“Angola has lost a vibrant voice for its place in science and nature. He (Kalunga) was looking forward to working with National Geographic on a major documentary about Angola. His gusto for life and his desire to help Angolans understand their rich endowment were defining qualities that I will always remember. His passion for Angola’s heritage was evident when he gave us a terrific tour of two major geological and paleontological sites in the Namibe. I have no doubt that he touched the lives of many young Angolans, some of whom will carry on his work. That is a great legacy.”
-Ambassador Christopher J McMullen, American Ambassador to Angola
“…our friend and colleague in Angola passed away yesterday, December 19, 2011, of a heart attack. This is a tragic blow to his family, his friends, and his country. Kalunga’s video on “Saving the Giant Sable Antelope” and all the effort that has gone into preserving Angola’s national symbol are profoundly important for his country. This morning I watched once more Kalunga’s short video made with Projecto PaleoAngola and I was grateful for knowing him and proud to be his friend. He will be honored through our doing our best work to continue the endeavors of which he was such an integral part. He will be missed. If you wish to view the PaleoAngola video, please go to ProjectoPaleoAngola.org and click on the YouTube link.”
-Dr. Louis L. Jacobs, Paleontologist Projecto Paleoangola and Professor at Southern Methodist University
“What a tragic loss. I was looking forward to where he (Kalunga) would go with all of us and Angola. Please pass along my sympathies to his family and let them know how much we valued knowing him over a too short time.”
-Dr. John Francis, Vice President Research, Conservation, and Exploration National Geographic Society
“My heart is heavy for all the people in Angola and around the world who Kalunga touched through his talents and dedication and passion to preserve Angola’s biodiversity and future. He was a generous, kind, gregarious friend – one felt close to him almost instantly… I am so heartbroken for his family, especially his two young children and wife. I know his friends and country will miss him so greatly. What a terrible tragedy to lose him so abruptly.”
-Dr. Catherine Workman, Committee for Research and Exploration, National Geographic Society
“I am so sorry to hear this news. In the little time I spent with him he struck me as a person utterly committed to Angola. I thought his productions were quite good and was looking forward to working with him. My heart goes out to his family and other colleagues.”
– John Bredar, Senior Executive Producer, National Geographic SPECIALS
December 21, 2011 at 10:16 pm
This is tragic news. Kalunga Lima was full of life, the most creative, alert and curious person I met in Angola, and from our first meeting we made plans to work together soon. I greatly profited from his insights and he helped me understand the nuances of Angolan politics and society. The day before he died I emailed him to say that I had just discovered in an ethnographic study that “Kalunga” means God or Almighty.
He spoke to me proudly and with love of his family – his wife a brilliant doctor, his wonderful children, his powerful father, who was a stalwart soldier in the struggle. Rest in peace,
December 22, 2011 at 9:37 am
At this time, when Kalunga’s ability to share his joy and passion for an endangered world is so needed, his loss is a hard blow. I mourn all the work he meant to do and am grateful for the wonderful work he did. Thank you Kalunga.
December 23, 2011 at 12:43 pm
We are very sad about this great loss! Kalunga visited us last year, together with his family. We were developing ideas about a PhD project in Science Communication. And now this geat person is gone! Yes, we urgently need people like him to fight for a better world. May his voice still be heard by future generations. Our thoughts are with Nela and his children, and with all his colleagues and friends who’ll miss him deeply.
Jos van den Broek
Science Communication & Society
Leiden University
The Netherlands
December 25, 2011 at 6:30 pm
As Angolan I respected his work a lot, and it is a shame that we don’t have more Angolans in this field, so he will be missed a lot by many people, I was crashed when I heard the sad news, so talented so young…
My condolences to his family and hope that his soul rest in peace.
December 27, 2011 at 4:23 am
I went to school with Kal in Montreal at Vanier College. I met him when I was merely 17 and he a much older 20 (well at least in those years it seemed so much older!). I instantly liked him. He was a great friend and full of life. Kal was the type of person who would try anything and never allow any barriers to get in his way. I was always so envious of his go and get it attitude. We spent many a night making rice stir fry’s with a few beers. Its been a long time since I have seen him. I reached out to him a few years ago by email. I only wish that I would have had a chance to see him or speak with him. I will pray for his wife and children at this time of tragic loss.
Goodbye Kal,
Your friend,
Frank Candido
Montreal, Canada
December 27, 2011 at 11:58 pm
This is sad and shocking news. I met Kalunga for the first time in about 2002 when I was working as a journalist in Angola, and we met up whenever I returned to Angola subsequently. A warmer, more generous, more compassionate person would be hard to imagine. His enthusiasm for devising and undertaking new projects, in the often difficult working environment that Angola presents, was an inspiration. I send deep condolences to his wife, children and parents. I shall miss him greatly. May he rest in peace.
January 2, 2012 at 5:03 pm
A few years ago we made contact with the help of the Angola Field Group. We stayed in contact and hoped we could work together over the next few years. I was impressed by his expertise and the enthusiasm he showed. It is indeed a tragic loss for his family, to whom my heart goes out with the wish for them to find the strength to get through these tough times. He will always be remembered and live on in our hearts and minds for his dedication and energy. Safari njema na lala salama.
January 5, 2012 at 8:04 am
I met Kalunga about five years ago at a lunch at Pedro and Paula Vaz Pinto’s house in Luanda. He explained his background to me and I was amazed to learn that he had lived many years in Canada and had citizenship there and could have continued to live a much more comfortable lifestyle in Canada but chose to come back to Angola since he felt he could “make more of a difference” in Angola than in Canada. His documentary film about Angola’s sable antelopes (Palanca Negras Gigante) re-discovery & protection project was outstanding.
In conjunction with the PaleoAngola project he was documenting the discovery of amazing fossils being found along the coast of Angola by a multinational team of paleontologists. Through his relationship with and the generosity of Angola’s Vida Foundation, he was able to specially order from Canada and import into Angola a full scale, 13 meter long model of the Angolatitan adamastor dinasour discovered near Ambriz in 2005 which is now on display in the Geology Museum of Agostinho Neto University on the Marginal of Luanda. The model and fossilized bone fragments have become the leading attraction of the museum. I am sure that many Angolan students will be visiting the museum in the years to come and marvel at what they see there. So if you want to see some tangible evidence of Kalunga’s goal to bring science to a larger Angolan public and to make Angola a better place, then I suggest you visit the Geology Museum on the Marginal.
His very untimely death is a great loss for many people – his family, the scientific community in Angola and abroad, and his friends.
Tako Koning, Geologist Luanda – Angola