Luanda, Angola - Saint Michael Fortress - (3 of 3)

(3 videos).
As we drove around it was very clear that Luanda’s construction sector has moved from a government-backed boom to very visible abandoned projects. This is due to high inflation, rising material costs, and limited bank financing as well as a major shift in Chinese investments and government priorities. 75% of over six thousand construction projects in Luanda China have reshaped Luanda by financing (over $50 billion in loans) and building here in exchange for oil. When global oil prices collapsed, Angola was forced to pump more oil just to service its Chinese debt, leaving almost no capital for city maintenance or new municipal upgrades and Chinese lenders prioritized debt repayments. The shift in presidential priorities under President João Lourenço marked a deliberate transition away from the "prestige" urban mega projects of the previous dos Santos era toward economic diversification, social infrastructure (focus on the needs of the people), and tourism. This era of change has a very UNCLEAR ending as it plays out in the last few years and Angola continues to define its future.

Our last stop was the Saint Michael Fortress, on a hill overlooking the city (where else would you put it).. The fortress dates back to the 1576 and was built on the ruins of Morro de Kassandama, where the Dutch built an early fortress (1641–1648), then by the Portuguese and then a slave prison awaiting overseas ships and then a prison for political prisoners. It is now a museum of memory, and they have preserved the beautiful interior ceramics that tell Angola's history and the historical artifacts there.

After a very educational, often difficult day, learning about the history and struggles in Angola and seeing how some of the people currently live among the very wealthy, we decompressed with an evening of music (quartet and late night "Divine Divas"), cycling and followup on the Shavuot brunch comments and additional handouts, and a relaxing dinner at Toscana with some new "friends".Read more