Kwanza Corridor

It boasts beautiful landscapes and historical landmarks, created during the penetration of the Portuguese into the kingdom of Ndongo (16th century), which should be revisited, through cultural tourism.
From a natural point of view, the corridor includes vast vegetation along the along the Kwanza River, as well as a rich biodiversity.
On the cultural side, it encompasses a set of assets such as fortresses and secular churches, among other infrastructures, including the historic city of Dondo itself.

These particularities make the Kwanza Corridor an asset to be preserved, valued and enjoyed, not only by Angolan society, but also by visitors attracted from other parts of the planet, generating resources for the country's socio-economic and cultural development.
In the past, it was considered an area of active trade, initially practiced by Mbumbos (beaters or sellers) from the Kingdom of Ndongo, and which had satisfactory levels of resources, including sources of minerals such as iron and salt, agriculture, pastoralism and a small industry that moved men and goods, and which fostered a complex trade network.

Today, curiously, the weight of this economic dimension is still evident in the practice of fishing and other agricultural and livestock activities.
The Kwanza River has several natural characteristics that facilitate population settlements on its banks.
The space, which falls within the geographical limits of the Kingdom of Ndongo, whose capital is Kabasa and its sovereign Ngola Kiluanji, had excellent surveillance points and was naturally defended by a set of hills.

It is also said that within this natural framework of protection, in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Portuguese developed a military defense system, making the Kwanza River the main axis of penetration into the interior of Angola, eager to reach the fairs and the legendary silver mines that supposedly existed in the region, especially in Kambambe.

The defensive potential of the Kwanza Corridor, corresponding to the period of occupation, it was established in Massangano, in 1583, at the strategic point of the confluence of the Kwanza and Kukala rivers, in Muxima, in 1599/1606, and in Kambambe, in 1604, at the navigable limit of the Kwanza.
The establishment in these strategic points gave a considerable boost to the settlement of the colonial population in the interior and were mandatory stopping points for vessels demanding the capture of slaves.

However, the lack of investment, especially in access roads, turns the corridor into an underutilized space and less known by national and foreign tourists, says historian Anderson Victor André, in an interview with ANGOP.
Considers the historic towns of Muxima, Massangano, Dondo and Cambambe, as well as the island of Gundo, to be the biggest references on the route and points of attraction for visitors, which, if well explored, can serve as sources of revenue collection for the State.

Massangano, the maximum exponentDespite its vast area of treasures, it is in Massangano that the Kwanza Corridor retains enormous historical, cultural and tourist value that the Kwanza embraces in its bed towards the Atlantic.
The town of Massangano was once the provisional capital of Angola during the occupation of Luanda by the Dutch, during the reign of Portuguese captain Paulo Dias de Novais, deceased and buried in the same location.