| PRIO and the Films From the South festival organized a seminar following the screening of the film Saudades from the one who loves you. Taking the film as an initial starting point, the seminar explored some typical and some special features of postwar Angola. Kristian Berg Harpviken of PRIO and the former representative in Angola for Norwegian Peoples Aid, Arne Øygard, discussed the film with an audience of around 60 people. | | --- | | Read more about the film here.
The film Angola - Saudades from the One Who Loves You is a people's story told from the street up, one that captures a unique moment in Angola's history, a country just coming to terms with the reality of peace after nearly three decades of bloody civil war.

The film is a compelling portrait of a country struggling to recover from the devastation of 27 years of civil war. Three years since peace was declared in this former Portuguese colony – one of Africa's largest producers of oil and diamonds – the land is full of contrasts, between rich and poor, between hope and despair.

Namibian director Richard Papekkla takes us on a lyrical journey through this once war-torn nation, presenting us with a kaleidoscopic vision of the diverse experiences of its people, from the oil barons who are reaping the benefits of the country's rich natural resources to petrol-sniffing children who struggle to earn a living on the street. Images of luxurious mansions, exclusive shopping malls, and fashion shoots are juxtaposed with pictures of rubble and decay, while a soundtrack of urban and rural songs reflects the thoughts and feelings of the land’s inhabitants.

The Portuguese word “saudade” implies a “feeling of longing for something once loved, now gone, but to return in a distant future”. Angola: Saudades From the One Who Loves You captures a unique moment in history, as a nation takes its first hesitant steps towards a fragile democracy.



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No registration required. Tickets can be bought at the cinema
The film is in Portuguese and English, with English subtitles. The seminar and debate will be in Norwegian.

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