A Bit Of Indoctrination

 All countries indoctrinate their citizens, attempting to convince them toward patriotism and supporting the government.  American indoctrination includes senior trips to national monuments and parks, a requirement to learn US history, and song.  

Angola also indoctrinates, and this monument is one of the ways it does so.  The pergola shows a very victimhood version of Angolan history - exploitation until they threw off colonial bonds with the help of Neto.  After that, the bounty of Angola has benefited the natives of Angola and not outsiders.  It's a pretty piece of jingoism.

A Star Emerges

This star has four legs now.  The stitching goes quickly, and I hope to have it done before Christmas.

The Views

This is still the Neto Memorial.  Here are some of  the views from the front.  The pergola is a representation of Angolan history.  The line of palm trees across the field marks the road.  The other side of the road is the bay.  What you can't see here is that the road is all torn up for construction.

The North Korean Rocket

 This is the Agostinho Neto memorial.  It rises above the beach and can be seen a long way away from anywhere along the Luanda coastline.  The memorial was built by the North Koreans in friendship with Angola.  We went there last week to look around.  We didn't get the museum tour because the English language guide went to lunch instead, but we did get to see a lot of the outdoors.

Not sure what the elephant is supposed to represent, but next to it is a poem by Neto's wife about self improvement.

Top To Bottom

I'm going top to bottom now.  Not much done on top yet, but it's a good start.

So Very Close

So very close to the bottom edge!  I think I am going to be done with the cross stitches on the section next time.

Tiny Opals

These are replacement earrings for another, larger, set that was lost.  Unfortunately, these are very small!  I'm going to have to look for a larger pair eventually.