian
Assistance Commission (CNIDAH).
Higino Carneiro, governor of
Kuando Kubango, said that government bodies and national and international humanitarian organisations
had cleared 442,255 square metres of
mines in the region in the first quarter of this year.
A total of 3,218 kilometres of
railway lines were cleared, as were
2,800,000 kilometres along electri-
city supply lines and 10,000 square
kilometres of area for the installations
of fobre optic cables.
All this had resulted in the deactivation and destruction of 412,300
ani-personnel mines, 52.159 antitank mines, 6,183,500 undetonated devices and assorted
ammunition.
Higino Carneiro, Governor of Kuando Kubando
13
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
RELIGION
Pope Francis appoints
new Apostolic Nuncio
for Angola and São Tomé
Pope Francis has
appointed Archbishop
Petar Rajic as the new
Apostolic Nuncio in
Angola and São Tomé
and Principe, replacing
Novatus Rogambwa.
According to a press
release of the Apostolic
Nunciature, Petar Rajic
was born in Toronto,
Canada, on 12 June 1959.
He was ordained on 29
June 1987 and made a
cardinal in the diocese
of Trebenje-Mrkan,
which is now in Bosnia
Herzegovina.
He has a doctorate in canonical law
from the law faculty of
the Pontifical Leteran
University. He started to
work in the diplomatic
service of the Holy See
on 1 July 1993, serving
successively in Iran,
Lithuania and the State
Secretariat of the Holy
See in the Vatican.
His Holiness, Pope Francisco
EPHEMERIDES
Albinism Awareness
day celebrated
for first time
The world celebrated
International Albinism
Awareness Day for
the first time ever on
13 June, an initiative
of the office of the
United Nations High
Commissioner for
Human Rights.
In a message on
that date, Zeid Al
Hussein, the UN High
Commission for Human
Rights, said the date
was an opportunity to
celebrate the gains of
people with albinism
and encourage a united struggle against the
challenges they face.
Albinism is a rate
genetic and non-conta-
gious disorder characterised by a lack of
pigmentation in the
skin, hair and eyes.
Discrimination
and violence against
people with albinism had recently
been denounced by
the United Nations
Human Rights
Council and the
African Human
Rights Commission.
According to
the World Health
Organisation, one in
every 15,000 people
may be albino. In
Europe and the United
States the rate is one in
every 20,000 people.
14
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
Ephemerides
1 June,
I
International
Children’s Day
nternational Children’s Day on
1 June is celebrated in Angola.
Numerous events and activities for children are organised
to mark the date.
The date is celebrated in many
countries in the world, although
differently from country to country.
Special attention is paid to children
on that day, giving them presents and
organising recreational activities.
The United Nations adopted
the Declaration of the Rights of the
Child on 10 December 1959, though
International Children’s Day was
celebrated for the first time on 1
June 1950.
The United Nations declaration
states: ‘The child shall be protected from practices which may foster
racial, religious and any other form
of discrimination. He shall be brought up in a spirit of understanding,
tolerance, friendship among peoples,
peace and universal brotherhood, and
in full consciousness that his energy
and talents should be devoted to the
service of his fellow men.’
UNICEF is an international organisation dedicated specifically to helping children. Generally speaking, it
works with governments on programmes to help children in the areas of
health, education, food, science and
culture. It currently works in 158
countries in the world.
‘The child shall
be protected from
practices which may
foster racial, religious
and any other form
of discrimination.
He shall be brought
up in a spirit of
understanding,
tolerance, friendship
among peoples,
peace and universal
brotherhood, and in
full consciousness that
his energy and talents
should be devoted to
the service of his
fellow men.’
15
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
Testimonials
Angola AND THE
40 years of
independence
SANDRA MARIA BRAZ
My name is Sandra
Maria Braz and I am 42
years old. I was born
in Cabinda and I live
in Manchester. For me
Angolans have every
reason to celebrate with
joy the 40 years of the
national independence
won on 11 November
1975 as a result of
the sacrifices made
by its finest sons and
daughters. Thanks to
national independence,
Angola has made notable
achievements in the
world and the region. I
recognise that Angolan
has made these gains
thanks to the sacrifice
and heroism of its sons
and daughters who
gave their lives for the
liberation of the Angolan
people from the fascist
colonial regime.
ANTÓNIO DIOGO JUNIOR
I am António Diogo
Júnior and I live in east
London. I am one of the
Angolans who has been
longest in the United
Kingdom. For me the
40 years of Angola’s
independence are a
milestone in the building
of a democratic state
based on the rule of law,
the sovereignty of the
people, the primacy of
the constitution and the
law and national unity. I
cannot fail to praise the
historic and dominant
role of the national
liberation struggle in
ending the colonial
regime and progressing
to social, economic,
political and cultural
development.
JENNIFER QUARESMA
Jennifer Quaresma, I was
born in the municipality
of Ingombota in Luanda,
I have been living in
the British capital
for just under a year,
coming from Lisbon in
Portugal. For me peace
is the indispensable
factor for the progress
and development of any
family. The struggle for
national independence
led us to win peace,
which I consider the
greatest wealth. I ask
all Angolans, regardless
of their political, party,
social, ethnic or religious
beliefs, to defend peace at
all costs, because it is still
very young.
DÉLIO HILGNER CABRAL ALVES
My name is Délio
Hilgner Cabral Alves,
an Angolan living in
London. For me Angola’s
independence was an
event of transcendental
continental and world
importance, representing
the greatest symbol of
freedom for Angolans,
since it was the major
objective of our national
heroes, led by the late
President Dr António
Agostinho Neto, tired
of the oppression
and exploitation of
the colonial regime
experienced for more
than half a century in
our own country. All
Angolans now live in
freedom to follow their
dreams and loves.
16
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
CULTURE
xx
Kulumbimbi is the oldest church of sub-saharan Africa
Angola at meeting on
UNESCO world heritage
R
osa Cruz e Silva, Angola’s
Minister of Culture, attended the 39th meeting
of the World Heritage
Committee of the United
Nations Organisation for Education,
Science and Culture (UNESCO),
which met in Bonn. Germany, from
28 June to 9 July to examine proposals for adding 37 sites to the
world heritage list.
Angola is compiling
data to complete the
candidacy of the historic city in Mbanza
Congo as a UNESCO
world heritage site.
Mbanza Congo has
been classified as
a national cultural
heritage since 10
June 2013, a prerequisite for being put
on the world heritage list.
Mbanza Congo is one of eleven
sites indicated by Angola for inclusion
on the UNESCO list. The
local language, Kikongo,
part of the non material
heritage, is an important
aspect of current studies.
The Kongo Kingdom
had twelve churches, convents, schools, palaces
and residences and
comprised six provinces that extended
from Angola into
the Democratic
Republic of Congo,
the Republic of
Congo and Gabon.
Rosa cruz e Silva, Minister of Cultura
2015 N. 17
17
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
sport
Angolan National Soccer Team
Angola holds first national
football conference
T
he first national football
conference was held in
Luanda on the theme
‘everyone for football’.
It was an event that presented a clear picture of the development of national football, including facilities for detecting talent in
schools and providing sound training
for football experts and officials.
The conference discussed issues
related the development of a laboratory of applied research in the areas of
sports training for football, promoting
football in schools and the basis for
the future development of football.
Edeltrudes Costa, Minister of
State and head of the Civilian House
of the President of the Republic, drew
attention to the importance of national
football in sports training. He said the
country had an enormous responsibility to develop Angolan football, putting into effect the words of President
José Eduardo dos Santos when he said:
‘in the African context we want to
assert ourselves as a country of sport’.
The conference
discussed issues
related the
development of a
laboratory of applied
research in the areas
of sports training for
football, promoting
football in schools
and the basis for the
future development
of football.
Edeltrudes Costa,
Minister of State and Head of the Civilian
House of the President of the Republic
18
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
SPORT
Angolan sports figures
praise commitment of President
José Eduardo dos Santos
T
he Angolan football
family has praised the
contribution made by
President José Eduardo
dos Santos to the
development of national
sport, and football in particular, ever since he has been
President of Angola.
This was stated in a motion
of thanks read out at the end
of the national football conference held in the Palace of
Justice in Luanda from 25 to
27 June.
The delegates expressed
thanks for the efforts and
dedication of the head of state in
favour of developing sports, especially football, as one of
the pillars of building
a new Angola and
foresaw continued
commitment to this
noble cause.
They recalled the countless
initiatives in which José Eduardo
dos Santos had participated with
abnegation, both as head of state
and as patron of the Eduardo
dos Santos Foundation
FESA), the Old Guard
Football League
and the Angola
Football Academy
(AFA)
As head of
state, José Eduardo
dos Santos had
constantly advised
different government sectors to promote the requisite
human conditions and material, financial and legislative
facilities for the implementation and widespread and
sustained practice of sport in
communities.
The Angolan football
family has praised the
contribution made
by President José
Eduardo dos Santos
to the development of
national sport, and
football in particular,
ever since he has been
President of Angola.
19
MAGAZINE OF EMBASSY OF ANGOLA
2015 N. 17
SPORT
Angolan National Team of Roller Hockey
Angola beats Britain
12-0 at roller hockey
The Angolan national team beat the United
Kingdom by 12-0 on 25
June in the world roller
hockey championship
held in France.
The goals were made
by André Centano (four
times), Big, Payero, Joy
and Márcio, who shot two
goals each. The world roller
hockey championship is the
major competition between
national teams.
Both the male and female
championships are held
every two years and are organised by he International
Roller Hockey Committee
and the International
Roller Hockey Federation.
The world championship
is divided into group A and
group B. Group A contains
the best national teams
and group B those that are
not as good. The B cham-
pionship is always held a
year before the main one,
in order to find the three
best teams, which can take
part in the group A world
championship.
ANGOLAN IN THE UK
Angolan joins national youth basketball
team of the United Kingdom
His name is Pedro Leonidio
dos Santos Manuel and he is
the son of Angolans Miguel
Domingos Manuel, who lives
in Manchester, and Filomena
dos Santos Manuel, who has
returned to Angola definitively to contribute to national
reconstruction.
The young Angolan earned
admiration and respect in the
Stockport Falcon youth club in
Greater Manchester, where he
showed his potential and liking
for basketball.
Pedrinho, as he is known,
took his first steps in the Vale Jet
team during the Reddish Vale
community championship. He
showed great enthusiasm and
was regaded as a lethal defender
by his adversaries.
He was asked to join the sub14 national team on 25 may 2015
to compete on 4 and 5 July in
the European basketball championship to be held in Sheffield, a
city in northern Britain.