Angola
13:33 18.02.2011
Angola
Out of Africa
It was curious in the February cold to see on the screen "Skype" a man sitting in his apartment in the same town in the Ural just as on the south beach: bare shoulders thrown over something like a vest, and he was also quite southern species - long hair with bits gray hair and glasses with tinted windows. First impression - a man from the world of science and culture, with Caucasian roots.
However, in any of these assumptions we are wrong. Gennady A. is the most simple southern family name, an engineer with road slope was in his time in Afghanistan, then built a road in Udmurtia. A recently spent two years in Angola, advising local buyers of our trucks "Ural". Perhaps that is why he looks Now, like it was yesterday returned from Africa.
- all year round heat of 30 degrees. Effect that the country is just slightly south of the equator.
- Does it ever there Winter?
- To our surprise, it happens, but with a July temperature of 15-20 degrees Celsius. For this reason local put on for a few days, all kinds of sweaters, caps. Looks like a lot of fun. A cold here, because the coast of Africa comes from the Antarctic cold current. With his appearance temperature of the water in the coastal areas of the ocean drops to 14 degrees, but the air in July, when the coldest, may be warm to 25-30 degrees. And then decided to swim in the ocean only the Europeans, especially Russians. For local residents this water just ice. Russians are about two thousand.
Gennady Alexandrovich detail, reasoned answers to any question related to the distant Angola. One feels that lived there long enough, studied all the local nuances.
past and we are also knew the realities of African newspapers, TV. But for the past twenty years the situation has changed. Russia in the crisis years of savings covered the vast most of their missions in African countries. Left out by our correspondents, curled up economic contacts. In short, the continent where We spent many years planting all sorts of ways of socialism, remained without our influence. Now in Africa, teachers and supporters were in our place Chinese, Americans and other affluent countries. And what is the situation in Angola?
- Under Gorbachev's economic and military cooperation has almost stopped. Came to their senses, under Yeltsin, but it was too late. Our position in the country seized the western states, primarily the United States and Portugal, as well as China. Recently in the country Medvedev visited, but it seems that a zero-sum. In fact the same as the Chinese are - go to the top and offer money, from which it is impossible to refuse. We do not know how to trade.
about the Chinese, my companion told a lot. For example, that at first they tried to enter the country, creating the Sino-Angolan family. But it turned out that in Africa, the head of the family - a woman, she manages family finances, giving birth to children (an average of six, two of ten children die did not live up to a year for this indicator, Angola on one of the first places in the world). And a man in such a family only money earner.
recognize this demographic tradition Chinese have given up on African brides and well-paid government that they are directly admitted to the economy. For example, given Angola a loan of 6 billion dollars. And now they are almost equal to the owners of this country live in towns and villages. In the villages, for example, cleared the field - during the civil war there as mines buried everywhere! Cleared fields depart the Chinese, where they planted sweet potatoes and other indigenous cultures, land in Angola is fertile and that anything is possible grow.
And Chinese pricked up here to deliver his prisoners. Entrepreneurs to buy out of prison, take them to Africa to work for free on the host of the "Middle Kingdom". After working period, the Chinese here, and remains, as in his home country is unlikely to be welcomed with open arms.
In Wikipedia, I learned an interesting information about Angola. From the name of the country fifteen years ago, removed the word "people". Republic - and the point. That is, distanced themselves from Marxism-Leninism its African variant. From these changes in Angola suffered primarily by those who studied in the Soviet Union, who maintained relations with us. They have taken away the post, property, and sometimes life. Now Angola - a typical capitalist country with a small number of very rich people and a huge - very poor. But if divided by the 18 million people of national income, made up of the oil production (85 per cent of GDP), diamonds and gold, as well as agricultural products (it even export), the average turns out very well - 62 in the world, the best of Angolans live only two or three countries in Africa.
The economy of Angola, and many part of her life left a print nearly thirty-year civil war. After all, this vast country is inhabited by various peoples, clans, warlords, her species richness were many countries, especially South Africa. As a result, immediately after the expulsion from here in the early 70's the Portuguese in the country's civil war began, in which South Africa participated actively and official power to help Cuba and the USSR. From our country have visited here 50 thousand people who now have the benefits of international soldiers. Civil War so everyone is sick, that its main figure - separatist Jonas Savimbi - an international effort ambushed and killed in 2002. After that Angola has become relatively quiet and peaceful.
- in fact the country was divided between a few bandit clans have agreed not to interfere with each other, - Said Gennady A.. - I heard they were calculated with their supporters after the war: who works, who needs money, diamonds, oil, gold mines. And some ordinary soldier said - here's a hundred meters beach: you can sell, you can enjoy yourself!
My companion continued:
- You should have seen how there protected the oil fields and other tasty place! It's not even security and defense of all the weapons of those who want to encroach on others' property - redistribution it is still not finished!
According to him, in the Angolan oil business is our only barely climbed in diamond is presented "Alrossa", and everywhere on the ground terms of Chinese, Portuguese, Americans. How
live a country where 85 percent of income (very similar to Russia) from oil? Gasoline there on our money - 10 rubles per liter. And the price is not changed for thirty years, since both came to power, current President dos Santos. In 1979 he was in the election program promised the people of this the price of gasoline, and since then it fundamentally does not change. It's pretty simple to do, because the oil industry belongs to the president personally and his family. Well yields this dos Santos - his word is stronger than peas!
This cheap gasoline and drives vehicles of all types, including our "Ural". On their merits, Gennady A. can talk for hours.
- In Angola, the roads in the jungle, you know what, so the country for a long time to be buying cars for all terrain Army and other branches. These trucks are driven by the Chinese, South African and other countries. Somehow we all made a competition - who better to overcome the track at the site with all the obstacles such as pits and ditches, and swampy areas, and more. Until the Commission met, our driver a fly flew in all potholes! I said, he met with the track. Local were shocked - really, these obstacles can be so quick to pass?
According to our expert, Africa with his technique plagued Chinese. Externally, they have machines at the highest level - have learned to copy foreign. And as soon as it comes to long-term operation, once it becomes clear - the quality of weak. In South Africa, for example, have managed to copy our GAZ-66. Their models, here are pushing different countries. But in Africa, because of the climate must have something that long does not rust, does not break. Well, of course, this type machine "Ural".
Another problem in Africa - the maintenance of transport. My companion told me a long time, serve as a Korean passenger cars in China's service station. Long, concentrated I guess. The same approach to the trucks. Once our experts from Miassa brought lot of their trucks, have shown how they should serve. It made such an impression on the local military that they are the guys with the Ural Automobile Plant would not produce from the country, while the local train does not repair the equipment at the Russian level. Placed next to each black students - look like nuts be spinning! Useless. Angolans do not wish to master the difficult thing. From the Portuguese they have learned to lie, cheat, lazy - since in their nature little has changed. And why do they work and work, if with all the countries here were taken and is still driven by humanitarian assistance as victims of civil war?
I am interested in why so much of Africa there are reports of aircraft accidents, and pilots from Russia or Ukraine.
- Russians were there just a little, we are on such low pay do not agree, but not against the Ukrainians. And airplanes are falling not because they are bad, but because of their Africans hopelessly overload - is responsible Gennady A.. - Pilots not far from us lived. Among them are a lot of age, which in Europe no longer be allowed to fly, but in Africa it is possible. Tried to Angolans us to give up their at the helm was put, so it turned out even worse - just a few aircraft each other down. Again went to pay homage to the Ukrainians, those of equipment delivered, personnel are taught. After all, as our pilot raises the overloaded plane? Quietly, a low crawl, literally on the roofs of the airfield, according to meters Climbing to engines worked smoothly, is not overstrained. And then I need on my letchitskim town, smoking turbines are guaranteed to be: flying, countrymen, all right! In their case the main thing - to fly and sit down.
How people live in the Angolan capital, how is it different from Europe?
- Portuguese when departed from Luanda, left the city with 300 thousand inhabitants. And now there with virtually the same infrastructure lives five million people! The people gathered here in the years Civil War, fleeing the fighting, hoping for aid.
In the capital, for example, rather acute problem of drinking water. Sewage was even after the Portuguese, since no one seriously repaired, used to transport because of road tankers to fly a multimillion-dollar city - Every day to every home. We came, saw and say: let us we'll quickly find water underground, the pipes laid. To them: you that, it's a long time established business! You have your plumbing someone deprive money! In a word, left Luanda without the new plumbing.
Almost the same situation with the products. Here the whole of Europe and America are driven by the fact that they do not gozhe. Various genetically modified foods, even some byaku. For Africa will come down! At each corner of the sale of Coca-Cola, and even more sweet than ours. Angolans her only drink. Start to tell them about diabetes - they do not believe. They both have AIDS meets as often as we have a runny nose - two percent of the population infected with HIV. Not by chance, life expectancy of Angolans is for men - 37.5 years for women - 39,5 years.
Characterizing the Angolans, the narrator does not regret the negative epithets. Here negros-Americans appear in the historic homeland - the beautiful, well-fed. A local - thin, lame, stupid. Apparently, at one time slave traders were taken to America the best genetic material, leaving the people in Africa poploshe. In the north Angola is full of tribes that do not stop cannibalism. And they have, if not brought up humanitarian aid?
you do not like such comparisons? You brought up in the tradition of internationalism? So you do not see Africa!
- If the opportunity arises, will go again in Angola?
- No way, look for someone younger! - said my interlocutor.
Happy-Soviet Russian army, Gennady Alexandrovich!
Anatoly Goncharov.
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