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Joint Meeting of the 21st Annual Conference of Association of Portuguese and Spanish-Lexified Creoles (ACBLPE)

&

IX International Meeting of Grupo de Estudos de Línguas em Contato (GELIC)

July 25-28, 2023

Instituto Superior Politécnico do Libolo (ISPTLO)

Rua 11 de Novembro, Nº 45

Calulo, Libolo, Angola

TRAVEL TO ANGOLA

The decision to travel abroad is the sole responsibility of the individual. The Organizing Committee tries closely to monitor safety and security conditions in Angola, and seriously to provide information and up-to-date recommendations on an "as is" basis without warranty of any kind, express or implied. Thus, the Organizing Committee does not assume responsibility and will not be liable for any damages in connection to the information provided. 

If you need consular assistance while abroad, we will make every effort to help you. However, there may be constraints that will limit the ability of the Organizing Committee to provide the services and assistance you need. 

GET YOUR VISA

You must be in possession of a Tourist Visa and an onward or return ticket to enter Angola to attend the Conference. The length of stay on your Ordinary Visa is thirty (30) days.

Angolan visas take an entire page in your passport and are preferably followed by one blank page. Ensure you have enough pages remaining in your passport, as additional pages cannot be added to a passport and issuing a new passport may take several weeks. Ensure that all your travel documentation, including your vaccination cards, are up-to-date at all times during the length of your stay in Angola too.

Note that the Organizing Committee will send the Letter of Invitation (LOI) to you on due time, and that with this document you don’t need to provide the Proof of Means of Subsistence that is usually required by the Angolan Consulates.

There are three possibilities for you to obtain your Tourist Visa:

1. By contacting the nearest Angolan Consulate of you residential area. Be aware that getting your Angolan visa is usually a complex lengthy bureaucratic procedure, and that may take up to three weeks until the visa is issued. Thus, don’t be late asking for it, otherwise you risk not getting it in due time to travel to Angola. Thus, we strongly recommend you to apply for your visa in the last week of May, 2020.

Also notice that your visa must be used within sixty (60) days following the date of issue, and that your passport must be valid for more than six (6) months counting from the date of your entrance in Angola.

Required documents to apply for the Tourist Visa may slightly vary for each Angolan Consulate depending on the country you live in. The Consulate Homepage provides you all the necessary information about the documents you need to get together before you apply for your visa, and also about the processing times and emoluments.

2.   By applying for the Tourist Visa online (SME e-Visa). This is a quite complicated process, based on uploading all necessary documents images in the specific and strict format that is compatible with the needs of the authorities in the consulate. Once your application and documents are submitted by email, it is also mandatory to take the original documents with you when visiting the consulate for biometric data collection and interview for verification purposes by the Angolan authorities before they make a decision on your application. 

For information on these procedures, please visit the Migration and Foreigners Service Office of Angola Portal:

http://www.smevisa.gov.ao/

3. By applying for the Tourist e-Visa on Arrival. In March 2018, the Migration and Foreigners Service Office of Angola began issuing Tourist e-Visas on Arrival for citizens of 61 countries. If you are a citizen of one of these countries, you can apply for your e-Visa on Arrival from anywhere in the world and at any time, until 72 hours prior to your departure to Angola. The payment is made online at the time of the application. Once the application is submitted and accepted, the applicant will receive an e-Receipt, which must be printed and shown to the immigration officers upon arrival to Angola, together with all the other required documents. If your option is the e-Visa, be aware that you need to wait for a long time in line at the Airport before you get it and after that in the line for border checks too.

To apply for your e-Visa, please visit:

https://www.ivisa.com/angola-e-visa

Note that if you arrive in Angola without the required visa or without all the required documentation provided by the Organizing Committee of the 2020 Congress and the documentation that proves you applied for the Tourist e-Visa too, your entrance in Angola will be denied and you will be subject to heavy fines and possible arrest before deportation. Anyway, this is the most practical way to get your entry Tourist Visa, and the Organizing Committee of the 2020 Congress will send someone to the airport to assist you to get your e-Visa on Arrival once you land in Angola.

IMPORTANTE INFORMATION

The Organizing Committee  is now  working together with the Angolan authorities in order to find a solution to facilitate the visas issuance for the Congress participants.  We will provide more relevant information in future concerning to this  subject.

OFFICIAL TRAVEL AGENCIES OF THE CONGRESS

For more convenient air roundtrip prices to Angola, the Organizing Committee suggests you to get in touch with the

Official Travel Agencies of the Congress:

LaraZ - Viagens e Turismo

Contact: Ms. Wilma Teixeira

Phones: (+244) 941 790 591 / (+244) 993 885 735

WhatsApp:  (+244) 941 790 591

E-mail:laraz.ps@gmail.com

ALFAIATE - Viagens por Medida

Contact: Mr. Nuno Andrade

Phone: (+244) 947 488 734

WhatsApp:  (+244) 947 488 734

E-mail: alfaiateviagens@gmail.com

FLYING TO ANGOLA

Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport (Portuguese: Aeroporto Internacional 4 de Fevereiro) is the main international airport of Angola. It is located in the southern part of Luanda, and "Quatro de Fevereiro" means 4 February, which is an important national holiday in Angola, marking the start of the armed struggle against the Portuguese colonial regime on February 04, 1961.

For information on the airlines flying to Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport, please check:

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quatro_de_Fevereiro_Airport

ROAD ROUNDTRIP LUANDA/LIBOLO/LUANDA

Distance from Luanda to Libolo is more and less 300Km and the road trip is quite comfortable, despite the last 40Km by secondary road in good condition. The Conference participants will travel in a private comfortable bus with air conditioning freely provided by the Organizing Committee, and the trip will allow the participants some inside Africa highlights on the true diversity of this continent as seen through the prism of different cultures and natural landscapes. A doctor and a nurse will be part of the Organizing Team that will travel together with the Conference participants.

TRANSPORTATION & ACCOMMODATION

Taxis are scarce and expensive in Luanda, and you must avoid public transportation too because of two main reason: (i) safety; (ii) you have to negotiate heavy traffic and the idiosyncrasies of local traffic flows all the time, including accidents.

Thus, the Organizing Committee will assure private transportation for free to pick all the Conference participants up from the airport and to drive them to the hotel. We will accommodate all Conference participants in the same hotel in Luanda for streamlining processes and safety reasons too.

The cost of living and the hotel rates in Luanda are very high. Thus, the Organizing Committee negotiated a very convenient package prices with some hotels either in Luanda or in Libolo for the Congress participants.

In Luanda, the participants will  be accommodated in Hotel Victoria Garden:

https://www.hoteisangola.com/en/alojamento/hotels/talatona/hotel-victoria-garden-luanda.html

In Libolo, the participants will  be accommodated in Hotel Ritz Aanisa:

https://www.hotels.com/ho620941/hotel-ritz-aanisa-calulo-angola/?pos=HCOM_ASIA&locale=en_AS

ACCOMMODATION PRICES:

Full board package (Room, breakfast, buffet lunch and buffet dinner):

USD 70,00

The Organizing Committee will get in touch with the participants on due time concerning their choices and to guarantee their bookings.

SAFETY

LUANDA

Crime through Angola, including in the capital, Luanda, is a major concern to those who plan to visit this country. In fact, the crime rate has been on the rise since the beginning of 2018 in some restricted areas of Angola. We strongly advise you not walk alone in Luanda mainly after dark. Muggings (particularly for mobile phones or cameras) occur in the capital. Don’t show signs of affluence. Don’t carry with you or withdraw large sums of money from an ATM, an exchange bureau or a bank. Groups of criminals may watch you withdraw money, possibly from inside the building, then use cellphones to coordinate a robbery, even in broad daylight.

The decision to travel to Angola for the Conference purpose is your own choice and you are the very first one responsible for your personal safety abroad. However, the Organizing Committee takes the safety and security of all Conference participants in Angola very seriously and as one of its main priorities. Thus, we will assure private transportation for free to pick all the Conference participants up from the Airport and to drive them to the hotel in Luanda. We also extend total assistance and safety to them during the full stay period in Angola for the Conference attendance.

LIBOLO

Unlike Luanda, the small village of Calulo, capital of the Libolo Municipality, as well as all Libolo regions, are intirely safe. You can walk alone and carry your own belongings with you anywhere that no one will bother you. In fact, Libolo people are welcoming and caring.

However, don’t walk away from your hotel with your passport or any other documents, because if you lose them it will cause a lot of problems for you and for the Organizing Committee to get a document that allows you to travel when it’s time to leave Angola. In fact, this situation can be solved only in your Consulate in Luanda. Make sure that you bring a photocopy of your passport with you, and that you lock the original documents up in your room safe. You may also contact the Organizing Committee to hold your personal documents with safety for you.

Here there are some passport travel safety tips you must pay attention to:

https://www.travelinsurancereview.net/tips-and-advice/travel-safety-tips/passport-travel-safety-tips/

HEALTH

HEALTHCARE POST IN ISPTLO FOR CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS

The Organizing Committee will install an Healthcare Post in ISPTLO to provide first aid and basic medical care and assistance to the Conference participants during the Conference period in case of normal emergency. A doctor and a nurse will assist the participants in case of emergency. 

TRAVEL HEALTH AND SAFETY SUGGESTIONS

International travelers should always be extra concerned about their health and safety abroad. Be aware that medical treatment is very expensive, and payment in advance is required in Angola. However, the Organizing Committee guarantees medical assistance for the Conference participants in the Libolo Hospital (one of the best in Angola) in case of serious emergency. Anyway, be aware that that serious medical emergencies should be treated in Luanda or even outside the country. Thus, make sure you get your travel insurance that includes coverage for basic needs, medical evacuation and hospital stays.

Don’t forget to bring your vaccination cards with you too, and to ensure that you have your routine vaccines up-to-date. Some of these vaccines include: Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR), Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Polio, Varicella (chickenpox), Poxvirus|CDC (monkeypox), Influenza, Yellow Fever, and COVID-19 (at least 3 doses).

Shortages of special and unusual medicine occurs in most parts of Angola. Thus, and since you will be traveling away from Luanda, pack a travel health kit that contains enough supplies to prevent illness, handle minor injuries and illnesses, manage pre-existing medical conditions for longer than the duration of your trip, and bring with you over-the-counter medication you normally use.

Here are some very useful tips how to pack your travel health kit. Be sure that you follow these very important basic suggestions:

https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/kit

For safety reasons, bring a portable hand sanitizer spray or gel with you and regularly rub your hands with it or wash them often with water and soap. Practice proper cough and sneeze etiquette to avoid colds, the flu and other illnesses too. Don’t forget that the Conference is held during the dry season, which is also the coldest period of the year in Angola. Check here some information on the cough and sneeze etiquette:

https://healthengine.com.au/info/cough-and-sneeze-etiquette

FOOD / WATER

In Angola, don’t drink any municipal water. The hotels and the Organizing Committee will provide mineral drinking water to the Conference participants. Travelers to any destination in the world can develop travelers’ diarrhea from consuming contaminated water or food or just because of the changes in their eating habits. Travelers’ diarrhea can easily spread from person-to-person too.

Follow these instructions to avoid travelers’ diarrhea and to know how to deal with it in case of contamination:

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/diarrhea.html

MALARIA / INSECTS

There is a risk of malaria throughout the year in Angola, mainly in Luanda, and there is no vaccine against it. However, malaria mosquitoes don’t pose a serious threat in Libolo because of two main reasons:

(i) Libolo is at an altitude greater than 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) above the sea level, and malaria mosquitoes avoid highlands because of the cool temperature;

(ii) the Conference is held during the dry season, which is also the coldest period of the year in Angola.

Anyway, be aware that malaria is a serious and occasionally fatal disease if patients don’t get proper treatment on due time. Early diagnosis and treatment of malaria reduces disease and patients can be easily and completely cured with anti-malarial medications. Hospital and pharmacies in Libolo provide these medicines.

There is no other insects that carry and spread diseases in Libolo. However, all travelers are advised to take precautions against possible bites either in Luanda or in Libolo. This includes covering up with lightweight clothing in neutral colours, always using insect repellent and staying in enclosed air-conditioned accommodations. You may also consider pre-treating clothing and travel gear with insecticides and mosquito repellent bracelets .

Consider to see a health care provider or visit a travel health clinic too, preferably six weeks before you travel to discuss the benefits of taking antimalarial medication and to determine which one to take.

Symptoms of malaria are often similar to those of the flu, and include: fever, headache, sweats or chills, nausea and vomiting, muscle and stomach pain, and diarrhea. If you feel or suspect of any of these symptoms while in Angola, seek for assistance immediately by contacting the Conference Healthcare Post in ISPTLO or the Organizing Committee.

Be aware that symptoms usually appear between 1 to 4 weeks after the mosquito bite, but can take up to a year to develop. Depending on the type of malaria parasite and previous existing conditions, different time periods may occur. Thus, if you feel any of these symptoms after leaving Angola, don’t forget to mention to your doctor that you spent some time in this country for the Conference purpose.  

CLIMATE

The 2020 Conference will take place during the dry and cold season in Angola (the “Cacimbo” Season). This is also the best time to visit Libolo, Angola, for tourism. There is 0 mm of precipitation in Libolo during this season.

Libolo is a mountainous region at an altitude greater than 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) above the sea level. The climate is tropical dry during the “Cacimbo” Season, and the night temperature goes down around 10°C/12°C. The dawn of the day comes with a thick and humid fog, the “cacimbo”, the one that gives name to the dry season in many Angolan regions. The “cacimbo” disappears around 10:00am/11:00am, and then the Sun shines brightly. The temperature goes up between 24°C/30°C until 05:00pm more and less. Then, the Libolo stunning red sunset appears and stays until night comes. At night, the temperature values go down again.

During the day of the “Cacimbo” Season, it is also usual that a very dry mountain breeze gently blows in Libolo. Thus, we strongly recommend the Conference participants to bring a moisturizing skin cream and a neutral lipstick with them to protect their skin and lips during the day.

In Luanda, the prevailing climate is known as a local humid steppe climate. The average temperature at night is 16ºC/18ºC. During the day, the temperature values are similar to Libolo, but humidity is very high.

For Libolo weather forecast information check:

championtraveler.com/dates/best-time-to-visit-libolo-ao/

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

You don’t need to wear any heavy or extra warm clothes during the dry and cold season in Angola. 

All you need to protect yourself from the cold at night is a lightweight coat or a lightweight windbreaker jacket that you would wear in Europe during Spring and Autumn, sweatshirts or a hoodie, long sleeved t-shirts and a scarf or something to protect your throat. Take two types of pajamas as well: a warmer and a lighter one, as some nights might be colder than others. And don’t forget to bring a warm small travel blanket, like the ones they provide you in airplanes during long haul flights. 

During the day, when temperatures rise and the sun shines, you will feel comfortable with a t-shirt or a lightweight fabric shirt. Always give preference to light and comfortable clothing and light or neutral colors, as these will attract fewer mosquitoes and other types of insects. However, you should avoid white color clothing because it gets dirty easily. 

Night and day, give preference to jeans or something similar (e.g. khaki pants). Avoid wearing shorts and short skirts so you can avoid and protect yourself from mosquito and insect bites. 

A must wear in Libolo is also a hat, like a broad-brimmed hat to protect yourself from the sun, or a cap. If possible, take a pair of sunglasses too, as the sun will shine intensely during the day. If you have light or sensitive skin, we would advise you to use a good sunscreen. 

Give preference to casual trainers or sneakers too and avoid wearing any kind of exposed footwear in Libolo. Don’t forget to bring a pair of formal shoes with you to wear during the Congress’ opening and closing ceremonies, which will be attended by members of the Angolan Government. 

In Luanda, the Conference participants will probably be accommodated in a hotel with swimming pool. Thus, don’t leave your bikini or beach short pants at home, otherwise you will not relax around the pool before your departure to Libolo. 

Besides the sunscreen, we would also like to remind you of the need to bring moisturizing cream for your skin and chap stick or lip balm to protect your lips from Libolo’s soft dry breeze. And don’t forget to bring a portable hand sanitizer spray or gel, mosquito and insect repellent, and after-bite itch relief salve, as you might need it. 

If you would like to make your stay in Libolo unforgettable, don’t forget to bring your photo camera, or film camera and your binoculars, if you have some. Although, remember than in Luanda, for security reasons, they must stay locked in your bedroom safe.

Check the list of clothing and accessories we suggest you to take to Libolo:

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