Last Friday, September 25, I had the opportunity to take part, for the first time, in the Noite das Artes, an initiative that allows people to visit several galleries in Luanda in a single evening and which aims to take place on the last Friday of every month.
And I will start with the most important thing: I liked the initiative and I think Luanda needs more projects of this kind.
In a country where we so often talk about the need to create experiences, boost domestic tourism, diversify what we have to offer our visitors and, above all, encourage people to rediscover their own cities, this is precisely one of those initiatives that deserves to be supported.
Six galleries took part in this edition: The Art Affair, ELA – Espaço Luanda Arte, Why Not, Galeria Palomino Artes, Galeria D'Maio and Galeria Mayamba.
The organisers also provided transport between the different venues through Vambazar Taxis and the sightseeing bus associated with Visit Angola.

Discovering Luanda through art

The concept seems simple, but it has a great deal of potential.
For several hours, each participant can enter and leave the different galleries, discover exhibitions, talk, have a glass of wine and, above all, discover parts of the city where many people had probably never been before.
That is exactly what happened to me.
Although I regularly follow activities related to tourism, culture and destination promotion, this was the first time I took part in this circuit.
And one of the conclusions I drew is that the Noite das Artes should not be seen merely as a cultural initiative.
It is also an urban tourism experience.
We are moving around Luanda, discovering different neighbourhoods and spaces, entering galleries, observing architecture, meeting people and experiencing culture.
It is precisely this connection between art, the city, tourism and mobility that makes the concept particularly interesting.

Six spaces, six different atmospheres

It was equally interesting to see how each gallery has its own identity.
The Art Affair, located on Rua Pedro Félix Machado, was perhaps the gallery that surprised me the most.
I particularly liked the organisation of the space, the way the pieces were presented and the experience created around the artworks.
ELA – Espaço Luanda Arte, located on Rua Comandante Che Guevara, is run by Dominick Maia Tanner and presents a very distinctive approach to contemporary art, with a strong connection to artistic research, memory, identity and Angolan culture.
Why Not, located at Rua da Liberdade 217, presents a concept that combines a gallery, social gatherings, events and encounters between creators and the public.
Galeria Palomino Artes, located at Hotel Forum, was a space I already knew better and which has a particular characteristic.
It is not limited to exhibiting artworks.
It also offers an artistic training component, with classes and activities related to painting, giving it a different dimension within this circuit.
Galeria D'Maio, located at Largo Rainha Ginga, was another of the spaces I particularly enjoyed, not only because of the pieces on display, but also because of the organisation and presentation of the space.
Finally, Galeria Mayamba, located in the Ingombota area, completes this circuit, allowing visitors to discover different approaches, artists and ways of presenting art in Luanda.

Painting, photography and different ways of looking at Angola

Throughout the evening, we encountered mainly painting and photography.
But perhaps what was most interesting was precisely the diversity of languages, artists and ways of organising the different spaces.
There are more institutional galleries, others that are more intimate, spaces with a more evident commercial focus and others that seek to create a closer relationship between the artist, the artwork and the visitor.
For me, this is one of the project's great strengths.
You do not need to be a collector, art critic or an expert in painting to follow this route.
We can simply enter, look, like or dislike something, talk and move on to the next gallery.
And this is precisely how new audiences for culture are created.

A glass of wine to accompany the journey

Another detail I liked was the possibility of purchasing a glass and using it throughout the evening.
At the different venues, white and red wine from Casa Ermelinda Freitas, a partner of the initiative, was served.
It may seem like just a detail, but it is not.
It helps create an atmosphere, encourages people to stay longer in the galleries, promotes social interaction and transforms what could simply have been a visit to an exhibition into an experience.
It is this combination of art, city, people, wine and mobility that makes the concept interesting.

Vambazar Taxis worked; the sightseeing bus left much to be desired

Mobility is precisely another important element of this project.
Vambazar Taxis provided transport between the galleries, a solution that we ended up using and which proved essential in allowing us to complete the circuit within the available time.
Unfortunately, my experience with the sightseeing bus associated with Visit Angola was the main negative point of the evening.
And I am making this criticism precisely because I believe in the product's potential.
A sightseeing bus in Luanda naturally arouses curiosity.
It was clear that many people wanted to experience the feeling of travelling around the city in that type of vehicle.
We wanted to do it ourselves.
The problem was the operation.
At the first gallery, we ended up waiting nearly an hour for the bus.
Realising that, at that rate, we would hardly be able to visit all the galleries before the event ended, we eventually decided to take a taxi and continue the route.
Later, we finally managed to take a trip on the sightseeing bus.
But the experience confirmed what we had already felt earlier.
There was a lack of regularity, adherence to the route and, above all, an operation clearly focused on transporting participants.

Provide the service first. Then photograph the well-delivered service

At certain moments, the impression left was particularly negative.
While participants were waiting for transport, there was a visible focus on producing images of the bus itself, including video footage and the use of a drone.
I have nothing against producing promotional content.
On the contrary.
Anyone working in communications knows perfectly well how important it is to create good images and promote a product.
But there is an order: first provide a good service, Then photograph and film the well-delivered service.
When image production apparently begins to interfere with what should be the product's primary function, something needs to be corrected.
At an event of this kind, the main purpose of transport associated with the initiative should be simple.
Move around, transport participants and allow them to visit as many galleries as possible.

The sightseeing bus can itself be a tourism product in Luanda

Perhaps this is also why I consider it important to make this criticism.
The sightseeing bus has potential.
A great deal of potential.
Luanda needs tourism experiences that are easy to understand, operate regularly, have defined schedules and allow a resident or visitor to get on at one point, travel around the city, discover places and get off again.
An experience like this integrated into the Noite das Artes could be fantastic.
But this requires professional operation.
Schedules, frequency, routes, clearly defined stops and absolute priority given to passengers.
At an event that lasts only a few hours, waiting an hour for transport represents a very significant part of the entire experience available.
It is too much.

One criticism cannot overshadow what was done well

It would, however, be deeply unfair to reduce the Noite das Artes to this problem.
My overall assessment of the initiative is very positive.
I liked the galleries.
I liked the diversity of the artworks.
I liked the atmosphere.
I liked the idea of the wine.
I liked the movement of people and, above all, seeing a Luanda that, on a Friday evening, managed to bring people together around culture.
To the gallery owners, artists, organisers and partners who continue to insist on and invest in this project, I would like to express my thanks.
I sincerely hope that the initiative continues to take place and that it manages to grow over the coming months.
Because tourism is also this.
It is not just beaches, hotels, restaurants or major monuments.
Tourism is about providing reasons to leave home, discovering a place we have never entered before, walking along a street in a different way, meeting an artist and looking at our own city with different eyes.
Last Friday, for a few hours, that is what the Noite das Artes managed to do in Luanda.
And I would do the route again.

I only hope that, next time, the bus will actually be waiting for us to take the journey — and not us waiting for it.

Opinion article by: Jorge Nunes