Spanish businessmen interested in anthropological tourism

 Mbanza Kongo - Spanish businessman Joan Riera on Thursday in Mbanza Kongo, northern Zaire Province, expressed interest in boosting anthropological cultural tourism in the region.

Talking to the press, Joan Riera, who is also a tour guide, promised to put Mbanza Kongo in the popular imagination of the foreign tourists and bring experts in reviving cultural action, an area in which he has worked for 25 years.

 

The Spanish businessman wants also to bring to Mbanza Kongo foreign tourists wth investor capacity and other businesspeople to boost touristic activities.

 

To him, Mbanza Kongo´s intangible cultural heritage is what can attract more foreign tourists, highlighting that the old buildings, temples and churches do not express anymore a novelty for European travellers and others.

 

In this context, he highlighted the region´s indigineous language (Kikongo), tradition, the arts and other local traditional rituals as fundamental elements for the development of the anthropological cultural tourism segment.

 

The Spaniard, who has been living in Angola for four years, considers the ancestral habits and customs of the regions as a leverage to promote the tourism sector in order to make the most of this potential with the engagement of the private business community.

 

“Here there is an unknown treasure, an enormous potential. There is a need to engage private companies, the traditional authorities and other agents to boost this potential”, he stressed.

 

He advised residents to continue preserving the material and immaterial cultural heritage, which he compared to a treasure that includes places of memory and historical sites, music, language, rituals, dance and traditional gastronomy, amongst others.

 

The Spanish businessman, owner of a tourist agency based in Luanda, was accompanied by three other Spanish specialists and professors of anthropology in Spain.

 

On his turn, the Spanish anthropologist Luís Font, defended the need to preserve and protect the oral tradition of the old Kongo Kingdom and its transmission from generation to generation.

 

He explained that the perpetuation of this oral tradition involves valuing those who have knowledge of the ancestral culture and who keep intact the customs, traditions and other elements that constitute the intangible heritage of the Kongo people.

 

According to the anthropologist, what is at stake is the ancestral culture rooted in the Kongo people themselves, before the arrival of Christianity and the colonial occupation of the territory that shaped the Kongo Kingdom.

 

“Tourism is the first step towards the valuing of a country”, he stressed, recalling that with good investment this sector can generate wealth, income and countless jobs posts.

 

The historic centre of Mbanza Kongo, capital of the former Kingdom of Kongo, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 2017.

Angola, US analyse Atlantic Basin partnership

 Luanda - Angola and the United States discussed Tuesday in Luanda the launch of the Atlantic Basin partnership, scheduled for the first half of September in Lisbon, Portugal, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX).

In its press note, MIREX states that the issue was discussed during an audience the minister of Foreign Affairs Téte António granted to the US ambassador to Angola, Tulinabo Mushingi.

Atlantic Basin aims to implement all other existing initiatives related to the “management and preservation of the North, Central and South Atlantic”. 

The two interlocutors also reviewed the matters linked to the bilateral interest and the regional forum”.

Angola is the United States’ third largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, with stress to  oil exports.

Serena Williams Stuns Second Seed Anett Kontaveit To Reach US Open Third Round

 Serena Williams’ farewell tour took on a different complexion as she stunned second seed Anett Kontaveit to reach the third round of the US Open.

This was a sparkling performance from the diamond-clad veteran, who produced her best tennis since reaching the Australian Open semi-finals last January to win 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-2.

The dream ending – a record-equalling 24th grand slam singles title in her final tournament – is still a long way away, but this performance showed that it might just be a possibility.

Tiger Woods was among the famous faces cheering on Williams, who revealed in the Vogue essay announcing her “evolution” away from tennis that the golfing great had given her advice on whether to have one final crack.

“It’s no rush here,” she said. “I’m loving this crowd. There’s still a little left in me. We’ll see. I’m a pretty good player, this is what I do best. I love a challenge and I’m rising to the challenge.

Williams rallied to beat Estonian Kontaveit 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 in Flushing Meadows, New York

“I haven’t played many matches, but I’ve been practising really well. The last couple of matches it’s come together. After I lost the second set I thought, ‘I’ve got to give my best effort because this could be it’.

“I’m just looking at it as a bonus. I don’t have anything to lose. I’ve had an X on my back since 1999. I really enjoy just coming out and enjoying it.”

There was not quite the same electricity as there had been on Monday night and a few more empty seats as once again the tournament played a montage declaring Williams the greatest of all time before she walked out on court.

Like Danka Kovinic before her, Kontaveit was left to busy herself on court, the second seed but very much the supporting act on tennis’ biggest stage.

Support from the stands was, of course, virtually entirely for Williams. The crowd may have come more in hope than expectation but it quickly became clear the 40-year-old was here to play.

Williams had moved well against Kovinic and it was the same here, while her strokes showed conviction and her serve, the best in the history of the women’s game, was firing.

Williams will retire from the sport after this year’s US Open

Arthur Ashe Stadium erupted when Williams broke serve to lead 5-4 and, although she could not serve out the set, she held her nerve in the tie-break.

The celebration was understated for the job was only half done, and Kontaveit, who, despite her ranking, has struggled since contracting Covid-19 earlier this year, responded well at the start of the second set, upping her aggression and going on to level the match.

That made the early stages of the decider crucial and, to the delight of the crowd, it was Williams who stepped up again, producing her best tennis of the match to move into a 4-1 lead.

And, in a concerning sign for the rest of the field, Williams was ice cool in sight of victory, celebrating in an understated fashion that indicates she feels she has some way to go yet.

Elsewhere, third seed Maria Sakkari, beaten by Emma Raducanu in the semi-finals 12 months ago, also went out, losing 3-6 7-5 7-5 to young Chinese left-hander Wang Xiyu.

American stars Madison Keys and Coco Gauff set up a tasty third-round tie while fifth seed Ons Jabeur claimed a 7-5 6-2 victory over Elizabeth Mandlik, daughter of four-time grand slam singles champion Hana Mandlikova.

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South Africa tavern teen deaths caused by suffocation

 The findings of the toxicology report into the mysterious deaths of 21 young South Africans – mostly teenagers – suggest that they suffocated due to overcrowding, their families say.

Officials from the health department have been briefing the families of those who died while partying at the Enyobeni tavern in East London in June.

After waiting for more than two months, the parents of the young victims who collapsed while dancing at a popular Eastern Cape nightspot have said they’ve been left with more questions than answers.

Health department officials have declined to publicly disclose the cause of death, saying the matter was confidential.

The families of the victims were briefed separately. But the credibility of the report, which has been presented to the families, has been brought into question by relatives who said they weren’t satisfied with what government officials have told them.

They’ve said they would seek legal advice.

This comes after it emerged that traces of methanol, which is a poisonous chemical normally used in manufacturing cleaning detergents, was found in all the victims’ bodies, according to a press briefing by the Eastern Cape clinical service in July.

A forensic pathologist also said the initial autopsy report ruled out binge drinking, carbon monoxide poisoning and a stampede as possible causes of death.

The tavern owner, who is facing charges of violating South Africa’s liquor laws and selling alcohol to minors, is expected to appear in court on Friday for a pre-trial hearing.

It’s unclear if more charges will be added.

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Suspected Islamists Kill At Least 14 Civilians In East Congo Attack

 Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 14 civilians and kidnapped more than a dozen others in an attack in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo, a witness and a local human rights group said on Wednesday.

An army spokesman confirmed the attack, which took place in Ituri province on Tuesday evening, and blamed it on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan militia active in eastern Congo since the 1990s, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

The army killed five fighters and rescued a five-year-old girl who had been kidnapped, spokesman Antony Mwalushayi said. He did not give a civilian death toll.

Gilbert Sivamwenda, president of the local human rights group for the chiefdom of Babila Babombi, said there were 16 dead in Biakato including 14 civilians and two ADF fighters.

About 15 farmers were also missing and several other people who cannot be found and are not responding to calls, Sivamwenda said.

“The nature of the attack was terrifying. They looted my shop before taking five members of my family into the bush,” said Biakato resident Augustin Kyala Malembe, who also counted 16 dead and said dozens of people were kidnapped.

“The army intervened but the damage was done.”

The ADF stages frequent deadly raids on villages in eastern Congo despite joint operations by the Congolese and Ugandan armies to stamp it out. The group killed about 40 civilians in five villages in a string of attacks between Thursday and Monday.

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Zambians celebrate IMF loan despite subsidy concerns

 Zambians have celebrated the clinching of the $1.3bn (£1.1bn) bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after seven years of waiting.

Social media is awash with memes and celebratory messages after the news broke, especially because Zambia became the first African country to default on its debt – estimated to be over $16bn – during the Covid pandemic.

But with the acquisition of this interest-free loan, experts feel the move is a seal of approval to assure creditors of the country’s ability to settle its debts. The country’s currency – the kwacha – has also surged in value on the news.

Most importantly, the move is seen as a step towards economic recovery that will in return unlock the country’s expenditure in the social sector.

However there are concerns that with the removal of fuel, electricity and agricultural subsidies, misery among certain sectors of the population could follow.

But there is a general sense of happiness as most Zambians are expecting a trickle down effect on the back of a massive employment drive that has seen thousands employed in the health and educational sectors.

For President Hakainde Hichilema, elected last year, the work towards a better Zambia has just started.

He tweeted: “We are delighted that the IMF shares our vision for a prosperous Zambia, with strong socio-economic growth at the heart of our development plans. Thanks to the people of Zambia for believing in us.”

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No proof of Kenya election fraud – Ruto lawyers

 Kenya’s Supreme Court concluded the presidential petition hearings on Thursday.

Lawyers representing the electoral commission and President-elect William Ruto challenged the petition by presidential candidate Raila Odinga and six others seeking to overturn the result of the 9 August election.

The legal teams urged the court to dismiss pleas made by Mr Odinga and others saying they lacked merit because they had not tabled evidence to support their claims.

They challenged the petitioners to provide proof to demonstrate that the results transmission system was compromised.

The court was told that the allegations made about the dispute between the commissioners and the chairperson were merely sensational and do not warrant a nullification of the election outcome.

They accused petitioners of engineering a constitutional crisis to achieve their political objectives.

Lawyers will respond to questions and clarifications sought by the seven-judge bench on Friday.

The judges will then write the judgement over the weekend and deliver the ruling on Monday.

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