J.B. Russell

Projects: Angola II - Another Day of Life

For nearly three decades Angola was engulfed in a vicious civil war that killed up to a million people, displaced hundreds of thousands, destroyed infrastructure and utterly contaminated the land with explosive remnants of war. In the current phase of China's engagement with Africa, there is no country more important to Beijing than war-torn, resource-rich Angola. Flush with petro and diamond dollars, Angola has embarked on a massive reconstruction program. Beijing secured a major stake in Angola's future oil production in exchange for a multi-billion dollar package of loans and aid that included funds for Chinese firms to rebuild Angola's rutted roads, wreaked bridges, ruined railways, and to replace long-destroyed schools, hospitals and housing. Tens of thousands of Chinese business people, engineers and laborers are becoming part of the Angola’s landscape. However, Angola remains one of the most heavily contaminated countries in the world with landmines and unexploded ordinance (UXO). As the Angolan government attempts to bring basic public services such as roads, education, healthcare, water and electricity, to the population, remnants of war continue to inhibit the long-term socio-economic development of the country.

Government buildings destroyed during the country's long civil war and subsquently reconstructed in the Bié provincial capital.Kuito, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
A drilling platform and ships off the coast of Ilha do Cabo in Angola's capital city. The country is undergoing a massive rebuilding program thanks in large part to oil and diamond revenue as well as loans from the Chinese government. Much of the reconstruction of infrastructure is being realized by Chinese companies.Luanda, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
The skyline along the waterfront in Angola's capital city is crowded with cranes and construction projects. Following decades of conflict, the country is undergoing a massive rebuilding program thanks in large part to oil and gas revenue as well as loans from the Chinese government. Much of the reconstruction of infrastructure is being realized by Chinese companies.Luanda, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
Children play in a building destroyed during Angola's long civil war. Landmines and other remnents of war still kill and maim people and inhibit the country from rebuilding and developing eight years after the end of the conflict.Liangongo, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
A deminer from Mines Advisory Group (MAG), clearing an area in a village near the skeletal remains of a military mine accident victim. The area being cleared will allow the village to complete a canal project that will bring water to the village for agricultural purposes and for drinking water.Luangirico, Moxico Province, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
A young boy in Luanga 1 Village, an area cleared of landmines by Mines Advisory Group (MAG), to allow the resettlement of returning refugees after decades of civil war.Luau, Moxico Province, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
João Manuel Dias lie in hospital with an amputated leg after stepping on a landmine. He spent years as a soldier and fought in the country's long civil war. He finally left the military in 2009 to return to his village where he worked as a secretary for the village administration. Then one day he walked a few meters from his house to collect some wooden poles in order to build a fence and stepped on the landmine. Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Alfredo Ramos Shimishi and Antonio Alexandre Shimishi, father and son are both landmine accident survivors, at their home in 4 de Fevereiro - a former mine field cleared by Mines Advisory Group (MAG) to allow the resettlement of refugees returning after nearly three decades of civil war. Alfredo's wife was also injured in a landmine accident.Luena, Moxico Province, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Villagers listen to a Mine Awareness Education session given by a Community Liaison Team from Mines Advisory Group (MAG) following a mine accident in the village. MAG had previously cleared the village of landmines up to a limit, but the government's "Village Reunification Program," a program that encourages people living in remote hamlets to move into larger villages so that the government can provide basic services such as education, health care, electricity and water to the population, has expanded the village, forcing people to settle on uncleared land that may be contaminated with landmines and UXO (unexploded ordinance).Luxia, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
A woman stands in the smoke of cooking fires at the end of the day in a village that recently had a landmine accident. Mines Advisory Group (MAG) had previously cleared the village of mines up to a limit, but the government's "Village Reunification Program," a program that encourages people living in remote hamlets to move into larger villages so that the government can provide basic services such as education, health care, electricity and water to the population, has expanded the village, forcing people to settle on uncleared land that may be contaminated with landmines and UXO (unexploded ordinance).Luxia, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Young children eating a meager meal in Luanga 1 village. The village is located on a former minefield which was cleared to allow the resettlement of returning refugees after decades of civil war.Luau, Moxico Province, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
A woman prepares a plot of land for building a house in an area called 4 de Fevereiro on the outskrits of the Moxico provincial capital. The area was heavily contaminated with landmines during the country's long civil war and is the region's largest minefield. Returning refugees, displaced people and new arrivals from the government's "Village Reunification Program," a program that encourages people living in remote hamlets to move into larger villages and towns so that the government can provide basic services such as education, health care, electricity and water to the population, has placed enormous pressure on the town to find safe land for people to live and to begin rebuilding their lives.Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
Women clean cassava in a lake in Moxico province. Landmines around the lake have prevented scattered villages from regrouping, schools from being renovated and the area from being developed for tourism, fishing and other economic activities.Liangongo, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
A woman exiting a cooking hut in a village that recently had a landmine accident. Mines Advisory Group (MAG) had previously cleared the village of mines up to a limit, but the government's "Village Reunification Program," a program that encourages people living in remote hamlets to move into larger villages so that the government can provide basic services such as education, health care, electricity and water to the population, has expanded the village, forcing people to settle on uncleared land that may be contaminated with landmines and UXO (unexploded ordinance).Luxia, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
A deminer from Mines Advisory Group (MAG) clearing landmines and UXO in 4 de Fevereiro, an area allocated for housing and development for returning refugees and people displaced by the country’s long civil war. The area is the largest mine field in Moxico province and was the site of a former Cuban military encampment.Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
A technical team of deminers from Mines Advisory Group (MAG) preparing the demolition of a stockpile of weapons and ammunition recovered by the Angolan police and given to MAG to destroy.Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
A technical team of deminers from Mines Advisory Group (MAG) preparing a demolition pit for a stockpile of weapons and ammunition recovered by the Angolan police and given to MAG to destroy.Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
A team of deminers from Mines Advisory Group (MAG) clear an area called 4 de Fevereiro where refugees returning from Congo and Zambia who have nowhere to live are being re-settled. The need for land is so great that some refugees are starting to build houses on land not yet cleared.Luena, Moxico Province, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
A man making mud bricks to build a house in Luanga 1 Village, an area cleared of landmines to allow the resettlement of returning refugees after decades of civil war.Luau, Moxico Province, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
A man building a house in an area called 4 de Fevereiro. The area, a massive minefield, is being cleared to allow refugees returning from Congo and Zambia who have nowhere to live to re-settle. The need for land is so great that some refugees are starting to build houses on land not yet cleared.Luena, Moxico Province, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Families building homes in an area called 4 de Fevereiro on the outskrits of the provincial capital. The area was heavily contaminated with landmines during the country's long civil war and is the region's largest minefield. Returning refugees. displaced people and new arrivals from the government's "Village Reunification Program," a program that encourages people living in remote hamlets to move into larger villages and towns so that the government can provide basic services such as education, health care, electricity and water to the population, has placed enormous pressure on the town to find safe land for people to live and to begin rebuilding their lives.Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
Families build temporary corrigated tin homes in an area called 4 de Fevereiro on the outskrits of the Moxico provincial capital. The area was heavily contaminated with landmines during the country's long civil war and is the region's largest minefield. Returning refugees, displaced people and new arrivals from the government's "Village Reunification Program," a program that encourages people living in remote hamlets to move into larger villages and towns so that the government can provide basic services such as education, health care, electricity and water to the population, has placed enormous pressure on the town to find safe land for people to live and to begin rebuilding their lives.Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Apartment buildings destroyed during the country's long civil war and subsquently reconstructed in the Bié provincial capital.Kuito, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Pedestrians pass the compound of the Chinese company contracted to repair the railroad line in the provincial capital of Moxico.Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
Chinese contractors and Angolan laborers reconstruct a bridge over the Sacassange River in Moxico Province. After decades of conflict, the country is undergoing a vast reconstruction program.Sacassanje, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Chinese contractors and Angolan workers building a road in the eastern province of Moxico. After decades of war, the country is undergoing a vast reconstruction program.Cazaji, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Chinese contractors and Angolan workers surveying a road project in the eastern province of Moxico. Infrasturcture in Angola was largely destroyed during the country's long civil war.Cazaji, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
Chinese contractors and Angolan laborers reconstruct a bridge over the Sacassange River in Moxico Province. After decades of conflict, Angola is undergoing a vast reconstruction program.Sacassanje, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Chinese contractors and Angolan laborers reconstruct a bridge over the Sacassange River in Moxico Province. After decades of conflict, Angola is undergoing a vast reconstruction program.Sacassanje, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Chinese contractors and Angolan laborers reconstruct a bridge over the Sacassange River in Moxico Province. After decades of conflict, the country is undergoing a vast reconstruction program.Sacassanje, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
Chinese and Angolan construction workers contracted to rebuild roads and bridges in Moxico Province following three decades of devastatine civil war.Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
A camp for Chinese contractors reconstructing a bridge over the Sacassange River in Moxico Province. After decades of conflict, the country is undergoing a vast reconstruction program.Sacassanje, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
A Chinese contractor on his cot at the construction site of a bridge over the Sacassange River in Moxico Province. After decades of conflict, the country is undergoing a vast reconstruction program.Sacassanje, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
Chinese contractors and Angolan laborers rebuilding a bridge over the Luena River in Moxico province. The Chinese government made a multi-billion dollar loan to the Angolan government who is contracting Chinese companies to rebuild the country's infrastructure devastated by decades of civil war.Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Chinese contractors and Angolan laborers working on rebuilding the airport runway in the capital of Moxico province. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese are rebuilding the country's infrastructure after decades of devastating civil war.Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Boys playing by the river under a reconstructed bridge in the eastern province of Moxico. Infrasturcture in Angola was largely destroyed during the country's long civil war. The road and bridges between the provincial captial Luena and Lumbalagimbo, on the Zambian border, were cleared of landmines by Mines Advisory Group (MAG), allowing a major reconstruction project to take place.Mukonda, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
Water from the Lumeji River being pumped into tanker trucks that transport the water to the nearby town of Luena. During the country's civil war, the area around the river was heavily mined and the bridge crossing the river destroyed, depriving the town of an important source of drinking water.Lumeji, Moxico Province, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Men filling jerry cans of gasoline to sell in the market place. Along with Nigeria, Angola is Africa's largest producer of oil. After decades of war, the country is undergoing a vast reconstruction program.Luau, Moxico Province, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
In the years following Angola's long civil war, revenue from oil and diamonds have helped rebuild the country. In the provincial capital of Moxico province, paved roads, luxury cars and a plethora of motor bikes are signs that the post-war economy is taking hold.Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
Goverment (FAA) soldiers on a patrol in Moxico province during the decisive goverment offensive against UNITA that ended decades of civil war. Young men on motorbikes circulate on the same road that is being reconstructed by Chinese companies nine years after the end of the conflict.Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Young boys on their way to school in the Chinunque neighborhood. Children are often required to bring their own chairs to the classroom in Angola.Cazombo, Moxico Province, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Children learning the alphabet at the Lumege-Canjamba primary school. The area around the school was contaminated with landmines during Angola's long civil war, preventing many children from coming to school and limiting the movement of those who did. Mines Advisory Group (MAG) cleared the area of mines and other remnants of war allowing children to receive an education safely. As a result, there are plans to build more class rooms to accomodate an increasing number of students who are arriving under the government's Village Reunification Program - a program that encourages families living in remote hamlets to move to larger villages so that the government can provide basic services such as education, health care, water and electricity. Lumege Canjamba, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
Children learning the alphabet at the Lumege-Canjamba primary school. The area around the school was contaminated with landmines during Angola's long civil war, preventing many children from coming to school and limiting the movement of those who did. Mines Advisory Group (MAG) cleared the area of mines and other remnants of war allowing children to receive an education safely. As a result, there are plans to build more class rooms to accomodate an increasing number of students who are arriving under the government's Village Reunification Program - a program that encourages families living in remote hamlets to move to larger villages so that the government can provide basic services such as education, health care, water and electricity. Lumege Canjamba, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Children learning math at an outdoor class at the Lumege-Canjamba primary school. The area around the school was contaminated with landmines during Angola's long civil war, preventing many children from coming to school and limiting the movement of those who did. Mines Advisory Group (MAG) cleared the area of mines and other remnants of war allowing children to receive an education safely. As a result, there are plans to build more class rooms to accomodate an increasing number of students who are arriving under the government's Village Reunification Program - a program that encourages families living in remote hamlets to move to larger villages so that the government can provide basic services such as education, health care, water and electricity. Lumege Canjamba, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Children drinking water from a well at the Lumege-Canjamba primary school. There are plans to build more class rooms to accomodate an increasing number of students who are arriving under the government's Village Reunification Program - a program that encourages families living in remote hamlets to move to larger villages so that the government can provide basic services such as education, health care, water and electricity. Lumege Canjamba, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
Boys playing football on a village pitch. The government's "Village Reunification Program," a program that encourages people living in remote hamlets to move into larger villages so that the government can provide basic services such as education, health care, electricity and water to the population, has expanded the village, forcing people to settle on uncleared land that may be contaminated with landmines and UXO (unexploded ordinance).Luxia, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
Patients at a health post in a rural village in Moxico Province. The health post services 7653 people in the area and has three medical personnel, although it is lacking in material and means to transport serious medical cases.Dala Sul, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
A young girl walks down the street with a baby in the eastern province of Moxico. Infrasturcture in Angola was largely destroyed during the country's long civil war. The road and bridges between the provincial captial Luena and Lumbalagimbo, on the Zambian border, were cleared of landmines by Mines Advisory Group (MAG), allowing a major reconstruction project to take place.Luau, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
     
  
Members of a church group gather for a meeting in Luanga 1 Village, an area that has grown recently with resettlement of returning refugees after decades of civil war.Luau, Moxico Province, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell
   
A woman sweeping the streets of the provincial capital of Moxico. After decades of conflict, the country is undergoing a vast reconstruction program.Luena, Angola.Photo © J.B. Russell