Paraíso (Angola)
Paraíso (German: Paradise ) is a hut settlement in the greater Luanda area with around 180,000 inhabitants. It is one of the largest slums ( musseques ) in Angola .
location
Paraíso is located in the Comuna Kikolo in the Município Cacuaco on a hill surrounded by marshland and garbage dumps. There is only one unpaved access road that becomes impassable after heavy rains.
history
From 1980 to 1990 the quarter was inhabited by farmers who farmed there. From 1992 onwards, residents who were expelled from the Boa Vista district in Luanda came first , followed by waves of refugees from the provinces of Huambo , Bié , Benguela , Cuando Cubango and Uíge . In 2000 Paraíso was founded as a district ( bairro ). The "building of houses" was legalized. The residents built dwellings out of tents, cardboard and zinc. A neighborhood committee was formed to solve the community's biggest problems such as crime, lack of basic services and jobs. A year later, citizen patrols were set up to ensure more security, especially at night. In 2002 the residents elected the first neighborhood coordinator. In 2004 the first medical care station and two primary schools were set up by the World Bank- financed Social Welfare Fund (Fundo de Apoio Social - FAS). In 2007 the so-called “Chinese primary school” (up to 9th grade) was inaugurated, but it was built by a Japanese company. In the same year there were the first mobile police forces in the district. In 2010 a former slum dweller opened a vocational school, and in 2013 a secondary school (middle school) was opened. The first police station was inaugurated in 2014 after three National Police officers were murdered in the neighborhood in July 2013. The biggest problem is still security. The residents declare that it is dangerous to be outside their immediate neighborhood. They also feel powerless against marauding, armed gangs who loot their huts. In July 2018, the deputy chief of the National Police in Paraíso was shot dead in a robbery while driving a taxi.
Population development
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 34,200 |
| 2008 | 65,136 |
| 2010 | 106,556 |
| 2015 | 180,000 |
Infrastructure
There are some state primary schools, but only one state secondary school with 12 classrooms for 45–50 students each. Lessons are carried out in three shifts. Since the state does not provide enough schools and clinics, private schools and private clinics have established themselves. These are often of low quality and expensive. However, there is also a private clinic in Paraíso with qualified staff and equipment. The biggest problem is the lack of infrastructure for electricity, drinking water and sanitary facilities as well as security.
Neighborhood committee
The members of the neighborhood committee are elected by the residents of the different sections of the neighborhood. However, the leadership is determined by the MPLA or the candidate at least needs the approval of the party. They exercise important political control and are used to gather information for the secret service. The residents regard the committee as an extension of the state government. The members of the committee are not paid by the government; their only source of income is the fees they levy. This promotes nepotism and corruption.
Churches
The second most important institution are the churches. In addition to the Catholic Church , numerous “charismatic” churches have established themselves which, for example, advertise for members with loud rock music before the service. Most of these churches have membership fees. Their pastors are among the high earners in the area.
employment
The unemployment rate in Paraíso is 17.4%. Of the heads of households, 26.4% are employed in the private sector, 13.2% in the public sector and 12.4% as self-employed. A widespread source of income is the informal sector such as street and front door sellers, the operation of kiosks and simple house bars where home-distilled liquor is sold, or motorcycle taxi drivers. The average household income in the quarter was 44,137 Kwanzas per month in 2016 .
Ownership
In Paraíso 96% of the residents have bought their property. The average purchase price in 2012 was 150 US dollars per m². However, only 6.8% of sales contracts were carried out with officially recognized documents.
Web links and sources
- Urban poverty in Luanda, Angola (PDF) CMI Report 2018
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jovem constrói centro de formação no Paraíso jornaldeangola.sapo.ao , January 13, 2019, accessed on June 19, 2019.
- ↑ Violência no Bairro do Paraíso makaangola.org , July 8, 2013, accessed June 19, 2019.
- ↑ Criminalidade preocupa moradores do Paraíso jornaldeangola.sapo.ao , September 9, 2014, accessed on June 19, 2019.
- ↑ Subchefe da polícia reage a assalto e é assassinado no Paraíso novojornal.co.ao , July 27, 2018, accessed June 19, 2019.
- ↑ Relatório Social de Angola 2015 (PDF) p. 264, Universidade Católica de Angola , accessed on September 5, 2019
- ↑ Urban land markets for housing in Luanda, Angola - World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty (PDF) pp. 20–21, urbanlandmark.org.za , April 2012, accessed on June 27, 2019.