The following will give you a slight insight into the Angolan culture, which is very diverse. These are only a few aspects of it.
Music, dance and handicrafts are only some examples of the creativity of Angolan people. They love celebrating Carnival in February. Traditional music, for example Semba and Rebita, is played and every tribe has its own traditional dance.
Folk music is mostly carnival-style music and is similar to the Brazilian Samba. Slowly, traditional Angolan music is becoming more and more influenced by international musicians. Modern styles of music are for example kizomba, kuduro and zouk.
Handicrafts and ceremonial masks are another part of the Angolan culture. They are made of many different materials such as wood, palm fibres, bronze, ivory or horn. Every ethnic group uses its own style of masks.
The most popular sport in Angola is football since the national team participated in the FIFA World Cup 2006. Additionally, the country hosted the Africa Cup of Nations in 2010. The basketball team is quite successful as well and has participated in the Olympic games. Additionally, capoeira is very popular especially among young people. It is said it originated among Angolan slaves in Brazil. Those slaves practised this combination of dance and martial arts in order to channel aggression and to express themselves.
Angola was part of the ancient kingdom of Kongo and occupied by the Portuguese. Therefore, Angolan culture is strongly influenced by the Portuguese culture in many areas such as language, religion, literature, art, architecture or cuisine.
The Angolan population consists of different ethnic groups. The biggest group is the Ovimbundu, followed by the Kimbundu and the Bakongo. Some other small minorities are Lunda, Chokwe, Nganguela, Cuanhama, Nyaneca and Nkhumbi. Every tribe has its own history and customs. As you can see, Angolan culture is really diverse!