INTO AFRICA
Namibe Province
Benguela Province, Praia Azul
Even Angola’ s coast surprises. Praia Baίa Azul in Benguela Province offers golden sands and azure waves – perfect for long, lazy, barefoot days. Further north, Praia do Soba is quieter, lined with fishing boats that return with silver catches at dawn. And near Luanda, the surreal cliffs of Miradouro da Lua, or“ Viewpoint of the Moon”, glow red and gold at sunset, like a Martian landscape sculpted by wind and rain.
Here, nature isn’ t a backdrop. It’ s the rhythm itself.
Part two: culture & people Angola’ s greatest wealth is not its waterfalls or its beaches, but its people. Travel south-west and away from the big cities and you’ ll encounter the Muila tribe, known for their elaborate hairstyles shaped with ochre and butter, colourful beads cascading down their backs. Every braid and colour conveys meaning, telling stories of age, marriage, and status. To meet them is to step into living tradition: proud, enduring, and deeply rooted.
In the cities, life moves at a different tempo. Luanda, the capital, straddles worlds. Fishing boats still line the bay, but glass towers rise behind them. On one street you might stumble upon a Portuguese colonialera church tiled in blues, while a block away, neon lights pulse above Afro-house clubs.
History lingers here. Angola was once part of the Kingdom of Congo, and later colonised by Portugal. Independence came in 1975 only, but the legacies remain, showing up as much in the enduring conflict as in Luanda’ s museums, colonial fortresses, and the everyday conversations where the old and new Angola co-exist.
Travel outside the capital and you’ ll find landscapes filled with stories. The Pedras Negras de Pungo Andongo, massive black rock formations jutting from the plains, are steeped in legend. Locals tell tales of queens and warriors, their shadows said to be etched into the stone.
In Benguela Province, traces of the Portuguese influence remain in the architecture and cuisine. The old port town once traded in both sorrow and wealth, but today it welcomes travellers with open beaches and grilled fish markets.
Muila tribe
Further inland, the rolling Colinas, and agricultural areas like Kino, reveal another side of Angola: small villages where maize grows, cattle graze, and time seems unhurried. For visitors, the joy is in the human encounters; a farmer offering you a sweet and tangy mango, a child breaking into laughter at your attempt to greet in Umbundu.
This is Angola’ s living rhythm: neither staged nor polished, but authentic and real.
90 | SUMMER 2025 / 26 • rovesa. co. za