The geography(s) of the slave route(s) in Angola: developing the future and rescuing the past through memory tourism
Afonso VITA, Unversity of Coimbra, Portugal
Paulo NOSSA, Unversity of Coimbra, Portugal
Fernanda CRAVIDÃO, Unversity of Coimbra, Portugal
Currently, tourism is going through a significant crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has profoundly affected the world tourist activity. Given the dynamics of tourism and its ability to adapt, tourism will overcome this challenge and will continue to drive economic and social development, constituting a factor of unity, bringing together different nations and peoples and a tool to reduce inequalities. At present, Angola is restarting the appreciation of the enormous tourist attractions that the country has, so that they can contribute to national development, allowing the diversification of the economy and guaranteeing the well-being of its populations. This communication highlights the contribution of historical sites linked to the slavery in Angola, through the reconstitution of the geographies of slave routes, in four localities, transforming them into places of interest for tourism and for the history of humanity, and consequently contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of the local populations that will have a direct participation in the project. This is a multidimensional project of an international partnership, with a strong impact on the history of the African diaspora, while helping to reduce social and economic inequalities in the territories where the project is developed. In addition to a brief historical and epistemological context, the results of the fieldwork carried out through surveys to residents and visitors of the four locations involved in the preliminary study - Route of the slaves in Angola will be presented and discussed. This investigation underlines the high importance of the implementation of the project to reconstitute the geographies of the slave routes in Angola, since it will contribute to the rescue, valorization, and dissemination of the history of slavery in Angola, bring together Angolans and their diaspora, as well as in the improve the living conditions of local populations.
Mots clés : slave route|development|memory tourism|inequality|geographies
A105342PN