Angola has changed tremendously since the end of its civil war in 2002. The war lasted almost four decades and decimated a country that had received little development support under Portuguese colonisation. In her new book, “From Water to Wine: Becoming Middle Class in Angola”, anthropologist Jess Auerbach focuses on everyday success rather than systematic failure. She makes a deliberate choice to give attention to beauty and happiness in a country that rarely appears in English-language media, and when it does, is usually with reference to corruption.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION