INTO AFRICA
Part three: music, food, and the coastline If nature is Angola’ s canvas and culture its brushstrokes, then music is its heartbeat. Kizomba was born here. It’ s a dance of smooth, flowing steps, often described as“ sensual but subtle”. Semba, older and more playful, is the dance that inspired Brazil’ s samba. And then there’ s Kuduro, an explosion of energy that dominates Luanda’ s nightlife: fast, infectious, impossible not to move to.
Spend a night out in the capital and you’ ll hear them all. One club sways to Kizomba’ s romance; the next shakes to Kuduro’ s frenetic beats. Even on the streets, rhythms drift from open windows and corner bars. Music isn’ t entertainment in Angola; it’ s life itself, connecting generations.
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 old and new Angola co-exist.”
TASTE OF ANGOLA
Moamba de galinha: chicken stew with palm oil Fresh prawns & octopus: coastal staples Cassava dishes: a national favourite
On beaches such as Praia Azul or Praia do Soba, locals gather at sunset with music, grilled fish, and cold beers. It’ s communal, unpretentious, and simply joyous. This is where Angola’ s four rhythms – natural, living, cultural, and musical – intertwine. A day might begin at the otherworldly cliffs of Miradouro da Lua, pass through the bustling streets of Luanda, and end with dancing Kuduro under the stars.
Angola is no longer just a hidden gem. It is ready, inviting, and waiting to be experienced on its own terms. For travellers weary of well-trodden circuits, Angola offers something rare: authenticity. The waterfalls aren’ t fenced off. The tribes aren’ t packaged for tourists. The game parks aren’ t teeming with vehicles. Encounters feel unfiltered, like discoveries rather than transactions. It isn’ t always simple; infrastructure can be patchy, English less common outside of cities, and distances vast. But that’ s the point. Angola doesn’ t pretend to be polished and sophisticated. Its charm lies in its raw edges, the feeling that you’ re stepping into a rhythm bigger than yourself. As one traveller put it after a trek through Namibe:“ In Angola, you don’ t just see Africa. You feel it in your bones.”
Praia do Soba
THE SOUNDTRACK OF ANGOLA
Kizomba: smooth, sensual, intimate Semba: joyful, the root of samba Kuduro: fast, fierce, unfiltered
Food plays its part in the rhythm too. Along the coast, fresh seafood dominates: grilled prawns, octopus, and fish straight from the boat. Inland, you’ ll find stews rich with cassava leaves, beans, and peanuts. Street stalls sell moamba de galinha, a chicken stew laced with palm oil, or snacks of roasted maize cobs.
SUMMER 2025 / 26 • rovesa. co. za | 91