Expedition to Angola

Luanda

Luanda is a city under construction. After the long-lasting civil war (1975-2005) the city seems to be permanently expanding, fuelled by the oil boom that has also made Luanda one of the most expensive cities on the planet.

The centre is divided into three distinct sections – Baixa de Luanda (lower Luanda) from the port to the fortress, Cidade Alta, the upper part of the city, home to the presidential palace, and Ilha do Cabo, a peninsula surrounding the bay with beaches, nightclubs and restaurants. Behind and above the historic centre, central bairros include Maianga and Alvalade (residential) and Miramar (embassies), as well as Kinaxixe and Maculusso, which are characterised by Portuguese apartment blocks. Further outside the centre, the neighbourhoods become more informal, dotted with 1970s Cuban apartment blocks and new developments.

On arrival in Luanda, it is impossible to miss the towering obelisk-like structure shooting above the rest of the city, a mausoleum dedicated to Augustinho Neto, the first President of Angola. Other sites worth visiting include the Fortaleza de Sao Miguel, a 16th century building built during the earliest period of colonial rule and a self-contained city for the military garrison, as well as a holding point for slaves – the highlight here are the ornate hand-painted wall tiles. The National Museum of Anthropology is home to an impressive array of traditional masks and other artefacts, while the 15th century Igreja Nossa Senhora do Populo is the first Anglican church in Angola, built in 1482.

The Muila people

The Muila people are a cluster of semi-nomadic ethnic groups living on the Huila Plateau. Women coat their hair with a red paste called oncula, which is made of crushed red stone. They also put a mix of oil, crushed tree bark, dried cow dung and herbs on their hair. On top of this, they decorate their hair with beads, cowrie shells and even dried food. Having their forehead shaved is considered as a sign of beauty. The plaits, which look like dreadlocks, are called nontombi and have a precise meaning. Women or girls usually have four or six nontombi, but when they only have three it means that someone died in their family.

Muila women are also famous for their mud necklaces, which are important as each period of their life corresponds to a specific type of necklace. When they are young, girls wear heavy red necklaces, made with beads covered with a mix of soil and latex. Later girls start to wear a set of yellow necklaces called vikeka, made of wicker covered with earth. They keep it until their wedding, which can last 4 years. Once married they start to wear a set of stacked up bead necklaces called vilanda. Women never take their necklaces off and have to sleep with them.

The Mucawana people

The Mucawana people seem impervious to change, still living and dressing in strictly traditional ways, with the hairstyles of the women made with a mix of cow dung, fat, and herbs for fragrance.  When not working Mucawana people like to celebrate, an intoxicating medley of singing, dancing and clapping. The women at such festivities look dazzling, but different, with multicoloured braids, bead corsets around their waists and curiously Teutonic-looking iron crosses dangling down their backs.

The Mutua people

The Mutua live in small settlements in the deep bush and their livelihoods depend on honey and fruit gathering. They do not possess land or animals and they are considered as a lower caste by the neighbouring tribes. At a first glance they look similar to the Himbas, but if one looks closely one will see how they are shorter and their dresses are shaggy and hairstyles less sophisticated compared to those of the Himba and Mucawana.

The Himba

The Himba may be one of Africa’s most photographed tribes, but even so, nothing can really prepare you for meeting them in the flesh. As in many ethnic groups these days, the women maintain their style of traditional dress to a far greater extent than the men, dressing in skirts made from animal skin and fashioning their hair into unique styles with the aid of butter fat and ochre, with different styles denoting their age and marital status. The same substance is used on their bodies, giving them an orange-brown sheen that is considered a sign of beauty within Himba society.

The Mucabal people

Mucubal (also called Mucubai, Mucabale, Mugubale) people are a subgroup of the Herero ethnic group, with a lifestyle based on cattle and agriculture, and some very specific customs and traditions. Girls have their upper teeth sharpened and lower ones removed. In order to convince young girls to have their lower teeth removed, Mucubal elders make them believe that their teeth leave their mouth during the night, to go in a hole dug to relieve themselves and return to their mouth covered with excrement. Their nomadic lifestyle is based on cycles, between nomadism and staying in villages.

The Mucubal believe in a god called Huku, and also worship their ancestors’ spirits called Oyo. Divination is very important in their culture, and they use talismans and amulets for numerous purposes such as to protect their herds or prevent adultery. Funerals can last several days or weeks, and graves are decorated with cattle horns. The number of cows sacrificed is in relation with the importance of the deceased. Cattle is only killed on special occasions, as Mucubal usually don’t eat meat but rather corn (when they manage to grow some), eggs, milk and chicken. They don’t eat any fish because according to the legend, one of their chieftains was brought to the sea by the Portuguese and never came back.

Mucubal women are famous for the way they dress, the most notable example of which is an original and unique headdress called the Ompota. It is made of a wicker framework, traditionally filled with a bunch of tied cow tails, decorated with buttons, shells, zippers and beads. But tradition is disappearing as some women use modern items to fill their ompota headdress. Women whether they are married or not can wear jewels. Ornaments like iron anklets and armlets are worn by girls as well as adult women. Mucubal women are also famous for the string they have around their breast, called oyonduthi, which is used as a bra.