Telling a different story

It is said that in a complete life one should write a book, plant a tree and have a child.

Two young international aid workers in Angola are way ahead with the forthcoming publication of an anthology that promises to be about something other than the civil war in that country.

'Angola - Stories for Trees' is a collection of short stories by 44 'estrangerios' living in Angola. A broad stroke of daily life in a country that has for the most part of its independence been embroiled in a treacherous civil war.

"The aim of the stories for trees project was to collect the stories of foreigners living in Angola, and to publish a book that shows another side of Angola. Until recently, all the images were of oil, diamonds and war. We wanted to show that there is a lot more to the country than violence," co-editor, Margrit Coppe told IRIN.

Coppe and co-editor Fergus Powers, have been living and working in Angola for the last two years. Powers works as a field accountant for CARE World Wide while Coppe is a photographer and web designer with Development Workshop Angola.

The writers and photographers share their impressions and at times fascination with Angola, each trying to capture the minutia of life in one of Africa's largest countries.

Hendrik Nel, a South African living in Angola writes of things that catch the eye and make you smile, the smells and the sounds. But living in Angola can be a daunting affair as Dutch national, Aida Gomes, found out during her first encounter with Luanda. Gomes found it difficult to lift the veil of the outsider and at the same time gain acceptance from Angolans.

The book also includes some rather quirky pieces true to the editors' promise of a broader slice of Angolan life. Irishman, Páraic Casey's 'Angolan wave' is about orchestrating a mexican wave in the Citadela Stadium during a World Cup qualifying soccer match between Angola and Cameroon.

Canadian Simon Trépanier, struggles to change five bills of US $10 "Cabeça Pequena" (dollar bills more than five-years-old have a small head printed on them). As he wanders around trying to sell his Hamilton heads, he discovers a world of deep rooted beliefs about small heads, God and unwritten rules.

Although timely, in view of recent developments in the country which have seen Angolans take their first positive steps toward peace, the question still begs: why donate the proceeds from the sale of the book to tree planting progammes?

"Firstly, for one very practical reason: there is a big problem with soil erosion in Luanda. Also, there are very few trees especially in the capital. Moreover, if there is one thing that living in Africa has taught me is that the telling of stories is important. Stories are often told in the shade of a tree and passed on to future generations. Angola has many stories to tell," Coppe said.

Coppe and Powers will leave Angola in July. Significantly, Angolans plant a tree when somebody dies.

Coppe hopes to leave at least with a book in hand and a tree in the ground.

The book will be launched in Luanda June 2002