Angola was once thought of as a war ravaged country. But the oil changed all that. Increased oil production and rising oil prices have brought wealth to the once war-torn nation. Angola is the epicentre of oil in Africa, but its also home to hardcore music.
"Death Metal Angola" is a documentary (in the final stages of production) about the hardest, hardcore music and a dream to stage the first ever national rock festival in Angola. Director Jeremy Xido talks about how he stumbled on the idea for making this movie:
"In September 2009 I was in the middle of Angola researching a film about Chinese construction companies rebuilding the Benguela Railway when I stopped into the only proper cafe in town called Novo Imperio. It's where military guys, government officials, Lebanese businessmen, Ugandan technical engineers and Dutch anti personnel de-mining teams would all go to grab a decent cup of coffee," says Xido.
"So that morning I sat down with a little Portuguese pastry, cup of coffee and some time before I was supposed to meet with a construction manager from Shanxi, China - when a young man in a blue oxford button down shirt waved me over. I had seen him before with Sonia Ferreira, the local contact I had been given in Huambo. He introduced himself as Wilker Flores. He asked me about what I was doing in town. I told him about the film. And he explained that he was a musician. Oh really, I said, what kind of music to you play?"
The answer Xido got?
"Death Metal."
Read an interview with Jeremy Xido at Columbia Journalism Review.
See Jeremy Xido's fundraising appeal to finish "Death Metal Angola" at indiegogo.com.
Watch the trailer for "Death Metal Angola" at Vimeo.
