Educational Media Reviews Online

Angola – Saudades From the One Who Loves You documents life in Angola three years after the end of the war.

For some, Angola is paradise. The rich no longer need to go to Lisbon or London; the discovery of oil and diamonds has meant that luxury goods are readily available within the country. The peace has brought development and the skyline is changing and skyscrapers and gated communities are built at an alarming rate. One of Africa’s biggest oil and diamond producers is one of the world’s poorest nations. A million barrels of oil are produced each day, yet one third of the nations children die before the age of 5 and half of them are not part of the educational system.

There are two sides to Angola—the wealthy neighborhoods and the slums; those who benefit from state revenue and those who are left to die without it, step children of the state. People have lost compassion for each other; they see and pretend they do not see.

When Angola abandoned Marxism and one party rule in 1992 the first free elections were celebrated, but the results were rejected and the war resumed.

The big news in the country is the government’s two billion line of credit negotiated with China in return for oil. China will build and repair roads, bridges, water and electrical installations, schools and clinics. The peace has seen the expansion of a parallel world in Angola. Self contained condos are mushrooming south along the coast of Luanda, they offer a high security solution to keep Angolans out of Angola.

Awards

• Winner, Best Film, Three Continents Film Festival, South Africa, 2006
• Winner, Horizon Award, Dokfest Film Festival, 2006