Angolan
profile
A personal account from an Angolan
living in Plaistow, Newham.
My name is Moises Gaspar and I am Angolan.
My heritage
I grew up in the capital of Angola, Luanda, surrounded by beautiful
beaches and coastline. I came over to Britain about eight years ago
and move to Plaistow in Newham with my wife and four kids; the
youngest is four months and called Leo. I am currently doing a
National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Business Administration
and Information Technology to help improve my skills and
experience.
My religion
and culture
I am Christian and religion is a very
important part of my life. Every Sunday we go to our local church.
One of the most important times for me is Easter - when we hold
special prayers and there is time for family and gatherings.
My
celebrations
We celebrate many festivals and parties
in Angola but the one I most enjoy is "festa da isla" (Island
Party). It is celebrated once a year, for two days in November, in
a very beautiful part of the island of Loanda in Luanda. The
purpose of the celebration is to protect the island from sinking
and people from drowning so we throw food (fruits, vegetables and
cooked dishes) into the sea and offer prayers. Another important
day is Angolan Independence Day, celebrated on November 11.
My food
In Newham, if I
want to eat Angolan food, I normally have to cook at home or visit
friends and family. However there is a restaurant called café
Cascais on Cann Hall Road where I can have Portuguese food, which
is similar to Angolan food. My favourite traditional dish is called
'Funje'. My mother taught me how to cook it and it normally
accompanies fish or meat dishes.
Angolan Recipe for Fish Calulo
Living in Newham
I
like Newham because, like my home town, people from all over the
the world live here so there are different cultures and traditions.
It makes Newham tops from my point of view! The biggest attraction
is the local market in Green Street, where I can buy everything I
need cheaply and easily: e.g. Talapia (Cacusso) - a fish. When I
used to live in South London, I would have to travel to
Billingsgate Market to get this.
My
languages
Portuguese is the main language spoken in Angola and is taught in
Angolan schools. If you meet me on the street you would impress me
by saying, "como estais" which is the Portuguese for 'Hello' and
"ate Ja" for 'goodbye'.
I speak Kimbundo, the native language of the Kimbundu people in
Angola. The others main languages spoken in Angola are Umbundo,
Kicongo and Fiote.