LocationsRoots Reconnected: How a Crowdfunding Campaign is Reviving Angola’s Heritage Through Sustainable and Cultural Tourism
September 30, 2025
Fortress of Massangano
What if reconnecting with your roots could also help rebuild them?
That is the vision at the heart of Roots Reconnected, a crowdfunding campaign launched by the Government of Angola, through the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, in partnership with UNDP Angola and the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM).
This initiative seeks to transform the historic village of Massangano, one of the oldest historical settlements in Angola and a critical site in the transatlantic slave trade, into a living hub of memory, culture, and inclusive development.
Why Massangano?
Massangano, a village in Cuanza Norte, is a living archive of Angola’s history and its connection to the African diaspora. It is impossible to discuss the history of slavery in África, particularly in Angola, without referencing Massangano, where some of the most important monuments and vestiges linked to the slave trade are concentrated. Massangano served as a key hub in the Kwanza slave route, acting as a centre for the collection, sale, and shipment of enslaved Africans.
Massangano also witnessed unspeakable atrocities, including the death of Angolans deemed “unfit” for transport, who were executed in ovens to prevent them from returning home and revealing the truth about the horrors committed there.
To speak of Massangano is to speak of a silent witness to the forced departure of thousands of Angolan men, women, and children, sent on a one-way journey to unknown lands.
And yet, despite its significance, Massangano remains underutilised, lacking infrastructure, visibility, and the investment needed to unlock its potential for sustainable and historic tourism.
Now is the time for Angola to embrace its historic leadership and do more to honour the victims of slavery, and to transform memory into action.
Crowdfunding as an Innovative Financing Tool
Conventional funding for cultural heritage often relies on slow-moving public budgets or large international donors. These mechanisms rarely prioritize small, community-driven initiatives like Massangano.
With Roots Reconnected, Angola is pioneering a new approach to innovative financing, one that puts people at the center:
Crowdfunding as a tool to democratize finance, engage the diaspora, and foster shared responsibility in cultural revitalization.
Using the Every.org platform, the campaign calls on individuals, diaspora communities, companies, and friends of Angola worldwide to contribute.
The funds raised will support:
- Revitalization and enhancement of Massangano’s monuments and heritage sites
- Training for local youth and guides in sustainable tourism
- Infrastructure for cultural, ecological, and storytelling experiences
- Dialogue and engagement between the local community and the global diaspora
A Story that Spans Continents
To speak of Massangano is to speak of Jemmy, leader of the 1739 Stono Rebellion in South Carolina—the largest slave revolt in early American history, and of Angela, the first recorded Black woman to arrive in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619.
Today, is also to speak of the Tucker Family, whose roots trace back to Angola. Thanks to the perseverance of Dr. Wanda Tucker, the Tucker family retraced their history from Virginia back to Massangano, helping to map the geography of Angola’s slave routes and establish a permanent bridge between Angola and the United States.
“Visiting Massangano was a spiritual homecoming. It’s a part of who we are—and of who Angola is.” — Dr. Wanda Tucker
Their journey illustrates how tourism can be a vehicle for healing, reconnection, and inclusive development, bringing together lost narratives and shared futures.
Linking Tourism, Innovation, and Sustainable Development
The Roots Reconnected campaign aligns with Angola’s PLANATUR (National Plan for Tourism Promotion 2024–2027) and with SDGs 8, 10, 11 and 17, promoting:
- Decent work and economic growth through community-based tourism
- Reduced inequalities by empowering marginalized voices
- Sustainable cities and communities through heritage preservation
- Global partnerships for development via digital platforms and diaspora engagement
This is also a model of blended finance, where government, the UN, civil society, and individuals co-invest in shared value and collective memory.
Join the Movement
The official launch of the crowdfunding campaign took place on September 22, 2025, in Luanda. But you can already be part of it:
🔗 Visit the campaign page:: Roots Reconnected
📢 Share using the hashtag: #RootsReconnected
🤝 Partner with us to make sustainable tourism a force for good
“Together, we can reconnect Angola’s past with its future—through tourism that heals, empowers, and transforms.”
Did You Know?
- During the transatlantic slave trade, Africa lost over 12 million people—men, women, and children treated as property and sent to other continents.
- Angola alone accounted for more than 5.79 million people, making it the single largest source of enslaved Africans.
- Historical evidence shows a direct connection between the first African-American families in the U.S. and enslaved individuals from Angola, many of whom departed from Massangano.
- In 1619, the first enslaved Africans to arrive in the U.S. came from Angola. Today, it's estimated that over 12 million Americans are their descendants.