Mussulo Island Chapel

According to the classification decree, this chapel represents “a testimony to the use given to the islands adjacent to the ancient city of São Paulo de Loanda by Portuguese colonists, for the concentration, storage and clandestine shipment of slaves captured within the former colony of Angola ”, informs the Lusa agency.

The document, dated May 8, recognizes the “need to promote recognition” of the so-called “Chapel of Mussulo Island” as an “important testimony of collective memory”, and it is now up to the local administration to take measures for the “effective protection and valorization of the said heritage and its protection zone”.

This classification comes at a time when a master plan is being drawn up to requalify the Mussulo peninsula, a reference point for tourism in Luanda, considered urgent to stop the current scenario of “disorder” in the occupation of that area.
Since 2011, the preparation of this project has been carried out by the Technical Office for the Management of Requalification and Urban Development of the Coastal Perimeter of the City of Luanda, Futungo de Belas and Mussulo.

“It is urgent to change the current situation of disorder in the population settlements on the peninsula which, in large part, threaten the fragile environmental ecosystem and influence the quality of life of all usurers of this beautiful and important part of our city of Luanda”, he recently argued Rodrigo dos Santos, director of that office, when presenting the proposal in public consultation and still dependent on the Government.
The 'island' of Mussulo is in practice a sandbank, with 99 kilometers of coastline, connected to land.

Practically inaccessible by car, only by boat, it currently has luxury 'resorts', restaurants, condominiums and several beaches.
The peninsula covers an area of 3,355 hectares - excluding islands in inland waters from the intervention of this plan -, with 84% of this territory being natural landscape and only 16% urbanized land.

According to data from the survey carried out for this study, 15,300 people currently live in Mussulo in permanent homes and 3,700 in second homes, with the peninsula having four schools, a fire station, two health centers and 200 beds in eight 'resorts' .
Source: Africa 21 Digital