Prince Harry goes to Washington in May. Prince Harry, we welcome you to visit Angola too.

International Mine Awareness Day which took place on April 4 is an important reminder for Angola that the work of de-mining is active throughout the country, whether by NGO’s like MAG and Halo Trust and NPA and DCA or by the Angolan Military or the Angolan government, or private agencies.

Halo Trust, who are busy de-mining in Cuando Cubango, have posted some stories on their website here including the handover ceremony with the US ambassador at Biopio hydro-electric dam in Benguela province, Angola. Click here to view the story of Britain’s Prince Harry, Patron of HALO’s 25th Anniversary Appeal.

Cleaning up the remnants of war so life can get back to normal for all.

On April 4th Angola celebrated 11 years of peace. April 4th is also International Day for Mine Awareness. Long after the war is over, some weapons wait underground for years, a lurking threat. As one of the world’s most heavily land-mined countries, Angola still has over a decade of de-mining ahead of it. The Angola Field Group invites you to “Surviving the Peace, Angola”, a short film about an Angolan girl who played with a landmine; the film gives a close-up look at de-mining in Moxico province, at the Viking Club, Thursday April 11, at 8:00 PM.

Wearing a helmet and visor and heavy vest and working one knee on the ground, makes de-mining especially challenging in hot climates like Angola.

Our presenter, Tony Fernandes, is Technical Operations Manager/ Senior Manager in Country for MAG Angola, the NGO de-mining in Moxico province which is one of two most contaminated provinces in the country. Previously he managed de-mining work in Iran, DRC, South Sudan and Vietnam. Besides humanitarian mine action, Tony has extensive experience working in anti-terrorism and as a bomb squad operator and explosives inspector.

The presentation will also include a short informative talk on de-mining in Angola in addition to the film, and an opportunity to ask questions of our presenter, Tony Fernandes. Also MAG T-shirts will be on sale.

A lethal threat in his own backyard. A resident shows MAG de-mining team a landmine.

In close cooperation with the Viking Club, this event is offered free of charge. Beverages and snacks are sold at the bar, coupons must be purchased. The Viking Bar opens at 7:30 PM. The Viking Club is on the main floor of the Edificio Maianga, Rua Marien N”Guabi, No 118 across from Panela da Barro, on the same side of the street as the Suite Hotel. For a map, click here. For sale on Thursday, hand woven baskets from Moxico and various Angolan books. Also, giant used book sale of various English titles, fiction and non-fiction, a great selection!

Moxico resident stares at yellow stick marking a landmine, a treacherous war souvenir in front of his house.

MAG, Mines Advisory Group, is a British-based Non Governmental Organization based in Manchester, UK, founded in 1989 and has had de-mining operations in over 35 countries.

An important component of mine action is teaching mine awareness.

MAG team  de-mining next to veranda of a local school in Moxico. All photos courtesy MAG.

This is part one of a four part video filmed during the Angola Field Group Presentation on November 29, 2012, presented by Dr. José C. Curto, the author of Enslaving Spirits: The Portuguese‑Brazilian Alcohol Trade at Luanda and its Hinterland, c. 1550‑1830. He is presently Associate Professor of History at York University in Toronto, where he is also Deputy-Director of the Harriet Tubman Resource Center on the African Diaspora. Click here to view the November 29th post for more details about the presentation.

Dr. Curto also shared the life story of José Manuel, an overview of which you will hear in part one, however only the story of Nbena was filmed. Watch all four videos on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/angolafieldgroup.

The following are the images shown during Dr. Curto’s presentation. Click image to enlarge. Images credit: José C. Curto, “José Manuel and Nbena in Benguela in the late 1810s: Encounters with Enslavement”, in Dennis Cordell, ed., The Human Tradition in Africa. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2011, pp. 13-30.

17th century map of the Kingdoms of Angola and Benguela.

Benguela c. 1860.

Fortaleza de Benguela c. 1796

Angola’s children, a healthy future?

The Angola Field Group invites you to a presentation by the well known former Director of Angola’s Pediatric Hospital, Dr. Luis Bernardino, who will talk about ‘Health of Children in Angola’. Dr. Bernardino, who has been a pediatrician in Angola since 1974, will take a look at the available national and Pediatric Hospital data on the causes of illness and death among Angola’s children as compared to the world situation. He will present an analysis of the social determinants of death of children in Angola and other less developed countries and finish his presentation with some reflections on the country’s progress in trying to reduce the number of infants and children dying under the age of five, known as the ’4th Millennium Development Goal’. Everybody is invited to attend the presentation which will be in English, Thursday, March 21, at 8:00PM at the Viking Club.

Dr. Bernardino, who was born in Huambo in 1937, was Director of the Pediatric Hospital from 1998-2012 as well as being the Head of the Medical School Pediatric Department from 1980-2010.  He completed his primary and secondary school in Angola. He received his Licence in Medicine from Lisbon. In 1963 he deserted the colonial army. He was a General Practitioner in Algeria for four years and a resident in the National Health Service in the UK for six years. In 1972 in London he received his Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians and became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons. Then in 1973 he got the Diploma in Child Health in Glasgow, Scotland.

Dr. Luis Bernardino, four decades of caring for Angola’s children.

In close cooperation with the Viking Club, this event is offered free of charge. Beverages and snacks are sold at the bar, coupons must be purchased. The Viking Bar opens at 7:30 PM. The Viking Club is on the main floor of the Edificio Maianga, Rua Marien N”Guabi, No 118 across from Panela da Barro, on the same side of the street as the Suite Hotel. For a map, click here. For sale on Thursday, hand woven baskets from Moxico and various books.

Scroll down for the Viking Club’s Easter Long Weekend Getaway: Private Charter to Sâo Tomé and Principe!

With a population of only 160,000 inhabitants, it’s easy to find your own palm-fringed beach in Sâo Tomé. All photos in this post courtesy Marie Mohlerova.

March 22nd UPDATE: This trip is now full.
Easter Long Weekend Getaway: Private Charter with the Viking Club to Sâo Tomé and Principe.

The Viking Club is organizing an air charter excursion using Catoca’s airplane EMBRAER 50 to Sâo Tomé and Principe from 29 March to 31 March 2013 for a group of a minimum of 40 persons with accommodation at the Club Santana Beach Resort: www.clubsantana.com.

The island is formed by two extinct volcanic complexes, one of which is the Pico de Sao Tome, in background above.

Flight to Sâo Tomé:
-          Direct flight from Luanda to Sâo Tomé (2hours)
-          Departure from Luanda : Friday, 29/03/2013 at 7h00
-          Return to Luanda: Sunday, 31/03/2013 at 17h00
-          Round Trip Air Ticket: USD 570 per person – Max luggage 15 kg/person.
Payment of the air ticket should be done in cash at the Viking Club on Thursdays, the 14th and 21st of March 2013.
Contact: Joseph Okito – cell:917 992237 or e-mail: joseph.okito@ljinvestment.se

You can easily drive the coastal road that rings the island in less than a day.

Accommodation and Leisure at the Club Santana Beach Resort:
Bungalow Standard Double: only USD 210  for the two and a half days stay / per person.
The arrangement is based on a double room standard. Sorry, no single rooms are available.
The payment of 210 USD should be paid upon arrival to the reception of the Club Santana.
*Please note, if paying with a credit card only VISA credit card is accepted.
This rate includes the following services:
-          Breakfast and Dinner
-          Transfer from  Airport – Club Santana – Airport
-          Welcome  Drink (non-alcoholic)
-          Visit by boat to the islet Santana (30 minutes)
-          Visit to the Cascade St. Nicholas (depending on availability)
-          Transfer to the city center 3 times a day (as pre-established by the Club Santana)
-          Beach towels and sun beds
-          Kayaks and equipment snorkeling simple
-          Traditional “Buffet Rodízio” Saturday night with live music from Kalú Mendes
 
Visa to Sâo Tomé:
Consulate of Sâo Tomé and Principe
Rua  Comandante N’zaji 64/66

Alvalade, 
Luanda
, Angola
Tel: (+244-222) 328663  (+244-222) 328663 
Fax: (+244-222) 326224
The Visa of 15 days stay costs USD 30 per person.
The visa application shall be handled personally at least 8 days before the 29/03/2013, however there is also a fast track two day option available.

Welcome to this first Viking Club air charter excursion, Sâo Tomé and Principe. The participation of a minimum of 40 persons is an absolute requirement for the execution of this excursion.

The Board of the Viking Club

Colonial era rocas, or plantations, dot the island. Under the Portuguese, Sao Tome was the number one exporter of cocoa in the world. In Sao Tome city, visit a chocolate factory that sells hand crafted chocolate.

The tree nursery employees and one additional assistant, standing proudly beside the nursery and in the area now planted with 108 trees. Photo courtesy Michael Mills.

Summary: “Very satisfactory progress was made with the reforestation project during the January 2013 field trip to Mount Moco. Eighty six new trees were planted onto the mountain, bringing the total of planted trees to 108, and covering an area of about 100 x 20 m. Two new nursery areas for growing tree saplings in bags were cleared inside a nearby forest patch and more than 300 saplings were planted into bags, to join the ninety trees already in bags and not yet planted back on the mountain. I estimate that 80 of these plants will be ready for planting by the next field visit.”

Find out more at www.mountmoco.org and we have also posted this and other related updates on our Birds page.

Event 1
We are pleased to announce a keynote presentation given by Prof Paul Younger, Chairman of the Global Scientific Committee of the Planet Earth Institute. The title of the presentation is: “Recursos naturais e Recursos Ambientais: um ambientalismo inclusivo” (Natural Resources and Human Resources: Inclusive Environmentalism). Prof Younger holds the Rankine Chair of Energy Engineering at the University of Glasgow (UK) and will be here in Luanda taking part in a series of meetings. Prof Younger is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The presentation will take place Monday, March 4 at 14.00 in the centre of the city. Registration is essential and the location will be confirmed upon successful registration. Places are limited. Please register your interest directly with edward@planetearthinstitute.org.uk

Event 2

Planet Earth Institute will be hosting a special Urbanisation workshop on Tuesday, March 5 afternoon, from 14.15 at the Epic Sana Luanda Hotel: Urbanisation in Angola: Challenges and Opportunities. For more information click here to download a PDF. The workshop will see presentations from 3 local urbanisation experts from Angola followed by a talk by Prof Mukesh Khare, Professor of Environmental Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

For registration please contact edward@planetearthinstitute.org.uk

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www.planetearthinstituteworldwide.org
Building Capacity in the Global South
London • Geneva • New York • Rio de Janeiro • Luanda • New Delhi

Everybody is invited to attend the presentation, Thursday, February 21, at 8:00 PM at the Viking Club. Our presenter, Nicholas Staines, became the IMF’s Representative in Angola in early 2011. He has been with the IMF for some 15 years, much of it working on Sub-Saharan Africa. He joined the Fund from the private sector as a macroeconomic forecaster following several years in academia.

In close cooperation with the Viking Club, this event is offered free of charge. Beverages and snacks are sold at the bar which opens at 7:30 PM. The Viking Club is on the main floor of the Edificio Maianga,  Rua Marien N”Guabi, No 118 across from Panela da Barro, on the same side of the street as the Suite Hotel. For a map, click here and you will be directed to our Join Us page. For sale on Thursday, hand woven baskets from Moxico and various books.

* The need to scale up capital infrastructure spending (water, electricity, roads, housing) while at the same time preserving macroeconomic stability.