Kuito is the capital city of the province of Bié,
which has nine municipalities: Kuito, Cunhinga, Andulo, Nhanrea,
Chinguar, Chitembo, Catabola, Camacupa and Cuemba.
Bié is a vast plain with an area of 70,314 km2,
in the shape of a heart, in the geographical centre of Angola, in the
municipality of Kamacupa, where the colonial power set up a statue of
Christ the King.
To the north, the province is flanked by Malanje; to the
north-east, Lunda Sul; to the east, Moxico; to the south-west, Huíla; to
the east, Huambo; to the north-west, Kwanza Sul and to the south, the
province of Kuando Kubango. The main economic activity is agriculture.
Climate
The average temperature is
21°C. The climate is tropical, with two seasons: the rainy season and the
dewy season. The dewy season is cold, with moderate temperatures between
May and September, while the rainy season is longer, normally beginning at
the end of September and finishing at the beginning of May. The rain is
usually associated with thunderstorms.
Useful Information
Police: Tel.: (048) 70191
Fire and ambulance: Tel.: (048) 70059 Hospital: Tel.: (048) 70618
Angola Telecom: Tel.: (048) 70604
How to get There
By road:
There are five road entrances to Bié, from the provinces of Huambo,
Malanje, Kwanza Sul, Kuando Kubango and Moxico. However, these roads are
in a bad state of conservation, currently beibng repaired.
By air:
Airlines such as TAAG and Sal fly to the Aeroporto Joaquim Kapango in
Kuito. There are also aerodromes in the municipalities of Andulo, Nhanrea,
Kuemba, Chitembo and Kamacupa.
Ethnic-Linguistic
Group
There are six groups in the province, distributed as follows:
Ovimbundu - which is comprised by the majority of the population, in the
municipalities of Andulo, Chinguar, Kuito, Katabola, Kamaeupa, Kunhinga and
Nhanrea. Cokwes - in the munieipality of Kuemba.
The Nganguelas and Luindis in the municipality of Chitembo, and
the Songos, Ngoias in the north of Andulo.
Customs and habits
The clothes and hairstyles have an important role in the region, because
they have been used since ancient times. The most typieal clothes are the
Olunjita, used as shoes by the men; to prateet the lower part of the body
for both sexes, the bark of trees was prepared, leaving the trunks bare.
With the practice of hunting and the forced sending of the men to work as
labourers in the 1950s, after they came back, some traditions slowly lost
their character.
Nature Reserves
Reserva Florestal da Umpulo (Umpulo Forest Reserve): The
Rivers Cuine, Kwanza and Chimandianga run along the northern, southern,
eastern and western flanks of this reserve, which has an area of 4,500 km2.
Cultural
tourism
Fortresses As a result of the armed
conflict, which affected this province so greatly, the Forte de Nhanrea
was destroyed. Only the Forte de Silva Porto, and the Forte de Munhango
are left and are in a state of disrepair.
Historic Sites
Some of the famous historic sites are the paleolithic cave, the Cave of
Rainha Chiconde, Soba da Jamba, Kuquema historic sites, and the tribal
chiefs' houses (embala) at Belmonte, Kangote and Chimbango. Regarding the
architectural sites, there is the Pouca Vergonha Garden, the tribal
chief's house at Belmonte, Nossa Senhora de Assunção, on Mount Chiombango,
The Christ the King Centre (centro Cristo Rei), the Evangelical Mission
and the Catholic Mission at Jamba.
Gastronomy
The gastronomy of the peoples of Bié is special to the
region. The main dishes are: Pirão de milho (Com porridge), or Bombó (Mandioc
porridge) with any type of meat, river fish or beans.
As for
drinks, there is the digestive firewater, owalende de cana-de-açúcar
(sugar cane spirit), or spirit of sweet potato, grilled sweet com, mango,
banana or wild fruits.
