Developmentalism Supersedes Ideological Differences: Reproducing ‘KIBBUTZ’ in Post-conflict Angola? (Special Topic “Rethinking Localities of Rural Development in Angola”)

Abstract

Colonato de Cela, an agro-industrial project in Angola is a clear illustration of the interest of the state, both colonial and independent, in the development of rural areas that are not easily penetrated by state governance. It, along with a twin project, Colonato de Limpopo, in Mozambique, was one of the biggest development projects in the post-war period in the colonies of Portugal, which adopted the concept from Israeli agricultural settlement schemes. Portugal was not the only country to borrow the scheme from Israel, but also newly independent countries in Africa did. Active promotion of the scheme by the Israelis through diplomacy led to its wide acceptance, as did the urgent needs of the host countries and their recognition of Israel as a feasible model. By the time of 1973 Arab-Israeli War, these countries no longer accepted Israeli technical assistance. However, its spirit was revived in 2005 after the end of the civil war when the Angolan government inaugurated the Aldeia Nova project whose forerunner was Colonato de Cela in order to settle demobilised soldiers. Throughout the contemporary history of the development scheme transfer, this analysis shows that the practices of developmentalism by the state with independence or regime change easily supersedes the ideological differences.