Luanda, Angola - First, "The Moon" - (1 of 3)

(5 videos)
Luanda (on Angola's north Atlantic coast) and the entire Country of Angola is the only place we are visiting in West Africa that we have NOT visited in 2023, so we took an in-depth tour today.

It was founded in 1575 and until 1836 was a port where almost 3 million slaves were sent from to overseas, mostly to Brazil. In 1822 Brazil had gained independence and slavery finally ended in Angola in 1836. The success of their ports was already achieved by 1844 with trade of palm and peanut oil, wax, copal, timber, ivory, cotton, coffee, and cocoa. In 1889, an aqueduct was opened to provide many of the people fresh water helping significantly to the city’s growth. The start of the Angolan Civil War in 1975-2002 caused an exodus of much of the population and led to a terrible time when the only that remained were in the many slums did not know how to run the city.

Currently with over 40 million people in Angola (10+ million in Luanda), and with the help of the US, improvements are being made to roads, the rail system, commercial and residential housing and for many new industries (in addition to oil refining and diamonds which has been an economic stable for many years). Sadly, there is still a high percentage of poverty in Luanda from refugees (of their civil war), in spite of Luanda being ranked as one of the most expensive cities in the world to live. A large Chinese company is constructing the majority of housing in Luanda. Angola and China share a massive economic partnership primarily built on oil and infrastructure. China is Angola's largest trading partner and Angola is a major beneficiary of Chinese financing. The future of this relationship is uncertain for them and the World.

Angola finally gained its independence in 1975 and by then Luanda was a modern city with most of its population being African and a strong minority of white Portuguese origin. Sadly that was short lived when there was a Civil War in Angola from 1975-2002 (a power struggle between 2 anti-colonial guerrilla movements leaving close to a million dead, 4 million displaced and left Angola and a destroyed infrastructure and economy).

American companies are expanding their investment and partnerships across Angola, improving transportation and access to schools, healthcare, and markets. In agriculture, U.S. companies are strengthening food security, improve agricultural logistics. The US is supporting air fleet modernization and have expanded cooperation in science, technology, and innovation.

After a beautiful welcoming (see photos and video) and a drive through the city with an explanation of the current state of affairs, we went to the Marginal (waterfront) and then to Ilha de Luanda, which is is a coastal strip in Angola, consisting of a narrow tongue of land 4 miles long which, separate the city of Luanda from the Atlantic Ocean, creates Luanda Bay. Then in our private tour of 10 went "to the moon", the magnificent Miradouro da Lua, a landscape outside of the city. It is famous for its moon-like surface. Translated to ‘Moon Valley Viewpoint’, Miradouro da Lua was formed by cliffs with sharp pinnacles that has been eroded from the wind and the sea. This gives it its moon-like surface. It is an impressive site and we took some great photos after taking it all in.Read more