Africa-Press – Angola. The welcome message at the entrance to the village of Lucusse reveals to visitors the atmosphere of tranquility that the locality experiences. The scenario contrasts with that of 20 years ago. There is no reason to believe that it was in the locality where the first images of the dead leader and founder of UNITA appeared. Jonas Savimbi was shot dead on the banks of the Lulue River, in Luvei commune, Bundas municipality, 90 kilometers from Lucusse.
At the entrance to the village of Lucusse is the leafy mulembeira and the wreckage of a military vehicle. The carcass was used as a platform, where Jonas Savimbi’s body was placed, after being collected from the battlefield. The place has been a mandatory stop for anyone visiting Lucusse for the first time. The conservation of the site, according to the authorities, is not to incite hatred, but to remind future generations that war is not the right path for those who want to achieve power.
Despite the horrors of the war that tore the region apart, Lucusse will rise each day from the rubble of an armed conflict that has caused destruction, death and misery. Land of welcoming and hardworking people who roll up their sleeves every day to make the most of the soil to support their families.
During the route from Luena/Lucusse, on a stretch of 137 kilometers, fully paved, large tracts of cultivated land stand out. Corn, cassava and sweet potato stand out among the most cultivated products. They are also the main foods in the region’s diet.
Lucusse has arable land for the practice of agriculture, and in recent years, he said that the commune has been an unavoidable reference in the production of large quantities of products that, in addition to the local market, supplies the provinces of Lunda-Norte and Lunda-Sul, Luanda, Bié, Huambo and Benguela.
Associated peasants
To increase production levels in the region, 135 peasant associations were created, in addition to 21 agricultural projects (farms) for private citizens who are strongly committed to increasing productivity.
Also this year, according to the administrator, the provincial government delivered six tractors to some peasant associations to promote agriculture in the region. “The Executive’s initiative will allow peasants to opt for mechanized agriculture and significantly improve the income of associated families”.
Lucusse is also an area with strong potential for artisanal fishing. The fishermen associated in cooperatives benefited from last month of means to increase the catch of fish in this season that starts between April and May.
The communal administrator of Lucusse, Daniel Sousa, does not give any figures, but says that the levels of agricultural production achieved in recent years prove the determination of the local population. “The 2002 Lucusse is completely different from the current one; since then, the region has benefited from many social enterprises”, reveals the administrator.
Advances in Lucusse
Before peace, Lucusse had four classrooms. Today, there are 50 available to teach from primary to second cycle of secondary education. In terms of professional training, 47 young people were trained in the arts workshops of the National Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (INEFOP).
Young people are now able to enter the market and open businesses in the areas of electricity, metalwork, small business management, quarry plumbing, sewing, pastry, cooking and computers.
As for Health, Lucusse gained four new health posts in locations with greater population concentration, in addition to the existing medical center at the communal headquarters. The Integrated and Intervention Plan for Municipalities (PIIM) includes the rehabilitation and expansion of the medical center and the residence of the administrator and his deputy.
In order to facilitate the movement of people and goods, in 2009 the Executive rehabilitated the road that connects the city of Luena to the commune of Lucusse, in a stretch of 137 kilometres. Today, it is fully paved and is considered essential to transport products and connect localities.
In terms of Tourism, Lucusse offers great potential that should deserve attention from investors. The Mulondala lagoon, eight kilometers south of the town’s headquarters, has so far been the only preference of visitors.
The place has minimum conditions to accommodate guests. In addition to dormitories, it has a restaurant. With beautiful landscapes, Lagoa do Mulondola is an authentic piece of sea lost in the forest. It is an ideal place for those looking to enjoy nature in a peaceful and safe environment.
Speaking also of tourist areas that need investment, the communal administrator of Lucusse also referred to the Chafinda falls and the Nenengoma lagoon, the latter, according to him, is in the sights of the Ministry of Defense for its exploitation.
Daniel Sousa said that the peace that exists today has resulted in the loss of lives of many Angolans, therefore, he asked for the need to be preserved, especially for young people because many of them have no idea what this peace cost.
The gains of peace
Mayor Domingos Muhinhi recalls the difficult times that Lucusse is going through and underlines that, since 2002, the commune has improved. The construction of schools, hospitals and the rehabilitation of Estrada Nacional 280, which gives access to the capital city of the province, are a good reflection of the new times of stability that the country is experiencing.
That traditional authority recalled that in wartime the voyage from Lucusse to the Luena was made in two days. In addition to time, it was necessary to overcome other obstacles, such as mines, attacks and a section that was completely full of holes.
Domingos Muhinhi stressed that the war was useless. Before, it caused deaths, mutilations and destruction of the few infrastructures that already existed. In his view, the armed conflict that has lasted more than three decades is to blame for the extreme poverty that most families experience.
Even protected, at the time, by the military brigades stationed in the Lucusse area, the soba stressed that, during the period of the armed conflict, the population lived in an environment in which the movement of people was limited even to go to the farm.
More business
The benefits of peace are visible in the free movement of people. Stability has increased the flow of business between locations. Jornal de Angola spoke with Elsa Kuchili, who has been doing the bass drum business for five years, from Saurimo, in Lunda-Sul province.
At 44 years old, Elsa Kuchili says that Lucusse has been the destination of many people who arrive in search of products from the countryside, to resell to other municipalities or provinces. At the time of the interview, she had already purchased 56 bags of bombó from the 100 planned.
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