Afonso Loureiro is a Portuguese blogger who has been living in Angola since 2008 for professional reasons: he works in cartography for an Angolan company and is also dedicated to train local staff with the distinct purpose of reducing dependence on foreigners working in that area. Because of his blog, Afonso has been threatened with death. In this interview he tells Global Voices about these episodes, he reflects about self censorship and freedom of expression and he speaks about his foreign perspectives about the country that welcomed him. Why did you chose blogging as a form of expression? The Aerograma [Aerogram, pt] was born mainly as a channel to broadcast my experiences abroad to close family and friends. The lines of communication between Angola and Portugal do not always work the best and this was the way I found that it would always be possible to pass on what I was living. On the other hand, the blog would become a repository of memories that I could revisit later. However, without that I had realized, it fled out of my hands. I started writing regularly and not only targetting my dear ones: a real crowd of people began to follow my experiences in Luanda. The next step will be the completion of a book inspired by the journey that Aerograma has drawn. How long have you had this blog? The blog was officially created in March 2008, but its official start was in June that year, when I left for Angola. Shortly thereafter, I began to publish articles on a daily basis. What motivates you to write about Angola? I don't write exclusively about Angola; I write about what moved me. Aerograma was brought to life so that I could share my experiences, which in this moment happen in Angola, aiming to present in a balanced way the country that hosted me, with its good and bad things. Do you have family ties with the country? From my family only my grandfather has been in Angola, doing military service during World War I, when he fought against the Germans. How would you describe Angola? Angola is a country full of potential, though wounded by a war that soon became an excuse for resources to be appropriated by a very limited elite. Oil is the basis of the Angolan economy and agriculture doesn't really go much further than subsistence. New generations will face many challenges ahead, but after a decade of peace and increasing openness in politics, they also have a promising future ahead. Moreover, if there is a word that sums up Angola that word is ‘future’. Angola seeks to establish its own identity, denying its colonial history, but some traces of five centuries of coexistence with the Portuguese cannot be erased. The very integrity of the country is achieved at the expense of the Portuguese language, which unites and distinguishes its people, erasing ethnic boundaries. Economic Barometer from Aerograma, CC Licensed How do you see the unbridled growth of the country? Angola's economic growth was mainly due to the fluctuation of oil prices and capital movements. A sustained growth has not been seen that would translate into improved economic and social conditions of the country. Most investments only seek short term return, as imports or luxury hotels. Investment in agricultural or industrial production, with more dilated payback periods of capital, is pre-empted by the Angolan businessmen. Fortunately, in the midst of so many dazzling projects, the roads are being recovered. Bottom-up economic growth will arise even with an economy that depends on oil as the main source of revenue. Currently, the Angolan economy depends almost entirely on foreign companies and technical expertise that, of course, are also interested in generating wealth for themselves. While the Angolan staff are not sufficient to meet the needs, the Angolan economic growth will only enrich others. What do you like the most about Angola and why? What do you like the least and why? After having traveled around part of the country, from the dense forests of the north almost to the southern desert and having been amazed by the endless horizons of Africa, I have to admit that what I like and admire the most in Angola is its people. Especially outside Luanda, I have had super interesting and relaxed conversations with Angolans of all ages. I discovered a fighting people, still marked by a war that was not theirs. I discovered engaged students and good professionals seeking an opportunity to show their potential. Smiles from Aerograma, CC Licensed The endemic corruption that pervades the country and the climate of war that is still lived in the capital are the main negative points that I highlight. These two factors create and exacerbate inequality and make life very difficult for most of the population.