Carlos in Angola

Journalist Carlos Mezenga reports from Angola, November 2007

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A visit to a fully automatic country

by Louise Dyring

A rendezvous with his first pizza. A train without a conductor. And a minister who bathes under the ice. His first time ever outside the African continent, Carlos from Angola spends four days in Denmark, returning home with a suitcase full of experiences.

"Naaaaah! No way. He's making it up. Zero degrees?" Carlos is in the car leaving the Ministry of Education, wondering about Bertel Haarder's talk about ‘winter bathing'. He cannot quite believe what the Danish Minister of Education has just told him: that he goes bathing under the ice in winter. This is truly the weirdest thing Carlos has heard about during the four-day visit.
The 18-year old Angolan reporter has come to Denmark to accept Save the Children's annual Children's Rights Prize. And Carlos's interview with Mr. Haarder revolved precisely around the subject of children's rights. "Are Danish children taught about children's rights?" asks Carlos, who has carefully crafted his questions, placing the voice recorder on the table. "I am producing a radio programme using the interview with the minister of education", he explains. "So that Angolan children can learn about Denmark".

Not like back home

"Do ALL children go to school in Denmark?" Carlos inquires the minister, full of admiration for the reply. "Ah... It's not like that in Angola. In my country, many kids never go to school. And important men wear a tie. I have only seen one man with a tie throughout my entire stay in Denmark", Carlos observes. Indeed many things are not quite like back home. "Everything in this country is automatic. The city train has no conductor. The stairways take you up without having to walk, and even the doors open by themselves. You are a fully automatic country", concludes Carlos, who has also had the pleasure of featuring on primetime television news. And although Carlos has been busy doing interviews with the media and celebrities, there has been time to relax as well. "I have met so many wonderful people, and I am impressed by your capital city of Copenhagen. I'm crazy about watching those hordes of people riding bicycles. It's incredible, there are separate lanes for pedestrians, drivers and cyclists." One thing, however, does not tickle Carlos's fancy. How people can live in this cold remains a mystery to him.

A cold country

Carlos received his first shock in the airport, when he was equipped with woollen cap, scarf and gloves. "You know what? If you went out like that in Angola, they would think you were raving mad. They would send you away in an ambulance!" Carlos guffaws. "Ay, ay, ay, it's cold", he gasps. Indeed, the warm coat and woollen cap stay on even for dinner. "In Angola, all men eat ‘funge' (cassava mixed with water) twice a day. I just love it, it's much better than what you guys eat", Carlos asserts. "Funge is as common as your rrrugbrrrød", he laughs, exaggerating the deep-throat pronunciation of the Danish people's staple food, rye bread. "You guys are like rrrugbrrrød: just unforgettable!" he laughs. "Rrrugbrrrød, rrrugbrrrød", he keeps practising.

For the first time ever, Carlos has also tried a pizza, at last something capable of measuring up to his beloved funge. "It wasn't good. It was amaaaaazing", Carlos larks about, feeling kind of comforted on Denmark's behalf that he has finally tasted something of a quality comparable to the sticky porridge that is his favourite dish.

In the hands of the police
After visiting Minister Bertel Haarder, Carlos passes by the Amalienborg Royal Palace to watch the changing of the guard. "Was that really the police?" Carlos asks, having just chatted with two horse-mounted members of the police force in front of the palace. Initially, however, it was the animals that caught his attention. After a long time gathering his courage, Carlos dares to approach the first horses he has ever seen. "It's soft", he says, starting out stiff as a board at the sight of the two huge creatures. However, as always, the inquisitive reporter is keen to explore the unknown. Later, when Carlos has taken refuge at a warmer place, he returns to the subject of the minister bathing under ice. "He was actually a nice man. But this thing about bathing in water that is zero degrees, that is truly too bizarre", he shakes his head in disbelief. At the ministry, Carlos was also left speechless when he saw how Mr. Haarder had dressed up a posh statue in his office with big yellow glasses and a fancy hat. "They wouldn't do that in Angola", Carlos observes with a broad smile. "This minister was truly a funny man. I really liked him."

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”Back to school” is the children of Angola's first wish for their future. “A roof to sleep under” is the second wish. To attend school they need to be registered. To be registered they need a home. Pencils and books cost money. It may not be much to you, but it is an enormous amount to the street children of Uíge.
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