July 10, 2014

Saturday and Sunday July 26 – 27: Explore the Salt Mines of the Quicama tribe

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Valley of salt looks like snow.

Valley of salt looks like snow.

Back to the Salt Mines! Saturday and Sunday July 26 & 27, an overnight camping field trip to Ngunza, about 1 hour southwest of Muxima inside the greater Quicama National Park, to explore the ancient and historic salt mines of the Quicama tribe. In 2012 we had a field trip to re-discover the Salt Mines mentioned in historic documents as far back as 1593 (see last year’s post here). We found a large salina but didn’t have time to properly explore. We are now going back to spend more time hiking around the surrounding area.

Land of Baobobs, the Road to Quicama Park via Muxima.

Land of Baobobs, the Road to Quicama Park via Muxima.

Please note:
1. This trip requires several hours of hiking mostly on level ground.
2.  Participants must be self-sufficient in terms of camping.
3. A 4 wheel drive vehicle with high wheel base is required.
4. We will be camping in tall grass, capim, so take along a machete or shovel to level an area to set up your tent. This is the kind of grass that has burrs that attach to clothing.

Field group hiking to the salt flats in 2012. Potential salt domes loom in background

Field group hiking to the salt flats in 2012. Potential salt domes loom in background.

We will leave the city at 6:30 AM, drive via Catete and then right before Muxima we will head south west to Ngunza.  We will be accompanied by Angola Field Group member Serafim Quintino who is a native of Quicama.

Meeting point and further details will be provided once you are confirmed for the trip. As with all our field trips, there is limited space. Sign up at the Angola Field Group presentation on July 10 or by emailing: angolafieldgroup@gmail.com and state:    1)your cell phone number   2)names of all participants including drivers  3)whether you have room for passenger/s (keeping in mind space occupied by camping gear)    4)whether you are travelling from Luanda Sul or downtown Luanda. All Angola Field Group trips are at your own risk. There is a provincial border crossing so you must carry valid documents with you.

We will be camping in grass this high.

We will be camping in grass this high.

 

July 1, 2014

Thursday, July 10 Presentation: Kayaking the Kwanza

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Kayaking the Kwanza River, Angola's longest river, which stretches for almost 1000 kilometers from Bie to the Atlantic. Photo courtesy Christian Stolte.

Kayaking the Kwanza River, Angola’s longest river, which stretches for almost 1000 kilometers from Bie to the Atlantic. Photo courtesy Christian Stolte.

“Kayaking the Kwanza“, a recent three day adventure from Muxima to the Atlantic… The Angola Field Group invites you to drift down the Kwanza River, Angola’s biggest river, with ‘the kayak guys’. Take in their travelogue Thursday, July 10th at 7:45 PM at the Viking Club. They will offer kayaking tips for Angola and have on display one of their boats! (Please note our new starting time).

Water taxi, tranquilo. Photo courtesy Christian Stolte.

Water taxi, tranquilo. Photo courtesy Christian Stolte.

Baby alligator. Every year there are reports of humans, especially women and children, dragged into the river by alligators. Courtesy Christian Stolte.

Baby alligator. Every year there are reports of humans, especially women and children, dragged into the river by alligators. Photo courtesy Christian Stolte.

Glistening waters of the Kwanza River hold many secrets. Queen Nzinga's sister was reputedly drowned in the river by the Portuguese for spying in the 1640's. Photo courtesy Christian Stolte.

Glistening waters of the Kwanza River hold many secrets. Queen Nzinga’s sister was reputedly drowned in the river by the Portuguese for spying in the 1640’s. Photo courtesy Christian Stolte.

In addition, we will also be showing some clips of the historic and culturally rich Luandos region, south of the Kwanza River, home of the former Quicama warriors. Field Group members are invited to the annual Festas Populares dos Luandos , a time for those who left Luandos, to come back to the village and enjoy its traditions, September 12, 13, 14. Representative Serafim Quintino will be on hand to register people and answer questions.

Villagers welcoming visitors to the Luandos Festival.

Villagers welcoming visitors to the Luandos Festival. Photo courtesy http://kudisanza.wordpress.com

Everybody is welcome to attend. In close cooperation with the Viking Club, this event is offered free of charge. Beverages and snacks are sold, coupons must be purchased. The Viking Bar opens at 7:15 PM. The location is: main floor Edificio Maianga, Rua Marien Nguabi, No 118, Maianga, across from Panela de Barro restaurant. You can download a map showing the location of the Viking Club at angolafieldgroup.com/find-us

For Sale: Wild honey and artisanal peanut butter from the Mutti Farm in Moxico. Handwoven baskets from the Zambezi Women´s Cooperative. Natural medicine including Artemesia Tea from ANAMED in Bie. Books about Angola.

Area known as Luandos, located just outside the southeast zone of Quicama National Park.

Area known as Luandos, located just outside the southeast corner of Quicama National Park. Map courtesy http://kudisanza.wordpress.com – click map to enlarge.

 

October 21, 2013

Saturday October 26 Field Trip: Explore the Caves of Cabo Ledo

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Native Quicama man Serafim knows local traditions and artifacts.

Native Quicama man Serafim knows local traditions and artifacts.

UPDATE ON 24/10/2013: THIS FIELD TRIP IS NOW FULL. On Saturday, October 26 the Angola Field Trip will explore the Caves of Cabo Ledo, known by the locals as ‘Makungu a Matadi´ and located about 15 km from the town of Cabo Ledo. Quicama native Serafim Quintino will lead us as we pay a courtesy call to the Soba of Cabo Ledo who will provide a guide for us. This is an exploratory trip, we have never been here before but we are told that some of the grutas are easier to get into than others. After Cabo Ledo, a 4 x 4 is necessary. Take along a packed lunch and liquids.

This field trip is open to members of the Angola Field Group; must have valid passport with visa in hand.

On Saturday, October 26, we will depart from a downtown meeting point at 6:30. We will join participants from Luanda Sul at a designated meeting point. We plan to be back in town by sundown. Please do not sign up for this trip if you are on a tight schedule. It is impossible to guarantee when we will be back.

The meeting point details will be provided only to people who have been confirmed for this trip, after you have been confirmed.

How to sign up: Send an email to angolafieldgroup@gmail.com with: 1. the names of all the passengers in your vehicle and cell phone numbers. 2. Please state if you have room for any car-less individuals that want to join this field trip. 3. indicate if you are joining from downtown or from Luanda Sul.

Note: There will be a small fee levied for the guide. Sorry, we have no further details about the caves. All Angola Field Group trips are at your own risk.

Quicama National Park covers almost 1 million hectares but as a park, today, uncontrolled construction and farming continue to degrade the park.

Quicama National Park covers almost 1 million hectares but as a park, today, uncontrolled construction and farming continue to degrade the park.

 

 

June 24, 2012

Saturday, July 7 Field Trip: Re-discover the Old Salt Mines

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UPDATE: This field trip is now full. Due to logistics, all our field trips have limited space. Priority is given to Angola Field Group members. Want to join? Check the Join Us link above.

Saturday, July 07, we will have a field trip to ‘Re-discover the Old Salt Mines’, mentioned in historic documents that talk about the Kisama salt mines which the Portuguese attempted to conquer beginning in 1593. The salt is an ancient (early Cretaceous) salt layer which has pierced its way up the the surface; thus the salt which was mined was solid rock salt.
“It seems likely that before the Portuguese attempted to make the Kwanza their high road into Africa, it was already an important trading artery. On the south side of the river, not far from its mouth, there are important deposits of rock salt. These were exploited in pre-Portuguese times and may have formed the basis of an important commercial system. The salt was quarried in slabs two feet long and used as a currency unit at least in the Angolan kingdom of Ndongo if not further afield. The Jesuit Gouveia, writing in about 1563, said that rock salt was the main richness of Angola and that traders came from many nations in the interior to buy it.” from The African Response to Early Portuguese Activities edited by Chilcote.
We will leave the city at 6:00 AM and drive via Catete to Muxima where we will meet the Soba who will provide us with a guide. The trip requires a hike in of about 6 kilometers and out again so we will be hiking for about 12 kilometers. You should have a 4 wheel drive and take food and drinks for the day. There will be a small fee levied for the guide. We plan to be back in the city limits between 5 and 6 but because we have never done this trip before, we cannot guarantee our return time. We will be accompanied by Angola Field Group member Serafim Quintino who is a native of Quicama and will introduce us to the Soba.
Meeting point and further details will be provided once you have signed up and are confirmed for the trip. Sign up by emailing: angolafieldgroup@gmail.com and state: 
1)your cell phone number   2)names of all participants  3)whether you require transport or not 4)whether you have room for passenger/s and if so how many  5)whether you are travelling from Luanda Sul or downtown Luanda.
All Angola Field Group trips are at your own risk and there is a provincial border crossing so you must carry valid documents with you.
 

September 1, 2011

September 9 to 11 Field Group: Festa dos Luandos

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Field Group participant tries his hand at pounding corn. Devegar! (Slower!)

Check out previous Angola Field Group trips to Luandos on our YouTube Channel! Click HERE to go to our YouTube Channel.

The Angola Field Group has been invited once again to participate in the Festa dos Luandos, September 9, 10, and 11. This is a great opportunity to experience firsthand what life is like in an African village. Situated about 5 hours southeast of Luanda,  just outside the borders of Quicama National Park, participants can choose to camp in the woods near the village or stay in a traditional hut with a family. Some of the events you will be part of include thrashing the bean harvest, collecting and tasting freshly tapped palm wine, and participating in the dances of Luandos. There will be a chance for birdwatching also. A fee of $150 usd covers accommodation and meals which will be prepared by the cooperative of local women. 

This is not an Angola Field Group trip. To sign up or for more information call Serafim at 917- 823 464, or email: serafimquintino@yahoo.com.

Deadline to sign up is Wednesday, September 7th. Departure will be September 9, Friday morning, meeting at the town of Catete at 7:00 AM. Check with Serafim for details. Departure from Luandos to return back to Luanda will be Sunday morning about 8:00 AM.

The people of Luandos are from the Quicama tribe; these are sellers (vendedoras) of the Quicama people.

 

July 5, 2011

Sunday, July 10 Field Trip to Bengo province

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Mama Muxima attracts thousands of visitors in September.

The Angola Field Group invites you on a day trip to the province of Bengo, Sunday, July 10.  We will leave Luanda at 6:30 AM and drive east to Catete via Viana and then head south, crossing the Kwanza River at Cabala and then onto Muxima, a town where thousands of pilgrims converge in September for the ceremony of Nossa Senhora da Conceicao or Mama Muxima. We will see her statue in the small Catholic church which is a year-round destination for Angolans to come and pray. Towering above the church is the fort, built by the Portuguese in 1599 to control boats heading into the interior on the Kwanza River.

From Muxima we will enter Quicama National Park and drive westwards across the park to Cabo Ledo.  The Muxima – Cabo Ledo drive  will essentially be a transect showing some of the natural areas in the park but also revealing some of the activities one does not expect to find in a national park including increased subsistence farming, small villages, expanded major road infrastructure, effects of past oil production & current oil exploration, and increased developments along the coast like large-scale quarrying for cement at Cabo Ledo and the expanding beach/resort town of Zangano. Quicama still has a small undisturbed fenced-in part where game animals were re-introduced ten years ago but note, we will not be visiting that area. Before we leave the park we will meet Quicama Park Administrator, Miguel Savituma, who will give us a brief rundown on the park and be available to answer questions.

To sign up for this trip send an email to: angolafieldgroup@gmail.com

When you are registering for this trip please indicate:
* if you have room in your vehicle for more passengers and if so how many
* if you do not have transport and need a lift

Famous Muxima church and in background 16th century fort.