Host cities anticipate Africa Cup of Nations

The Democratic Republic of Congo cuts through Angola like a dagger, separating much of the country from the northern, separatist enclave of Cabinda. It’s a region rich in oil, and the Angolan government has yet to bring the various breakaway factions under its banner. In a country often hailed as one of Africa’s feel-good stories, Cabinda remains a reminder of Angola’s violent, sectarian past.

Since the end of the 27-year civil war in 2002, Angola has experienced exponential growth. Its economy has ballooned by double digits annually, and life expectancy is beginning a steady climb upward. China has emerged as a major investor, and the Confederation of African Football’s move to award the 2010 Africa Nations Cup to Angola was hailed as a seminal moment in the country’s development—a sort of coming-out party.

When the party begins on Sunday, Cabinda will have a vital role to play. Perhaps surprisingly, Angola’s second-largest city was named as one of the tournament’s host cities. Transportation hub Huambo was passed over, as were Kuito and Malanje. The group of death (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo) will play their matches at Cabinda’s Chimandela Stadium, which will also host a quarterfinal contest.

The decision to include Cabinda will likely pay massive dividends for Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos. By staging matches in the region, he will present an image of a unified Angola to the international community, while sharing a bit of his country’s newfound stability with a province that has so far spurned it.

Angola has already crawled off the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index. It now sits 143^rd of 182 countries, fifth highest among the 16 participants of the Africa Cup of Nations. It might not be much, but it’s certainly reason enough for a celebration—one Cabinda will be a part of.

Other host cities

More than 6,000 supporters turned up to watch Angola’s first training session in Luanda on Tuesday. The host nation will play all three of its group stage matches in the capital, including Sunday’s tournament opener against Mali.

About one-third of the country’s population lives in and around Luanda. Migration to the Atlantic port city spiked during the civil war, producing a jump in violent crime in the outlying townships. The city centre is comparatively safe and gentrified, however, and serves as the country’s economic engine. It is also Angola’s primary recipient of foreign investment—money currently being used to rebuild an infrastructure destroyed by war.

Africa Cup of nations matches will be played at the newly built November 11 Stadium. The ground, with a capacity of more than 50,000, will host nine matches, including the final and one semifinal.

The other semifinal will take place in Benguela, where the Sr. da Graca Complex has also just been completed. Its match capacity will be approximately 25,000.

Angola’s cultural capital, the city of half-a-million people lies just down-coast from Luanda, perched 40 metres above the ocean. And like Luanda, it’s population grew significantly as civil war refugees set up shantytowns on its outskirts in the 1980s.

Benguela is probably most famous for the Benguela Current. Originating at South Africa’s Cape Point, the winds blow northward and shrouds many coastal cities in a cool fog that offsets an otherwise dry, humid climate.

Lubango isn’t at all affected by the Benguela Current. The only host city to lie inland, it receives enough rainfall to support a thriving agriculture industry. Grains, fruits and tobacco are grown nearby, and a growing banking sector has come to the fore to service the farmers and producers.

Group D (Cameroon, Gabon, Zambia and Tunisia) will play its matches in Lubango at the Alto da Chela stadium. It was also constructed for the Africa Cup of Nations and has a capacity of 25,000.