Sao Tome et Principe

Facts & figures

Full name: The Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe

Population: 172,000 (UN, 2012)

Capital: Sao Tome

Area: 1,001 sq km (386 sq miles)

Major language: Portuguese

Major religion: Christianity

Life expectancy: 64 years (men), 66 years (women) (UN)

Monetary unit: 1 dobra = 100 centimos

Main exports: Cocoa

GNI per capita: US $1,350 (World Bank, 2011)

Internet domain: .st

International dialling code: +239

Map

Leader

President: Manuel Pinto da Costa

Mr Pinto da Costa is serving his second, non-consecutive term in office

Former strongman Manuel Pinto da Costa returned to power in elections in 2011, two decades after losing office.

Mr Pinto da Costa ruled Sao Tome with an iron fist for 15 years after independence from Portugal in 1975, and observers warned his return to power could herald a slide towards authoritarianism.

Travel

Visa & travel advice

We can arrange for you to get a visa from the immigration office in São Tome. Please allow up to 5 working days to receive your visa. Once the visa is acquired we will scan and email it back to you.

The process to acquire a landing visa is as follows: e-mail us a scanned image of your passport's information page together with a completed visa information form for each applicant. We will send you an invoice for the visa and service. Once invoice is settled, we will make application on your behalf here in Sao Tome.

We scan and email you back the visa and receipt, both of which should be presented when you arrive at the airport. Please note: The landing visa is valid for 1 month, you can apply for extension when in Sao Tome. You will need to present both the entry visa and receipt at the airport desk.

The Immigration charges are below. Please note this excludes admin fee.

TRAVEL ADVICES

Best period

Because of their location near the Equator, São Tomé and Príncipe have a pleasant, tropical climate with little variation during the year. The rainy season lasts from October to May, but that shouldn’t affect your plans much. When it’s not raining, you can enjoy the best beachgoing weather of the year.

Safety

Despite the concerns associated with visiting any developing nation, São Tomé and Príncipe is a safe country to visit. Beggars are generally annoying but harmless. Refrain from showing your valuables or large amounts of money in public places. The U.S. Department of State’s consular website has a wealth of regularly updated information about safety in São Tomé and Príncipe.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has created a security ratings system called the Ibrahim Index, according to scores based on each country’s quality of government. Before traveling to São Tomé or anywhere on the continent, check the index and do your research.

History

The islands of São Tomé and Príncipe were uninhabited before the arrival of the Portuguese sometime between 1469 and 1471. After the islands were discovered by the explorers João de Santarém and Pêro Escobar,[1] Portuguese navigators explored the islands and decided they would be a good location for bases to trade with the mainland.

Arts & Culture

Music :

São Tomé and Príncipe is an island country off the coast of Africa. Culturally, the people are African but have been highly influenced by the Portuguese rulers of the islands.

São Toméans are known for ússua and socopé rhythms, while Principe is home to the dêxa beat. Portuguese ballroom dancing may have played an integral part in the development of these rhythms and their associated dances.

Tchiloli is a musical dance performance that tells a dramatic story. The danço-congo is similarly a combination of music, dance and theatre.

Literature

The Tchiloli is an original theatrical form. One piece, Tragedy of the maquis of Mantua and the Emperor Charlemagne is played every year since the sixteenth century by blacks of the island of Sao Tome forcibly brought by the Portuguese. The theme is the injustice of colonization. Charlemagne embodies the Portuguese king who shall judge his son who has committed a crime. The number of episodes increases with time because the original crime add packages later. [2]

Alda do Espírito Santo (1926-2010), poet, author of the national anthem total Independencia, also pursued a political career.

Film industry

In the early 2000s, Sao Tome and Principe does not clean film industry. However, several foreign films on these islands, especially Früchtchen: Am ist alles möglich Äquator (Brödl Herbert, 1998), a sort of docu-fiction dedicated to the island of São Tomé and culture.

Famous places

Fort São Sebastião, built in 1575 and now the São Tomé National Museum is a really beautiful example of a well preserved 16th century Portuguese colonial fort. The real think is the fort itself to see but the Museum does have some interesting history of Sao Tome. Old Photos of the families and explanation of the slavery and way of life in the cocoa and coffee plantations.

The trip to the coffee plantation of Monte Café on Sao Tome is well worth the trip it happens to be the highest plantation on the island and the folks that live in the area are member of authentic Creole culture that did not leave for Portugal at independence. This was the biggest and most rich plantation in its hay day and one can still see the operation of a coffee plantation. You get the chance to see old plantation of Monte Café. Also, there is a beautiful waterfall on this trip where you sit watch the Saint Nicolas' waterfall and sip your coffee.

Climb Pico de Sao Tomé, the highest mountain in Sao Tomé 2024 meters or 6640 feet it will take two or three day and is a beautiful hike. During the climb one needs to climb several smaller mountains before you get to Mesa where you stay overnight.

Architecture history

Urban spaces were designed and built by the Portuguese colonial administration and include imposing cement administrative buildings, commercial houses, and the lodgings of the former colonial administrators and civil servants built in a Salazarist style known as luso-tropical. They were designed to evoke the grandeur and permanence of the Portuguese overseas empire. In the capital city and in the small towns, buildings are arranged in a centralized pattern with a Catholic church, the administrative building, postal and telecommunications offices, and a commercial house that formerly belonged to Portuguese overseas companies. Near these buildings are solid cement houses built for Europeans and now occupied by well-connected Forros. In São Tomé City, the streets follow a grid pattern. In small towns, concrete buildings are strung along the few roads that traverse the islands. Fort São Sebastião, built by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century to guard the entrance to the Bay of Ana Chaves and the port of São Tomé, houses the national museum.

Indigenous architecture consists of wooden houses raised on stilts that are surrounded by small patches of garden ( kintéh ). Most people in urban or rural spaces live in these small houses. There is no coordinated plan other than the continual subdivision of house plots as families grow and access to land in urban areas decreases. A variety of shanties and shelters can be attached to these houses as households engage in petty commerce and services. Footpaths that follow the contours of the smallholdings to reach the main roads connect these large and sprawling settlements. Public buildings are rare except for Christian meetinghouses. People on plantations are housed in large cement barracks and houses known as sanzalas above which loom the spacious houses of the plantation administrators.

Angola

Facts & figures

Full name: The Republic of Angola

Population: 20.2 million (UN, 2012)

Capital: Luanda

Area: 1.25m sq km (481,354 sq miles)

Major languages: Portuguese (official), Umbundu, Kimbundu, Kikongo

Major religion: Christianity

Life expectancy: 50 years (men), 53 years (women) (UN)

Monetary unit: 1 kwanza = 100 lwei

Main exports: Oil, diamonds, minerals, coffee, fish, timber

GNI per capita: US $3,830 (World Bank, 2011)

Internet domain: .ao

International dialling code: +244

Map

Leader

Jose Eduardo dos Santos, of the ruling MPLA, has been in power since 1979, and is Africa's second-longest serving head of state after Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang. He keeps tight control over all aspects of Angola's political life.

Travel

Visa & travel advice

The Consular Section of the Embassy of Angola in the UK has the authority to accept visa applications for all citizens legally residing in the United Kingdom of Great Britain (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales) and Ireland. Non-EC citizens legally resident in the UK must present a passport stamped with a visa granted by the Foreign Office (UK) and with a minimum of six (6) months validity (the visa).

The visa application can be submitted in person, by a third party or an accredited agency. Applications may also be sent by special delivery mail. If the passport is to be returned by post a prepaid self-addressed special delivery envelope must be included. For applications sent from outside the United Kingdom please pay an additional £10.00 and include a self-addressed manila envelope. The Consular Section will not be responsible for lost documents.

After acceptance by the Visa Section the request is forwarded to SME who will process and decide if it i authorised. In situations where the request is rejected the applicant will be informed of the decision and the reason, giving the opportunity to appeal. Applicants who are successful in their applications will have their passports returned with the visa issued

Requests are considered on the basis of information provided on the application form, supporting documentation and information about previous visits to Angola. It is therefore essential that applicants fully complete the form, answering all questions and providing high standard photocopies of all requested documentation as described on the website. Failure to submit the above information may result in rejection of your request.

Best period

The weather varies throughout the country, so be sure to check out forecasts for the specific region you plan on visiting.

Safety

The U.S. Department of State’s consular website has a great deal of information about safety and security in Angola.

History

The original inhabitants of Angola are thought to have been Khoisan speakers. After 1000, large numbers of Bantu speakers migrated to the region and became the dominant group. Angola derives its name from the Bantu kingdom of Ndongo, whose name for its king is ngola.

Explored by the Portuguese navigator Diego Cão in 1482, Angola became a link in trade with India and Southeast Asia. Later it was a major source of slaves for Portugal's New World colony of Brazil. Development of the interior began after the Berlin Conference in 1885 fixed the colony's borders, and British and Portuguese investment fostered mining, railways, and agriculture.

Arts & Culture

Music:

The music of Angola has been shaped both by wider musical trends and by the political history of the country. It has been described as a mix of Congolese, Portuguese, and Brazilian music, while Angolan music has also influenced the music of the other Lusophone countries.

The capital and largest city of Angola — Luanda — is home to a diverse group of styles including Angolan merengue, kilapanda, zouk, semba, kizomba and kuduro. Just off the coast of Luanda is Ilha do Cabo, home to an accordion and harmonica-based style of music called rebita.

In the 20th century, Angola was wracked by violence and political instability. Its musicians were oppressed by government forces, both during the period of Portuguese colonization and after independence.

Literature:

Angolan literature has its origins in the mid-19th century. The diversity of Angola's culture is reflected in the diversity of its literature, which traditionally has been combative and satirical.

As Angola was a colony of Portugal, it is a Lusophone country. Most authors write in Portuguese, though there are many distinct tribes and Portuguese isn't the first language of every Angolan. In 2006, Luandino Vieira was awarded the Camões Prize, though he declined it and the $128,000USD prize money for "personal and intimate reasons."

Agostinho Neto, the first president of Angola, was a well-known poet.

Film industry:

Dating back to 1931, Angola's broadcast media is one of the oldest on the continent. However, it is still very much under the control of the government. Television, radio and print journalists have been subjected to harassment, beatings and imprisonment. Action of this type is inflicted under the guise of 'national security.'

The Ministry of Information issues broadcasting licences and oversees the allocation of frequencies. Presently only the government is allowed to broadcast using television and medium/short-wave frequencies. This situation is unlikely to change until the civil war is over.

Angola has one television service which is operated by the government-run Televisao Popular de Angola (TPA). In 1997 RTP launched RTP Africa in each of Portugal's former African colonies. Each recipient country's state broadcaster accesses both programming and equipment from the service. The channel's studio facilities and infrastructure are funded by the Portuguese Government, but run by local management. In addition, there is a local broadcaster, WT Mundovideo, that is broadcast in Luanda only.

Unlike television Angolan cinema has hardly any history of its own. After the declaration of independence from Portugal in 1975 a civil has devastated the country uo to the present day. Angolan cinema emerged with the participation of now ruling MPLA militants in two films inspired in the works of local writer Luandino Vieira, directed by Sarah Maldoror of Guadalupe in the cities of Algeria and Brazzaville, namely the short feature Monangambee (1970) and the full length feature Sambizanga (1972). She was a founding member of the first African theatre troupe, Les Griots, in the 1950s. She was also awarded a rare scholarship to the Moscow Film Institute, where she became the pupil of the prestigious Mark Donskoi. Several (originally) Portugese directors produced and directed Angolan movies. amongst them ; Ruy Duarte de Carvalho with, O Recado das Ilhas, (1989), Nelisita (1982), Presente Angolano Tempo Mumuila" (1979) and Faz la Coragem, Camarada (1977); Orlando Fortunato de Oliveira with Comboro da Canhoca (1989) and Memoria de um Dia (1982); Francisco Henriques with O Golpe (1977) and Ponto da situacao (1977)

The government has a strong negative influence on the work of newcomers. The constitution of Angola offers no protection against perceived intrusions of free speech by the filmmakers. Next to this the cinema office of the department of culture, established mainly to preserve film and support filmmakers, is under constant financial pressure. Angolan filmmakers mostly rely on international funds rather than national. Filmmakers like Antonio Ole (No caminho das estrelas 1980 and O Ritmo do N'Gola Ritmos, 1978) resorted to making video art rather than movies, due to a lack of funding.

Angola has nowadays several renowned filmmakers. Les Oubliées (1997) by Anne Laure Folly and Zeze Gamboa's Dissidencia (1998) qualified for the 1998 Milan Festival. Folly's Le Gardien des Forces won the first prize of the Cultural and Technical Cooperation Agency in Montreal in 1992. The director of "dissidencia", Zeze Gamboa, 45, was born in Luanda, where he worked from 1974 to 1980 as director in the public television (TPA). In 1984, he got the sound engineering diploma from paris and had later several participations in various film shows. In addition to "dissidencia", mr. Gamboa directed the production of "Mopiopio, sopro de Angola" (1991, awarded from the Ouagadougou in 1993 and later from the milan festival), "O heroi" (1998), "burn by blue" and "O desassossego de pessoa" (both 1999).

Famous places

One of the most unique landscapes in Angola is the Valley of the Moon. It is also known as Miradouro da Lua or Wwatchpoint. This peculiar tourist attraction is situated at the coast 40 kilometers south of Luanda, Angola.

One of the most stunning waterfalls, not only in Angola but also in the whole world, is the Kalendula Waterfalls. This geological beauty of nature lies on the Lucala River in Malange, Angola.

One of the most beautiful bays in Angola and n Africa is the Bay of Luanda. The above photo shows a captivating view of the Bay of Luanda from Ilha de Luanda or Island of Luanda.

Architecture history:

Angola is relatively urbanized because in the 1980s many people sought refuge in the safer urban areas. The musseques, informal settlements around Luanda that are home to nearly a quarter of the population stand in sharp contrast to the modern city center. For people in the countryside, living conditions are very different, although rectangular houses with corrugated iron roofs and zinc are replacing the traditional round wattle-and-daub (straw and mud) houses. Some urban areas are overcrowded, while other regions are almost uninhabited. As it is often dangerous to travel by road or railway, transportation and mobility are a problem. In the 1980s cheap airfares even led to regional trading networks based on transport by air.

Burundi

{tab Burundi}

Facts & figures

Full name: Republic of Burundi

Population: 8.7 million (UN, 2012)

Capital: Bujumbura

Area: 27,816 sq km (10,740 sq miles)

Major languages: Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili

Major religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs

Life expectancy: 50 years (men), 53 years (women) (UN)

Monetary unit: 1 Burundi franc = 100 centimes

Main exports: coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides

GNI per capita: US $250 (World Bank, 2011)

Internet domain: .bi

International dialling code: +257

{tab Map}

{tab Leader}

Pierre Nkurunziza, a former Hutu rebel leader, became the first president to be chosen in democratic elections since the start of Burundi's civil war in 1994.

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Visa & travel advice

You will require:

1. Duly filled application form for each applicant, children included. (Download above)

2. Recent passport sized photographs

Passport valid for at least 6 months from the proposed date of entry

If travelling for business, a letter of invitation/introduction

Evidence of travelling arrangements (booking or ticket photocopy)

A stamped, self-addressed and registered envelope for passport return

£60.00 fee

Best period:

The climate in Burundi varies depending more on where you go in the country than on the particular season. Throughout the hot and humid lowlands, in the southwestern part of the country, temperatures average 86 degrees Fahrenheit; in the mountainous north, temperatures are lower, hovering at about 68 degrees. It’s useful to know, however, that the country has two wet seasons—February to May and September to November.

Safety:

Because of Burundi’s recent civil war and its overall political instability, the U.S. State Department warns travellers against visiting the country. Tourists should avoid political rallies and demonstrations and always remain aware of their surroundings; crime committed by street children and armed bandits is often directed at foreigners. It’s best not to travel beyond the capital city at night.

{tab History}

The original inhabitants of Burundi were the Twa, a Pygmy people who now make up only 1% of the population. Today the population is divided between the Hutu (approximately 85%) and the Tutsi, approximately 14%. While the Hutu and Tutsi are considered to be two separate ethnic groups, scholars point out that they speak the same language, have a history of intermarriage, and share many cultural characteristics. Traditionally, the differences between the two groups were occupational rather than ethnic. Agricultural people were considered Hutu, while the cattle-owning elite were identified as Tutsi. In theory, Tutsi were tall and thin, while Hutu were short and square, but in fact it is often impossible to tell one from the other. The 1933 requirement by the Belgians that everyone carry an identity card indicating tribal ethnicity as Tutsi or Hutu increased the distinction. Since independence, the landowning Tutsi aristocracy has dominated Burundi.

Burundi was once part of German East Africa. Belgium won a League of Nations mandate in 1923, and subsequently Burundi, with Rwanda, was transferred to the status of a United Nations trust territory. In 1962, Burundi gained independence and became a kingdom under Mwami Mwambutsa IV, a Tutsi. A Hutu rebellion took place in 1965, leading to brutal Tutsi retaliations. Mwambutsa was deposed by his son, Ntaré V, in 1966. Ntaré in turn was overthrown the same year in a military coup by Premier Michel Micombero, also a Tutsi. In 1970–1971, a civil war erupted, leaving more than 100,000 Hutu dead.

On Nov. 1, 1976, Lt. Col. Jean-Baptiste Bagaza led a coup and assumed the presidency. He suspended the constitution and announced that a 30-member Supreme Revolutionary Council would be the governing body. In Sept. 1987, Bagaza was overthrown by Maj. Pierre Buyoya, who became president. Ethnic hatred again flared in Aug. 1988, and about 20,000 Hutu were slaughtered. Buyoya, however, began reforms to heal the country's ethnic rift. The Burundi Democracy Front's candidate, Melchior Ndadaye, won the country's first democratic presidential elections, held on June 2, 1993. Ndadaye, the first Hutu to assume power in Burundi, was killed within months during a coup. The second Hutu president, Cyprien Ntaryamira, was killed on April 6, 1994, when a plane carrying him and the Rwandan president was shot down. As a result, Hutu youth gangs began massacring Tutsi; the Tutsi-controlled army retaliated by killing Hutus.

{tab Arts & Culture}

Music:

Burundi is a Central African nation that is closely linked with Rwanda, geographically, historically and culturally. The drum such as the karyenda is one of central importance. Internationally, the country has produced the music group Royal Drummers of Burundi.

Burundian-Belgian musicians like Éric Baranyanka from the Burundese royal family, Ciza Muhirwa and, especially, Khadja Nin, have more recently gained prominence. Since the music is from the mind and soul, it mainly expresses what the people in Burundi feel and what they think when they beat the drums.

One feature of Burundian men's folk songs is the inanga accompaniment

Literature:

The Burundi literature is rich in heritage. Music, poetry folktales and fables have been an integral part of the Burundi literature. The younger generation in Burundi comes to know about the Burundian tradition through folktales, legends and riddles. The literature of Burundi is replete with epic poems depicting about emperors, peasants, and cattle. There oral tradition in Burundi is very common. Elders of the house used the technique of "whispered singing" to narrate various legends of the Burundi culture.

Film industry

Burundi has hardly any recorded cinematic history. This country has suffered tremendeously from wars and ethnic rebellion throughout the twentieth century. During the colonial period (Belgium) news and propaganda films were shown in theatres in the major cities. In 1980 Burundian Jean-Michel Hussi Nyamusimba produced the first Burundi film a French coproduction called Ni-Ni. In 1992 Burundi's first feature film, Gito l'Ingrat, was released, a Swiss French Burundi co-production directed by Leonce Ngabo. The film earned some international recognition by winning awards at the Montreal and FESPACO film festivals. He fled as a political refugee to Canada in 1995. He is currently working on his second feature film Le parfum de ciel. In the mid nineties the Collectif d'Enfants Burundais co-produced several 30-minute documentaries with Belgian Atelier Graphoui. Since then financial difficulty forced the closure of Burundi's only film production company. Nowadays Burundi still suffers from the ethnic wars and no films are currently in production.

Famous places:

In the ‘Heart of Africa’ landscapes comprise of green hills that are fertile with volcanic soil which is perfect for agriculture, the main economic backbone of Burundi.

Saga Beach: This remote beach along Lake Tanganyika boasts miles of powdery, white sand and clear, turquoise waters. It’s thought to be one of the best beaches in East Africa

Architecture history:

Burundians traditionally built their houses of grass and mud in a shape reminiscent of a beehive and wove leaves together for the roof. The traditional Tutsi hut, called a rugo, was surrounded by cattle corrals. Today the most common materials are mud and sticks, although wood and cement blocks also are used. The roofs are usually tin, since leaves are in short supply as a result of deforestation. Each house is surrounded by a courtyard, and several houses are grouped together inside a wall of mud and sticks.

Central African Republic

Facts & figures

Full name: Central African Republic

Population: 4.6 million (UN, 2012)

Capital: Bangui

Area: 622,984 sq km (240,535 sq miles)

Major languages: French, Sangho (lingua franca)

Major religions: Christianity, Islam, indigenous beliefs

Life expectancy: 48 years (men), 51 years (women) (UN)

Monetary unit: 1 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc = 100 centimes

Main exports: Diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco

GNI per capita: US $480 (World Bank, 2011)

Internet domain: .cf

International dialling code: +236

Map

Leader

Catherine Samba-Panza was chosen as new interim president in January 2014 to lead the country out of months of sectarian killings.

Mrs Samba-Panza, is a French-trained lawyer who was the mayor of the capital Bangui.

Travel

Visa & travel advice

Visas for the Central African Republic are required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required.

Nationals not referred to in the chart are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.

Types and cost:

Short-stay visa: €75; long-stay visa: €155.

Validity:

Short-stay visa: up to 30 days; long-stay visa: up to three months.

Best period:

If possible, visit the Central African Republic during the dry season, from November to March.

Safety:

The U.S. Department of State’s dedicated page on the Central African Republic has a wealth of information.

History

From the 16th to 19th century, the people of this region were ravaged by slave traders. The Banda, Baya, Ngbandi, and Azande make up the largest ethnic groups.

The French occupied the region in 1894. As the colony of Ubangi-Shari, what is now the Central African Republic was united with Chad in 1905. In 1910 it was joined with Gabon and the Middle Congo to become French Equatorial Africa. After World War II a rebellion in 1946 forced the French to grant self-government. In 1958 the territory voted to become an autonomous republic within the French Community, and on Aug. 13, 1960, President David Dacko proclaimed the republic's independence from France. Dacko moved the country politically into Beijing's orbit, but he was overthrown in a coup on Dec. 31, 1965, by Col. Jean-Bédel Bokassa, army chief of staff.

On Dec. 4, 1976, the Central African Republic became the Central African Empire. Marshal Jean-Bédel Bokassa, who had ruled the republic since he took power in 1965, was declared Emperor Bokassa I. Brutality and excess characterized his regime. He was overthrown in a coup on Sept. 20, 1979. Former president David Dacko returned to power and changed the country's name back to the Central African Republic. An army coup on Sept. 1, 1981, deposed President Dacko again.

In 1991, President André Kolingba, under pressure, announced a move toward parliamentary democracy. In elections held in Aug. 1993, Prime Minister Ange-Félix Patassé defeated Kolingba. Part of Patassé's popularity rested on his pledge to pay the back salaries of the military and civil servants.

A 1994 economic upturn was too small to effectively improve the catastrophic financial condition of the nation. Patassé was unable to pay the salaries due to government workers, and the military revolted in 1996. At Patassé's request, French troops suppressed the uprising. In 1998 the United Nations sent an all-African peacekeeping force to the country. In elections held in Sept. 1999, amid widespread charges of massive fraud, Patassé easily defeated Kolingba. Patassé survived a coup attempt in May 2001, but two years later, in March 2003, he was overthrown by Gen. François Bozizé. After two years of military rule, presidential elections were held, and Bozizé won in what international monitors called a free and fair election.

Prime Minister Elie Dote and his government resigned in January 2008, a day before Parliament was set to debate a censure motion against him. Faustin Archange Touadéra was named as his successor.

The trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former vice-president of Congo, began at the International Criminal Court in November 2010. He is accused of ordering his militia to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, including rape, murder, and torture, in the Central African Republic in 2002 and 2003 during civil unrest that followed the attempted coup against Patassé.

Arts & Culture

Music:

The music of the Central African Republic includes many different forms. Western rock and pop music, as well as Afrobeat, soukous and other genres have become popular nation-wide. The sanza is a popular instrument.

The Pygmies have a complex folk music tradition. Polyphony and counterpoint are common components, as is a varied rhythmic structure. The trumpet-based music of the Bandas has also gained some popularity outside of the area due to its jazzy structure. The Ngbaka use an unusual instrument called a mbela, which is made with an arched branch and a string strung between the two ends and held in front of the musician's mouth. When the string is struck, the mouth is used to amplify and modulate the tone. Instruments similar to the mbela are sometimes considered the oldest ancestors of all string instruments.

The national anthem of the Central African Republic is "La Renaissance". This song, which has been the anthem since 1960, was written by Barthélémy Boganda (words), the first President of the Central African Republic, and Herbert Pepper, who also composed the melody for the Senegalese national anthem.

Literature:

Only a few writers have emerged to the notoriety. Pierre Makombo Bamboté was the first writer from the CAR to be published in 1962. He is an accomplished poet and novelist, and short story writer, most known for his work Princesse Mandapu.

Étienne Goyémidé is another poet who also wrote a number of plays and novels. He wrote his first novel (Le Silence de la Forêt) about the way of life of the pygmies. A year later, his second novel debuted, called Le Dernier Survivant de la Carivane, was written about the external and inner battles between the people and the slave traders.

Film industry:

The Central African cinema holds a modest place in comparison with the other film producing African countries. The Central African director b e for his film "Zo kwe zo" ("Un homme est un Homme"). Produced in 1982, it was the first of a series entitled "Africa; is it only twenty years old?". It recalls the history of his country, using mainly oral sources, since the establishment of the French station in Bangui by Alberl Dolisie up until independence. The film represents a first attempt to describe an identity of Central Africans and their country. It won him a prizes at teh Fespaco film festival In 1982, Akouissonne directed "Les dieux noirs du stade". The first film of the scenario writer born in Bangassou in 1943, is a short film of 15 minutes, "Josepha" produced in 1974 and the first of a series featuring African woman in Europe. Victor Bissengué, another Central African scenario writer, coproduced. The letter being the driving force behind the introduction of the internet in Central Africa. In 1985 Léonie Yangba Zowe shot a series of ethnographic short films. In "Lengue" she filmed the the songs and tribal dances of the Yacoba and the Chari Sango ethnic groups. The first film to gain some international acclaim was "Silence de la forêt" by Didier Florent Ouenangare, he won a prize at the Film Festival of Amiens. It tells the story of a civil servant, in revolt against the institutions, leaving food in the bushes for the Pygmies, getting him in all kinds of trouble. Today the film industry in the Central African Republic is virtually non existent, hopes remain the young democratic government will start supporting local initatives.

Famous places:

Dzanga-Sangha National Park, in remote southwest C.A.R. near the borders with Cameroon and the Republic of Congo, protects the rain forest habitats of forest elephants, western lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, bongos, leopards and hippos, among more than 100 mammal species.

Les Chutes de la Mbi, which are on the tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site list, drop 656 feet from a tributary of the Upper Mpoko River into the basin of the Oubangui. The falls are known for their natural beauty and are easy to see from a bridge. Another significant waterfall in C.A.R. is the Chutes de Boali, a 164-foot cascade not far from Les Chutes de la Mbi. These falls really are worth a visit only in the rainy season, when the cascades reach full volume. The closest major town to these waterfalls is Bossembele, about 160 miles from Bangui off the main road to Cameroon.

Architecture history:

Villages, mostly inhabited by the male descendants of a lineage or clan, are located along and face the roads. This practice was introduced in the 1920s, to create "plantation villages" for cotton cultivation. In the 1970s, villages often were consolidated, ostensibly to modernize agriculture.

The typical dwelling, which must be replaced frequently because of termites, is made with sundried brick and thatched with wild grass; in the deep forest area palm fronds are tiled on. Mud-and-wattle structures were discouraged under French rule but still exist. Floors are made of pounded earth, on which people sleep on mats with adults sometimes using home-made beds. A whole family lives in a single dwelling, the interior of which is divided, especially when the owners have been influenced by Western culture.

Chad

{tab Chad}

Facts & figures

Full name: The Republic of Chad

Population: 11.8 million (UN, 2012)

Capital: N'Djamena

Area: 1.28 million sq km (495,800 sq miles)

Major languages: French, Arabic

Major religions: Islam, Christianity

Life expectancy: 49 years (men), 52 years (women) (UN)

Monetary unit: 1 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc = 100 centimes

Main exports: Cotton, oil, livestock, textiles

GNI per capita: US $720 (World Bank, 2011)

Internet domain: .td

International dialling code: +235

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Idriss Deby came to power in a coup and has faced several attempts to oust him by similar means.

He won a fourth term in presidential elections in April 2011, which the main opposition parties boycotted as they did the 2006 elections.

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Visa & travel advice

The Chadian Embassies and Consular Offices are the only Competent Chadian Government Agencies, who are authoried to issue Chadian visas abroad. In order to avoid any risks that may arise when boarding flights or at Chadian ports of entry due to possible miscommunication, travellers are strongly recommended to apply with the Chadian Embassy and Consular Offices in United Kingdom to get Chadian visas before travelling.

Best period:

The dry season (September to June) is the best for travel between cities, though it’s unlikely that tourists will be doing much of that in the near future.

Safety:

The U.S. Department of State has issued a travel warning for Chad and advises that visitors avoid all travel to eastern Chad

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The area around Lake Chad has been inhabited since at least 500 B.C. In the 8th century A.D. , Berbers began migrating to the area. Islam arrived in 1085, and by the 16th century a trio of rival kingdoms flourished: the Kanem-Bornu, Baguirmi, and Ouaddaï. During the years 1883–1893, all three kingdoms came under the rule of the Sudanese conqueror Rabih al-Zubayr. In 1900, Rabih was overthrown by the French, who absorbed these kingdoms into the colony of French Equatorial Africa, as part of Ubangi-Shari (now the Central African Republic), in 1913. In 1946, the territory, now known as Chad, became an autonomous republic within the French Community. An independence movement led by the first premier and president, François (later Ngarta) Tombalbaye, achieved complete independence on Aug. 11, 1960. Tombalbaye was killed in the 1975 coup and succeeded by Gen. Félix Malloum, who faced a Libyan-financed civil war throughout his tenure in office. In 1977, Libya seized a strip of Chadian land and launched an invasion two years later.

Nine rival groups meeting in Lagos, Nigeria, in March 1979 agreed to form a provisional government headed by Goukouni Oueddei, a former rebel leader. Fighting broke out again in Chad in March 1980, when Defense Minister Hissen Habré challenged Goukouni and seized the capital. Libyan president Muammar al-Qaddafi, in Jan. 1981, proposed a merger of Chad with Libya. The Libyan proposal was rejected and Libyan troops withdrew from Chad that year, but in 1983 they poured back into the northern part of the country in support of Goukouni. France, in turn, sent troops into southern Chad in support of Habré. Government troops then launched an offensive in early 1987 that drove the Libyans out of most of the country.

In 1990, Idriss Déby, a former defense minister and head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement, overthrew Habré, suspended the constitution, and dissolved the legislature. In 1994 a new constitution was drafted and an amnesty for political prisoners was declared. Déby won multiparty elections in 1996 and was reelected in 2001. His rule has been marked by repression and corruption. Déby has faced about a half-dozen insurgencies since taking office.

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Music:

Chad is an ethnically diverse Central African country in Africa. Each of its regions has its own unique varieties of music and dance. The Fulani people, for example, use single-reeded flutes, while the ancient griot tradition uses five-string kinde and various kinds of horns, and the Tibesti region uses lutes and fiddles. Musical ensembles playing horns and trumpets such as the long royal trumpets known as "waza" or "kakaki" are used in coronations and other upper-class ceremonies throughout both Chad and Sudan.

The national anthem of Chad is "La Tchadienne," written in 1960 by Paul Villard and Louis Gidrol with help from Gidrol's student group

Literature:

Chadian literature has suffered greatly from the turmoil which has engulfed the country, economical and political. As with many cultures, literature in Chad began with folk tales and legends.[1] While French is the dominant language, Arabic is also used by some Chadian writers. Chadian literature is more prevalent in France than in Chad itself, due to market demand and the repressive culture present in Chad.[2]

Chad's only literary critic, Ahmat Taboye, wrote Anthologie de la littérature tchadienne in 2003 to spread knowledge of Chadian literature. Though there are not very many well-known Chadian writers, there are a few, including Joseph Brahim Seïd, Baba Moustapha, Antoine Bangui and Koulsy Lamko.

Film industry:

Chad cinematic history has only developed in the last few decades. The first renowned cineast is Edouard Sailly, who devoted himself to the production of filmed newspapers about Chad and also produced short films. His first feature is "Les Abattoirs de Forcha" (1966), a 15-minute documentary. "Largeau" (1966), one of his other early works , focussed archaeological richnesses of Tessaly, within the boundaries of Chad. He yet film another interesting short : "Le Troisieme Jour". In 1969 he directed "the child of Chad" and launches out in a new adventure in 1972 with "The discovery of Chad", another documentary film. While following a tourist route, he discovers the charms and beauties of his country.

Chad's first female filmmaker, Zara Mahamat Yacoub won international recognition in 1994 with her video Dilemme au Feminin. The film's subject matter brought her in conflict with the Chad regime. However, she managed to produce a further documentary in 1996 on the plight of street children, Les enfants de la Rue. In July 1999, Zara Majamat Yacoub completed her short film l'Enfance confisquée, the first film to be produced by a production company based in Chad, by Sud Cap Productions. Focused on the childhood slavery of Miriam, the short film appeals for clemency and affection to be shown towards children.

Other noteworthy productions are from Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, with his shorts "Maral Tanie" (1994), "Goï-Goï, le nain" (1995) and "Bord Africa" (1995) and Serge Issa Coelo, directed his debut short film "a taxi for Aouzou" (1994). Both Coelo and Haroun directed a full feature film. Bye Bye Africa is the first feature film from Chad. Director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun presents a "documentary fiction", a story about making a documentary. The film addresses the difficulties in making and distributing or even visit a film in Chad and , at the same time, shows the advantages and possibillities of video technology. Bye Bye Africa won several prizes (Venise 99, Zanzibar 2000, M-Net All African Awards 2000). "Dar es Salam" is the first African feature film to focus on the civil wars, director Issa Serge Coelo's first feature belongs together with Bye Bye Africa to the first features from Chad. The film was co-written by one of Chad's first filmmakers, Ismael Ben Shérif. In 2001 "Dar es Salam" became the first Chadian film to be nominated for best film at the FESPACO film festival in Burkino Faso.

The french filmmaker Caroline Chomienne produced "a letter to Ahmat" (2001),a documentary in the form of a letter addressed to Ahmat Yacoub, vice-president of the Coordination for Armed Movements and Political Opposition Parties of Chad. Being one of the poorest countries in the world, it is a small miracle some filmmakers manage to produce at all. The slow political process towards democracy might offer a glimmer of hope in the 21st century. All features from Chad are co-productions in collaboration with French funds or with filmmakers from surrounding countries. A recent example is the 85 minute long film Abouna by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (2003).

Famous places:

The Tibesti Mountains offer a landscape of canyons, rock faces and forests. Located in northwestern Chad, the mountains are 300 miles long and 175 miles wide with the volcanic summit of Emi Koussi reaching 11,204 feet above sea level. Travel to this remote range, which extends into Niger and Libya, can be dangerous, particularly as travel outside of the capital is at risk of carjacking and tribes living in mountain villages can be hostile to outsiders.

Zakouma National Park is Chad's prime location for safari. Wild animals including elephants, antelope, wildebeests and lions are found in the park, which is situated 500 miles southeast of N'Djamena. Poaching was a major problem in the park during Chad's civil war, but it recently has been restocked in an attempt to capture part of the tourist market. Reaching the park is difficult and the best way to arrange a trip is through one of the travel agencies based in N'Djamena

Architecture history:

The rate of urbanization in Chad is low, with most of the people still living as cultivators and pastoralists in dispersed hamlets, cattle camps, villages, and oases. Old capitals of the sultanates and kingdoms (for example, Njimi, capital of the Kanem kingdom, Wara of the Ouaddaïsultanate, and Niere of the Tama sultanate) have dwindled in size and few historical structures remain except for some palaces and mosques. There is a significant variety of building styles, use of space, mobility patterns, and material culture across the ethnic groups and climatic conditions. In the countryside, the traditional house- and hut-building styles are maintained, although the construction of corrugated iron and concrete buildings has rapidly expanded. In the sparsely populated north, with its vast expenses of desert plains, distances are great between pasture areas and human settlements. Several nomadic groups live in tents and shelter structures. The sedentary cultivators in the south live in villages and have a much higher population density. Abéchéis perhaps the most characteristic town of Chad, with its clay buildings, monuments, and small winding streets.

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