Hello to all steemers.
This post is being created trying to bring awareness to what is happening in #Angola (like in other #Africa countries) and trying to change that.
I'll try to make it short as I'm planning to develop much more about each of the topics presented here, not only if it is common interest, but because it should be.
I would like to ask sorry for the not perfect English, and writing, since this is not my Native language, and this is the 1st time I'm writing such a long text and in a blog.
A bit about myself (short):
I'm an IT enthusiast and as such I started to work in the IT field, and ended up coming to Angola to work in the IT industry. That was 3 years ago, when the country was full of money, and Luanda (capital of Angola) was the most expensive city in the world. It was when I arrived here, that i realize how this country really is, and how lucky me as a European was.
Angola changed me!
A bit about Angola (Luanda):
Luanda is the capital of Angola, and since last year, it was the most expensive city in the world. With houses costing millions of dollars, to a normal basic meal costing around 3000 Kwanzas (30$) in the old days, the country was the most promising country in Africa. The governors, ministers, deputies, bankers, and locals positioned on high roles winning salaries around 10.000$/month. This elite society with abundance of money, were able to get whatever they want, like Porsche Cars, Ferraris, Camaro, Mustangs, etc.
On the other side, the locals live below poverty, without sanitization, without clean water, without energy, without health, and in poor conditions, wining a minimum salary of 18.000 Kwanzas (180$/month in old days). So here, we are starting to see the discrepancy.
How is this possible?
In one big word: CORRUPTION.
Angola has been since "ever" in the list of one of the most corruption country. Where Police stops people to ask for money, the so called "gasosa". Where high position ministers, and decision makers receives houses, cars, expensive tv’s, and EPIC bonuses in cash to close deals, been those in the IT field, or construction field, or oil field or whatever.
If you want to close a deal in Angola, someone, some decision maker, will put like 20% of that deal in their own "pocket". If you try to question the government or it's attitudes, if you read something against the government and study that or if you open you month and express yourself, you will be arrested as political prisoner, like it happened recently to more than 17 people. That turned into a world news across all globe being talked in the Guardian, and in White House.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/13/angola-repression-generates-more-dissent-politics-mpla
The financial, oil crisis and its effects in Angola, and its economy (short):
When the oil crisis appeared Angola was hit like a truck, since like 90% of it's economy was sustained by oil, and this lead to a snowball of crisis. With construction companies stopping, employers been fired, and sent to their countries, with the lack of some stuff on the supermarkets, it started the coin devaluation, and salaries and all the rest even got worst.
The "Kwanza", the "Banks", the "We don't have dollars" response and "The black-market":
Kwanza is the currency of Angola and last here it was matched at around 100Kwanzas = $1USD. At the present day, this is not true anymore as Kwanza went to 200Kwanzas for $1USD, but this is not the real issue.
The issue is that banks "don’t have" dollars or euros or any other external currency, at least is what they say, but at the end, we keep seeing people exchanging money on the streets, and on Facebook groups, in a rate of 600Kwanzas for $1USD, this means that it's 3x the price of banks.
Moreover, who injects this money in the streets? The Banks employers themselves... Some people already got caught and lost their jobs (at least that) but the problem persists...
Please note that the image is from February and the situation got even worst since those days.
Banks credit cards and International Transfers:
In Angola, banks are not providing credit cards, people with dollars in their dollar accounts can't withdraw their dollars (banks convert them to Kwanzas) and international transfers for salary and family issues, are taking around 3 to 4 months to be done.
The National Bank of Angola only from time to time sells foreign currency to commercial Banks, and where the money goes? To their administrator, or to the big companies, remaining nothing for the average people, who pretend to go out to travel, to have a medical treatment or to buy something outside.
This is were Bitcoin or Altcoins can come in handy.
Bitcoins / Altcoins:
With this lack of access to external currencies, and with locals and expats being denied the access to foreign currencies, I believe that Bitcoin and other Altcoins should fulfill this gap, as from my understanding, that is the purpose of it, to make it available to everyone and everywhere. Not only the big nations, but also to the smallest ones, who need it most. I tried myself to contact some entities and companies related with Bitcoin but never had the luck to find someone with the vision, motivation and the will to change this, and help this "forgotten" markets and countries.
So the question remains, when or will be there Bitcoin or any other Digital Currency in #Angola?
I'm here to create bridges, and gather more information, and do all that I can, since I really believe this would be a plus to show how Bitcoin can help the "forgotten" countries.