Film Title: "Echoes of Resilience: The Silent Struggles of Angola's Mwila Tribe" || Indigenous people

Film Title: "Echoes of Resilience: The Silent Struggles of Angola's Mwila Tribe"

Filmmaker Name: Sofonie Dala

Story About: This film tells the story of the Mwila tribe women in Southern Angola, who face the dual challenges of preserving their cultural heritage and surviving in an increasingly hostile climate. As they migrate from their ancestral lands to urban centers like Luanda, the film explores their resilience, struggles, and the socio-economic inclusion efforts aimed at supporting them.

Coordinates: The film's geographic focus spans from the Huila Plateau (Coordinates: 14.9510° S, 13.5006° E) to the urban areas of Luanda (Coordinates: 8.8390° S, 13.2894° E).

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Narration:

In the heart of Southern Angola, where the sun scorches the earth and the winds carry whispers of ancient traditions, lives a resilient people—the Mwila tribe. Semi-nomadic and deeply rooted in their ancestral lands, the Mwila people have long thrived in one of the most arid regions of the world. Yet, as the climate shifts and the rains grow more uncertain, their way of life is under threat like never before.

The Mwila women, with their bare chests adorned in vibrant beads and fabrics, have become icons of their culture. They are the keepers of traditions, the nurturers of the land, and the providers for their families. They breed cattle, their lifeline, and craft oils and natural teas from the harsh, unforgiving landscape. These products not only nourish their bodies but also sustain their communities—economically and spiritually.

But now, Angola faces its worst drought in 40 years. The rivers dry up, the cattle weaken, and the children go hungry. The Mwila, who once proudly roamed their lands, are being pushed into the cities, where they are met with discrimination, poverty, and the threat of violence. They leave behind a land that no longer sustains them, only to find that the modern world does not welcome them.

I am Sofonie Dala, and I have dedicated myself to connecting with these women, these guardians of a vanishing way of life. Through my work with Talentos Multiplus, we are building bridges—creating a platform for the Mumuila women and girls to find their voices in a world that often silences them. We aim to uplift them, to protect them, and to ensure that their stories are not lost to the winds of change.

In this documentary, we will walk with the Mwila women through the dusty paths of Huila and into the bustling streets of Luanda. We will hear their stories—stories of resilience, of survival, and of the quiet strength that has carried them through centuries. This is a story not just of the Mwila tribe but of the many indigenous communities around the world who stand at the frontline of climate change.

As the world gathers for COP29, let us listen to these voices from the margins. Let us see the faces of those who bear the brunt of our changing climate. And let us act—not out of pity, but out of respect and responsibility. For in the echoes of their resilience, we find the true measure of our humanity.

Story:

The Mwila, or Mumuhuila people, are a semi-nomadic ethnic group living in southern Angola, particularly in the Huíla region. They belong to the larger Nyaneka-Humbe ethnic group, which inhabits the Huíla Plateau and the headwaters of the Caculovar River in southwestern Angola. This region is one of the most arid in the world.

The Mwila people, who speak the Mwela dialect of the Nyaneka-Humbe, also communicate primarily in Umbundu, a Bantu language spoken in Angola. Unlike other ethnic groups that fled Angola to neighboring countries due to wars, climate change, drought, and invasions, the Mwila people and their parent ethnic group, Nyaneka-Humbe, did not disperse outside Angola but are instead dispersing within the country.

Angola is currently experiencing the worst drought emergency in the last 40 years due to climate change. The effects of this drought include food shortages, lack of potable water, cattle dying from disease, and malnourished children, among other issues.

Southern and central Angola are facing some of the worst climate shocks in recent years, including alternating droughts and floods. Vulnerable populations are forced to use untreated wastewater for consumption, relying on stagnant and unprotected ponds where animals drink and defecate. Rural populations seek water that is dangerous for drinking, cooking, and feeding their animals.

These women are cattle breeders, and it is from this livelihood that they earn their income. In addition to this business, they are also known for marketing natural teas, mupeke oil, and ngundi oil to nourish the hair. This dark oil, with a strong burning odor, is manually extracted by adult women from a fruit of a typical shrub in the Namibe region and is used for treating hair and skin.

With their imposing bare chests, necklaces, and colorful fabrics, this is how Mumuila women present themselves, whether in their tribe or in the middle of the metropolis.

Poverty, food shortages, wars, political conflicts, and natural disasters force Mumuilas to migrate to the country's capital.

Today, as a means of adapting to urban life, some Mumuila women choose to wear blouses or dresses to avoid harassment, sexual abuse, and unpleasant comments regarding their semi-nudity.

Among Angolans, many are unaware of the true culture of the Mumuilas, especially their history. This people is often rejected by society, viewed as a tribe with habits that do not align with life in more modern societies. In Luanda, these women attract much attention as they walk the streets. Many still react strangely, but there are also those who praise them.

Over the past few years, Sofonie Dala has tirelessly worked to identify and engage with indigenous communities dispersed across Angola, particularly the women of the Mumuila tribe. These women often struggle with communication in Portuguese and face discrimination in urban areas, leading to difficulties in selling their products, such as oil. Many are forced to migrate to major cities due to hunger, drought, and poverty, where they also face the threat of sexual abuse.

To address these challenges, the startup Talentos Multiplus, led by Sofonie Dala, has created a socio-economic inclusion platform specifically for Mumuila tribe women and girls dispersed throughout Angola. This initiative aims to support their integration and uplift their living conditions, providing them with opportunities and protection.

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Happy International Day Of The World’s Indigenous Peoples 2024 || Protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact

 International Day Of The World’s Indigenous Peoples

Protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact

The Angolan context

On December 23, 1994, the United Nations General Assembly declared in its resolution 49/214 that the International Day of the World's Indigenous People would be observed annually on August 9. This date commemorates the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982.

The 2024 International Day is being observed online on Friday, August 9, with this year's theme focusing on "Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact."

Today, we are reflecting on the identities and urgent challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation and those in initial contact. We also call on everyone to share progress on how their rights can be effectively recognized and protected.

There are an estimated 476 million indigenous people across 90 countries worldwide. They represent less than 5% of the global population but account for 15% of the poorest. They speak the majority of the world’s approximately 7,000 languages and embody 5,000 distinct cultures.

Indigenous peoples are custodians of unique cultures and have distinctive ways of relating to others and the environment. They have preserved social, cultural, economic, and political characteristics that set them apart from the dominant societies in which they live. Despite their cultural diversity, indigenous peoples around the world face common challenges in protecting their rights as distinct groups.

A Glimpse into the Mumuila Tribe in Angola

Over the past few years, Sofonie Dala has been tirelessly working to identify and engage with indigenous communities dispersed across Angola, particularly the women of the Mumuila tribe. These women often struggle with communication in Portuguese and face discrimination in urban areas, leading to difficulties in selling their products, such as oil. Many are forced to migrate to major cities due to hunger, drought, and poverty, where they also face the threat of sexual abuse.

To address these challenges, the startup Talentos Multiplus, led by Sofonie Dala, has created a socio-economic inclusion platform specifically for Mumuila tribe women and girls dispersed throughout Angola. This initiative aims to support their integration and uplift their living conditions, providing them with opportunities and protection.

Mumuila Tribe Ladies 

Indigenous peoples’ communities are tightly bound to key elements of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies (SDG 16).

Video on demand 

Ladies good afternoon!

Good afternoon.

What's your name?

My name is Elisa

And you?

My name is Ana.

What province did you come from?

We came from Lubango.

Why did you come to Luanda?

We came to sell oil.

What kind of oil is this and for what purpose?

This is mupeke oil and this is dibaleia oil.

Mupeke oil can be put in the hair, and dibaleia oil can be used to massage the body and relieve pain.

How is life here in Luanda? Is it easy or hard?

Well, this business is not paying off, people are not buying.

Did you bring a lot of oil from Lubango?

Yes we brought a lot of oil but it is not yielding, this business is slow, everything is stagnant.

Here in Luanda where do you live?

We live in Bem-fica.

From Bem-fica to here? Too far?

And how do you live in the Bem-fica? Is there a big house where you all reside?

We are living with a countrywoman of ours.

So you came to the municipality of Cazenga to try to market the mupeke oil business that is not being profitable?

Yes, yes we are trying to spread our business.

Is this your baby?

Yes.

Do you have husbands?

Yes, the husbands stayed in Lubango.

Your husbands stayed there to graze animals, didn't they?

Yes, they are taking care of the land.

These women abandoned their land because of famine and drought in southern Angola. They came to Capital Luanda, looking for better living conditions. But the reality here in the city is much more cruel, they face discrimination and social exclusion, many have been victims of sexual violence.

They usually sell traditional oils, mupeke oil for hair and dibaleia (cow fat) oil for body massage, but due to social discrimination, this business is not profitable and they end up begging and wandering around the city of Luanda. 

These women live a life of extreme poverty in the country's capital, face discrimination and social exclusion, which makes it difficult for them to earn income from their business.

Sometimes stopping to talk to them and buy one of their products, even if you don't need it, is an act of solidarity that can raise these women's self-esteem and make them feel useful and valued.

The Mumuila people are people from the ‘Nhaneca-humbi’ ethno-linguistic group spread throughout the province of Huila.

They are one of the peoples who still maintain their ancient customs and traditions. Many people are unaware of its existence. The Mumuilas are cattle breeders, which is their main source of livelihood.

Circulating in the city's arteries or positioned in the streets and markets, children, girls and adult women, mumuilas arouse the curiosity of anyone, especially visitors, forcing them to make a short stop.

Generally, the ladies have part of the body adorned with samakaka cloths, typical braids, the neck surrounded with beads of various colors, which also serve to adorn the head, neck, trunk, where the necklaces are placed forming the mathematical sign of times (X), as well as bracelets representing the local transcendental cultural wealth, to be preserved and valued.

On the streets, they sell natural teas and mumpeke and Ngundi oil to vitaminize the hair. Naked, by cultural imperative, these women attract the eyes of most tourists, some unaware of the uses and customs of the Nyaneka-Nhkumbi ethno-linguistic group.

Indigenous peoples play a unique and valuable role in ensuring the sustainable management of a significant share of the world’s lands, ecosystems and biodiversity. Indeed, the territories of indigenous peoples are home to 80 per cent of the world’s biodiversity.

Equally important, the food systems of indigenous peoples are anchored in sustainable livelihoods and the principle of ensuring the food sovereignty and well-being of communities.

It is therefore an especially unfortunate reality that indigenous peoples are among the people most likely to be left behind – poverty rates among the world’s estimated 476 million indigenous peoples are significantly higher than for populations at large – as a result of discrimination, historic injustices, and inability (or, in some cases, lack of political willingness) to protect their internationally enshrined rights to their lands and territories.

As a result of indigenous peoples’ strong engagement in the process towards the 2030 Agenda, the final resolution “Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”  (A/RES/70/1) refers to indigenous peoples 6 times, three times in the political declaration; two in the targets under Goal 2 on Zero Hunger (target 2.3) and Goal 4 on education (target 4.5) – and one in the section on follow up and review that calls for indigenous peoples’ participation. 

In addition to the above-mentioned goals on hunger, the environment and climate, and peaceful societies, in contexts where issues related to the exclusion of indigenous peoples from the benefits of development – and failure to uphold their rights – are not adequately addressed, it will be impossible to end poverty (SDG 1), achieve gender equality (SDG 5) or reduce inequalities (SDG 10). 

Indigenous peoples have sought recognition of their identities, their way of life and their right to traditional lands, territories and natural resources for years. Yet, throughout history, their rights have been violated. Indigenous peoples today, are arguably among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of people in the world. The international community now recognizes that special measures are required to protect their rights and maintain their distinct cultures and way of life.

In order to raise awareness of the needs of these population groups, every 9 August commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982.

Do you consider yourself to be part of a minority group?

 

Women as a Minority

Women are considered a minority group, because they do not share the same power, privileges, rights, and opportunities as men.

My name is Sofonie Dala. I am a black woman, my mother tongue is Portuguese, and my culture is African. Yes, I consider myself to be part of a minority group. Being a black African woman who speaks Portuguese, I navigate multiple layers of minority status in various contexts, especially in global and multicultural settings.

Examples of minority groups include12:

• Ethnic minorities
• Racial minorities
• Religious minorities
• Sexual orientation minorities
• People with disabilities

American sociologist Louis Wirth (1945, p. 347) defined minority groups as “a group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination”.

Women as a Minority

Women are considered a minority group, because they do not share the same power, privileges, rights, and opportunities as men.

Learning Objectives

Criticize the notion that sexism does not exist in the contemporary United States based on the text

Key Points

• Sexism is discrimination or prejudice based on sex. In a patriarchal society, sexism is discrimination against women specifically.
• Women’s rights encompasses the entitlements and freedoms for women and girls of all ages in many societies around the world.
• Although women have made great strides in gaining access to education and employment, to this day they continue to face significant hurdles that men generally do not confront.

Key Terms

• women’s rights: Entitlements and freedoms claimed by women and girls of all ages in many societies in the pursuit of equality with men.
• patriarchal: relating to a system run by males, rather than females

Women are not a statistical minority, as in most societies — they are roughly equal in number to men — but they do qualify as a minority group because they tend to have less power and fewer privileges than men. Underlying this unequal treatment of women is sexism, which is discrimination based on sex — in the context of a patriarchal society, discrimination against women in particular. Discrimination against women is evident in a number of different spheres of society, whether political, legal, economic, or familial. It must, however, be noted that the issue is rarely as simple as that of men versus women. Societies today are home to a variety of different classes, ethnicities, races, and nationalities, and some groups of women may enjoy a higher status and more power relative to select groups of men, depending on factors, such as what racial and ethnic groups they are associated with.

It should be noted that gender discrimination also ties in with race and class discrimination — a concept known as ” intersectionality,” first named by feminist sociologist Kimberlé Crenshaw. For example, the intersectionality of race and gender has been shown to have a visible impact on the labor market. “Sociological research clearly shows that accounting for education, experience, and skill does not fully explain significant differences in labor market outcomes. ” The three main domains on which we see the impact of intersectionality are wages, discrimination, and domestic labor. Most studies have shown that people who fall into the bottom of the social hierarchy in terms of race or gender are more likely to receive lower wages, to be subjected to stereotypes and discriminated against, or be hired for exploitive domestic positions. Through the study of the labor market and intersectionality we gain a better understanding of economic inequalities and the implications of the multidimensional impact of race and gender on social status within society.

Sexism

Sexism can refer to three subtly different beliefs or attitudes:

• The belief that one sex is superior to the other
• The belief that men and women are very different and that this should be strongly reflected in society, language, the right to have sex, and the law
• It can also refer to simple hatred of men (misandry) or women (misogyny)

There a number of examples, both historical and contemporary, of women not being granted the same rights and access as men, both historically and in the present day. For instance, U.S. and English law, until the twentieth century, subscribed to the system of coverture, where “by marriage, the husband and wife are one person in law; that is the very being or legal existence of the woman is suspended during the marriage. ” Not until 1875 were women in the United States legally defined as persons (Minor v Happersett, 88 U.S. 162).

In the United States, women were treated as second-class citizens and not given the right to vote until 1920, when the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provided: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. ”

Although women have made great strides in gaining access to education and employment, to this day they continue to face significant hurdles that men generally do not confront. In economics, the term ” glass ceiling ” refers to institutional barriers that prevent minorities and women from advancing beyond a certain point in the corporate world, despite their qualifications and successes. The existence of a glass ceiling indicates that women, even today, do not enjoy the same opportunities as men.

Women’s Rights

Women’s rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies. In some places, these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behavior, whereas in others, they may be ignored or suppressed. They differ from broader notions of human rights through claims of an inherent historical and traditional bias against the exercise of rights by women and girls in favor of men and boys.

Issues commonly associated with notions of women’s rights include, though are not limited to, the rights to: bodily integrity and autonomy; vote (suffrage); hold public office; work; fair wages or equal pay; own property; be educated; serve in the military or be conscripted; enter into legal contracts; and to have marital, parental, and religious rights.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, advocates “the equal rights of men and women,” and addresses issues of equality. In 1979, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) for legal implementation of the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Described as an international bill of rights for women, it went into effect on September 3, 1981. The UN member states that have not ratified the convention are Iran, Nauru, Palau, Somalia, Sudan, Tonga, and the United States. Niue and the Vatican City, which are non-member states, also have not ratified it.

The Convention defines discrimination against women as follows:

Any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil, or any other field.

The Origins of Patriarchy

Patriarchy is a social structure in which men are considered to have a monopoly on power and women are expected to submit.

Learning Objectives

Argue in favor of either a sociobiological or social constructionist explanation of patriarchy

Key Points

• There are both sociobiological and social constructionist explanations of patriarchy.
• Sociobiological explanations use human biology and genetics to explain male control, while social constructionist explanations say that individuals, male and female, actively construct gender roles.
• According to social constructionist theories, gender roles are created by individuals within a society who choose to imbue a particular structure with meaning.

Key Terms

• gender roles: Sets of social and behavioral norms that are generally considered appropriate for either a man or a woman in a social or interpersonal relationship.
• social constructionism: The idea that social institutions and knowledge are created by actors within the system, rather than having any inherent truth on their own.
• patriarchy: The dominance of men in social or cultural systems.

The origins of patriarchy are closely related to the concept of gender roles, or the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex. Much work has been devoted to understanding why women are typically thought to inhabit a domestic role while men are expected to seek professional satisfaction outside of the home. This division of labor is frequently mapped onto a social hierarchy in which males’ freedom to venture outside of the home and presumed control over women is perceived as superior and dominant. As such, rather than working to destablize the historical notion of patriarchy, much literature assess the origins of patriarchy, or a social system in which the male gender role acts as the primary authority figure central to social organization, and where fathers hold authority over women, children, and property. It implies the institutions of male rule and privilege and entails female subordination.

Though less popular in modern academic circles, there has been a traditional search for biological explanations of gender roles. Before the nineteenth century, this conversation was primarily theological and deemed patriarchy to be the “natural order. ” This took on a biological trope with Charles Darwin’s ideas about evolution in The Origin of Species. In this work, Darwin explained evolution from the biological understanding that is now the accepted scientific theory. Biologists such as Alfred Russel Wallace quickly applied his theory to mankind. To be clear, though, the line of thought called Social Darwinism, or the application of evolutionary principles to the development of human beings and our social practices, was never promoted by Darwin himself. With the popularization of the idea of human evolution, what had previously been explained as a “natural order” for the world morphed into a “biological order. ”

The modern term for using biological explanations to explain social phenomena is sociobiology. Sociobiologists use genetics to explain social life, including gender roles. According to the sociobiologists, patriarchy arises more as a result of inherent biology than social conditioning. One such contemporary sociobiologist is Steven Goldberg, who, until retirement, was a sociologist at the City College of New York. In 1973, Goldberg published The Inevitability of Patriarchy, which advanced a biological interpretation of male dominance. Goldberg argued that male dominance is a human universal as a result of our biological makeup. One evolutionary sociobiological theory for the origin of patriarchy begins with the view that females almost always invest more energy into producing offspring than males and, as a result, females are a resource over which males compete. This theory is called Bateman’s principle. One important female preference in selecting a mate is which males control more resources to assist her and her offspring. This, in turn, causes a selection pressure on men to be competitive and succeed in gaining resources in order to compete with other men.

These sociobiological theories of patriarchy are counterbalanced by social constructionist theories that emphasize how certain cultures manufacture and perpetuate gender roles. According to social constructionist theories, gender roles are created by individuals within a society who choose to imbue a particular structure with meaning. Gender roles are constantly toyed with and negotiated by actors subscribing to and questioning them. Since the feminist movement in the 1970s and the flood of women into the workforce, social constructionism has gained even greater traction.

11.4: Women as a Minority - Social Sci LibreTexts

Alert: Fraudulent Activities by UNDP Angola and Other Organizations

 Alert: Fraudulent Activities by UNDP Angola and Other Organizations

Dear Community Members, Partners, and Stakeholders,

I am writing to bring to your attention a serious and concerning matter regarding the fraudulent activities of UNDP Angola and other organizations who have been maliciously taking advantage of the hard work and innovative projects developed by my startup, Talentos Multiplus.

It has come to my attention that UNDP Angola has been falsely claiming that I work for them and that they compensate me for my contributions. These claims are entirely untrue and have been used to deceive not only myself but also governmental institutions, international organizations, and potential investors.

In a recent and shocking discovery, an investor whom I met casually at an event informed me that his organization had made a donation to me through representatives of UNDP Angola. To my dismay, I have never received any such donation, nor have I had any formal or informal relationship with UNDP Angola. My startup, Talentos Multiplus, is entirely self-funded, and I am the sole founder, sustaining the organization through my personal savings and dedication.

I want to clarify that the only contact we had with UNDP Angola was in 2022 when we participated in a competition funded by the Norwegian Embassy, where UNDP was one of the partners. However, this participation does not mean that we have any legal or continued collaboration with UNDP Angola, and it certainly does not give them the right to fraudulently take advantage of our work. Talentos Multiplus was founded in 2020, and all our projects were fully developed prior to our participation in that competition.

I want to categorically state that I do not work with UNDP Angola and have no affiliations with them. Their fraudulent actions and deceitful behavior have harmed my reputation and the integrity of my work. They have been engaging in content theft and misleading various stakeholders into believing that there is an association between us.

It is also suspected that this group of criminals has been submitting my startup to their dishonest competitions without my permission or knowledge, using fake identities. Their wrongdoing is evident and proven. They should be promptly arrested and removed from their positions.

I urge all community members, partners, and stakeholders to be vigilant and cautious in their dealings with UNDP Angola. Please do not trust their claims regarding any association with Talentos Multiplus or myself. They are a harmful team engaging in deceitful practices, and it is essential to distance ourselves from them to protect our work and integrity.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. If you have any questions or need further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Protectors, 

Team Talentos Multiplus