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António Macieira, an artist from Angola
These are Peace Machetes (2003) by António Macieira, an artist born in and living in Angola. António has no formal art education, he is also a journalist and a writer. He has been working on painting and sculpture since 1998 with great success. I chose him to represent Angola in my All 55 African Countries project because I fell for his work and there's no way I could overlook these Peace Machetes.
A nice, revealing article and some pictures about Macieira here.
Angola isn't in short supply for artists, many living in the country, many abroad.
In fact, Angola is finally at peace after almost three decades of a Civil War that started right after the Portuguese left the country. The country is rich is resources and will easily rise from the economic stagnation and misery that war has imposed upon it. Like any other African country that seems a bit stable, the major western countries are now moving back in with investment and a trained workforce. Angolans will still have to deal with corruption and the many scars of war, landmines being just one of them, but Angola is certainly on the rise now.
Angolan culture is as rich as their natural resources. Many things are to be expected from such a diversified and rich country.
Some links of interest:
The Journey Back Home, Sweet Home, an article about the refugee repatriation taking place nor by Nebert Mulenga.
Africa, Legacy of Colonialism, a very good article about Africa that mentions Angola by Dr. David Wiley.
A country study about Angola here.
A speech by Condoleezza Rice about landmines.
UN alerts about Angola