My mum lives in Benguela,
Angola.
We are in 2026.
There are 2 gates outside
that give access to the road
where children play soccer
almost everyday,
between the random,
or occasional, car or motorbike
that pass in both directions...
One gate is for the car,
the other for people.
They both have locks,
each one with its key.
To go in, we either pass another car gate
and greet the dogs
before entering through the kitchen door at the back,
or, avoiding the dogs, we go up some steps
into a fenced balcony,
also with a door,
also with a lock and its key,
at night there are three.
The balcony´s fence is a grid of metal squares,
from the floor to the high ceiling,
where my mum hangs flower pots,
to give it some use at least,
and try to ignore the fact
that she lives caged in.
All the windows have metal bars
and mosquito nets.
Protection against thieves,
and against mosquitos.
Both can kill here.
From the balcony there is the actual front door of the house,
the one that remains open during the day,
to let the air pass,
and to maybe forget they live caged in.
An illusion...
From inside, beyond that open door,
there is still the fenced balcony,
from floor to ceiling,
with its door and it´s lock.
Passed that, down the steps,
passed the paved ways with grass and plants in between,
there are the two gates,
connected by a small wall and a metal fence
both with its locks,
each one with its key...
There is a lot of movement
during most days.
My nephews need to be taken to school,
and Linda, who works with my mum, arrives after that...
The dogs stay in the back part of the small yard,
in the night the middle car gate is open
and they access the front and the back...
My mum bakes to sell,
she runs her own business from home,
with Linda, the woman and friend
who works for my mum for 30 years .
The wandering sellers,
the "Zungueiras" as they are called here,
pass by shouting all sorts of things that people may need.
A very clever entrepreneurial business.
Soaps, poison to kill any "pests" at home,
fish, vegetables, fruit, lollie pops,
mobile phone holders, batteries,
essential stuff for life in the neighborhood.
Some cars stop by to pick up my mum´s cakes and pastries,
we all help delivering to the outside gate,
unlocking the balcony door,
and making sure it remained locked
and its keys come back inside
where a pile of other lock keys are gathered.
This is only Benguela,
a small town,
small and badly functioning infra-structures
for an overpopulated,
deforested region by the Atlantic Ocean,
just above the Namibe desert.
Luanda is even worse,
in terms of safety measures one has to take.
The walls are taller,
and in most areas
some require a guard or two carrying a gun.
This is "safety" in Angola
in 2026,
and it´s seen as "normal" here...
A lot of people think their Government is a joke,
and a lot of things are "bad", if not "very bad",
but they can´t say anything
unless they risk their lives.
It´s run by greedy and corrupt people
(not unlike any other Government these days),
over controling,
making sure no one else
makes money in this country
unless they are part of the circle
of self-appointed leaders
who have been robbing their own people,
exploiting it, stealing from it,
and not giving a shit...
Wanting their people to remain
uneducated and mal informed,
hungry and suffering,
isolated or with no way out...
This is the "normal"
in Angola today.
A country who sells petrol
and has many more
of the much desired resources
that the "powerful" nations
create wars for.
Angolan leaders know
that there are still many years worth
of very precious resources
that are to be exploited from these lands
until there is nothing else left.
Everyone wants to remain in power
for as long as possible,
to steal from their own people
and their own land,
for the benefit of their own family
and friends and closed circles.
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