Angola ou Tras os Montes?
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Luanda's luxury car king thrives on "pimping" rides
20/01/2009
By Henrique Almeida
LUANDA, Jan 19 (Reuters Life!) - Few African cities can boast as many Porsches, BMWs and Hummers as Angola's capital Luanda, whose small elite still appear to be reaping the benefits of an economic boom since the 2002 end of a civil war.
What all this means for the thousands of unemployed youths that hawk toilet seats, cell phones and newspapers in the narrow streets of this once charming red-tiled coastal city is hard to see straight off.
But for former street vendor, turned rapper, turned car dealer, Kolly Villa, who sells $200,000 customized cars to the super rich in a country where two-thirds of the population lives on less than $2 a day -- business is thriving.
"Most countries are hurting, but not Angola. There is no such thing as an economic crisis here," said Villa, who was the first Angolan to feature on MTV's Pimp My Ride, a show about modernising old cars.
"I've lived the American dream, now I'm helping Angolans live their own dream," he told Reuters.
Villa's personal car collection includes two BMW X6 coupes, a Hummer and a yellow Cherokee, although the city's congested streets leave barely enough room to drive a mini cooper. He says his cars are part of a marketing strategy to sell more vehicles.
"These machines dignify my work. But let's face it, I also have them because I am somewhat cocky," he said.
But life wasn't always easy for Villa, whose parents abandoned him at an early age to flee the country during Angola's war of independence from Portugal in the 1960s.
Villa was later shot in the leg while fighting in a 27-year civil war between the government and rebels from the main opposition Unita party that started after Angola's independence from Portugal in 1975.
It was only in the early 1980s that he decided to leave his farming province of Uige, in the north of Angola, and try his luck at Luanda's thriving outdoor markets.
"I used to keep all my money in a bottle," he said. "One day the police closed down our market. It was then that I decided to use my $30,000 in savings and start selling cars for a living."
Although his first car was a Russian Lada car, it was only a matter of time before Villa began selling luxury sports utility vehicles to Angola's super rich.
Today he is the man Luandanese turn to if they want to buy a luxury car -- even if that means having to sell their own house just to have the chance to cruise in style on the coastal city's traffic-filled streets.
Angola is one of the world's fastest-growing economies, from a very low base, thanks to its oil exports and the construction of housing and infrastructure in the few years of peace.
The capital city Luanda is considered the world's most expensive for foreigners by London-based human resources consultant ECA International.
"Everyone wants to have a luxury car in Angola these days," he said. "You can even see Range Rovers and Hummers parked outside tin huts in the musseques (shanty towns) around Luanda."
(Reporting by Henrique Almeida, editing by Paul Casciato) ((Reuters messaging: henrique.almeida.reuters.com@reuters.net; email: henrique.almeida@reuters.com; tel 244 928 887 807))
Keywords: ANGOLA AUTOS/KOLLY
20/01/2009
By Henrique Almeida
LUANDA, Jan 19 (Reuters Life!) - Few African cities can boast as many Porsches, BMWs and Hummers as Angola's capital Luanda, whose small elite still appear to be reaping the benefits of an economic boom since the 2002 end of a civil war.
What all this means for the thousands of unemployed youths that hawk toilet seats, cell phones and newspapers in the narrow streets of this once charming red-tiled coastal city is hard to see straight off.
But for former street vendor, turned rapper, turned car dealer, Kolly Villa, who sells $200,000 customized cars to the super rich in a country where two-thirds of the population lives on less than $2 a day -- business is thriving.
"Most countries are hurting, but not Angola. There is no such thing as an economic crisis here," said Villa, who was the first Angolan to feature on MTV's Pimp My Ride, a show about modernising old cars.
"I've lived the American dream, now I'm helping Angolans live their own dream," he told Reuters.
Villa's personal car collection includes two BMW X6 coupes, a Hummer and a yellow Cherokee, although the city's congested streets leave barely enough room to drive a mini cooper. He says his cars are part of a marketing strategy to sell more vehicles.
"These machines dignify my work. But let's face it, I also have them because I am somewhat cocky," he said.
But life wasn't always easy for Villa, whose parents abandoned him at an early age to flee the country during Angola's war of independence from Portugal in the 1960s.
Villa was later shot in the leg while fighting in a 27-year civil war between the government and rebels from the main opposition Unita party that started after Angola's independence from Portugal in 1975.
It was only in the early 1980s that he decided to leave his farming province of Uige, in the north of Angola, and try his luck at Luanda's thriving outdoor markets.
"I used to keep all my money in a bottle," he said. "One day the police closed down our market. It was then that I decided to use my $30,000 in savings and start selling cars for a living."
Although his first car was a Russian Lada car, it was only a matter of time before Villa began selling luxury sports utility vehicles to Angola's super rich.
Today he is the man Luandanese turn to if they want to buy a luxury car -- even if that means having to sell their own house just to have the chance to cruise in style on the coastal city's traffic-filled streets.
Angola is one of the world's fastest-growing economies, from a very low base, thanks to its oil exports and the construction of housing and infrastructure in the few years of peace.
The capital city Luanda is considered the world's most expensive for foreigners by London-based human resources consultant ECA International.
"Everyone wants to have a luxury car in Angola these days," he said. "You can even see Range Rovers and Hummers parked outside tin huts in the musseques (shanty towns) around Luanda."
(Reporting by Henrique Almeida, editing by Paul Casciato) ((Reuters messaging: henrique.almeida.reuters.com@reuters.net; email: henrique.almeida@reuters.com; tel 244 928 887 807))
Keywords: ANGOLA AUTOS/KOLLY
- Mensagens: 7051
- Registado: 17/2/2004 1:38
- Localização: PORTO
Angola ou Tras os Montes?
Editado pela última vez por mcarvalho em 20/1/2009 16:13, num total de 1 vez.
- Mensagens: 7051
- Registado: 17/2/2004 1:38
- Localização: PORTO
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