February 4, 2012  Print Email | Angolans see sales opportunities in pope's visit
Anyone for a plastic Virgin Mary?
Posted by Agencies at 06:49 AM GMT on Mar 19, 2009 | LUANDA (AFP): Tens of thousands of pilgrims are flocking to Luanda hoping to catch a glimpse of pope Benedict XVI, bringing a huge marketing opportunity for souvenir vendors.
"We have T-shirts, headscarves, rosaries, badges, sarongs, all things for people to remember this special visit," said 55-year-old vendor Fatima Domingo, hawking her wares outside a church downtown.
 "We are very happy because he’s going to bring the word to us Christians here in Angola," she said.
Benedict arrives on Friday from Cameroon on the first papal visit here since pope John Paul II came in 1992, during a lull in the civil war that ended nearly seven years ago.
Images of that trip are replaying endlessly on television, showing groups of women and children clapping and chanting "Papa, Amigo, Angola esta contigo" - "Pope, my friend, Angola is with you."
The airport is already decorated with pink and white flags bearing his face, and thousands are expected to gather at the terminal for his arrival, among them, Isabel Kinanga.
"When the last pope visited Angola, I was in hospital having my son by Caesarian, so I don’t want to miss any of this visit," the 36-year-old told AFP.
"We’re going to the airport and then we'll be following the pope around the city. We are just so happy for Benedict to be coming here and to have chosen Angola. He brings a blessing for all of us."
The pope will be driven around Luanda in a specially-imported white Mercedes "Pope Mobile", on roads the government is rushing to repair and clean before the weekend.
Angola, whose people live in poverty despite the nation's oil riches, is believed to have spent millions of dollars on new pavements as well as lighting systems outside churches and on the routes where Benedict will pass.
New lawns and shrub gardens have sprung up, with litter swept away and graffiti scrubbed from walls.
More than 12,000 police officers have been mobilised and security will be tight around the city, with many main routes expected to be closed to allow the Pope Mobile to pass.
In his last Sunday Vatican address before flying to Africa, Benedict said he wanted to wrap his arms around the entire continent, with "its painful wounds, its enormous potential and hopes."
Angola has been at peace for nearly seven years, but physical and mental scars remain from the decades of conflict which claimed half a million lives.
The bishop of Cabinda, Dom Filomeno Vieira Dias, said the pope's arrival would "animate the faithful". Politicians, artists and community leaders have all welcomed the visit and the pontiff's message of peace.
Tens of thousands of people from around the country are being bussed and flown into Luanda to take part in the pope's visit, which includes an open air mass for half a million on Sunday and a meeting with young people at a football stadium.
For those unable to access the events, giant television screens are being put up across the capital and in other provinces to beam live coverage of his remarks to everyone.
"The Church is the only salvation we have in this world and we are very happy Pope Benedict is coming here to see us in Angola," said Eduardo Gonga (53), as he clutched his souvenir poster on his way for a lunchtime prayer.
"The visit is a good thing because it will bring a lot of happiness. We have just finished a period of war and we are now in a time of peace and this peace can be prolonged, I think, with the words that the pope will bring."
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