Ebony & Hedonism

EBONY
Adjective:
1. Of a very dark black [syn: ebon]
Noun
1. A very dark black [syn: coal black]
2. Hard dark-colored heartwood of the ebony tree; used in cabinetwork and for piano keys
3. Tropical tree of southern Asia having hard dark-colored heartwood used in cabinetwork

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HEDONISM
Noun:
1. Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses.
2. Philosophy: The ethical doctrine holding that only what is pleasant or has pleasant consequences is intrinsically good.
3. Psychology: The doctrine holding that behavior is motivated by the desire for pleasure and the avoidance of pain

These two words can best describe life in the city of Luanda. After 50 years of a dreadful war Angola is recovering its joie de vivre. It stands as a land of hedonists and nouveaux-riches, everything revolving around money and power. I have never seen such a huge rate of luxury SUVs and Hummers per square-meter in a country where most of the population still lives bellow the poverty line…

Luanda fulfills all your senses in a good (and sometimes bad) way: The African music of Kizomba, the Muamba with Funge and the famous Jindungo, the bay of Luanda seen from the island at night, the Tarrachinha dance and the scent of Africa make living in this city a very strong and sometimes emotional experience. I’ve surpassed the initial shock and awe and finally relaxed from all the fears and precautions you must have when living here. This weekend I started to drive on my own and had my second experience with the cops. After making a wrong left turn and being stopped by a man armed with an AK-47 I had to pay them a “gasosa” (bribe) of 100 USD to be able to leave. Notwithstanding the evening turned out to be very pleasant starting with a BBQ at JC’s cúbico and finishing at my favorite place of Luanda the Eden club.