First published in 1985 as O C o e os Caluandas, this collection of tales presents a critical view of Angolan society and government ten years after the colonial yoke was thrown off and independence achieved. The tales, two of which are presented here, revolve around a German shepherd dog that roams about the capital city, provoking varied reactions from the people he encounters or who encounter him.

"Tico the Poet"

The German shepherd looked at me and wagged his tail. He was large and handsome, a big sweet pooch. But you could see that he ate a lot. And in these difficult days I rarely have food enough for me, let alone... So I walked around him. Everybody's got their own life to lead.
But he followed me. I walked through the Mutamba district and headed downtown. I forgot about the animal. But when I looked behind me, there he was. Dammit! Can four-legged creatures tell just by our eyes when we like them? Like a girl whom we look at with fire and who bats her eyelids when she gets the point?
There was a time when a dog like this would have scared me; he had a mouth that could eat your foot for dessert. But he didn't look mean, not the least bit. As he followed my scent, his eyes were happy and his tail was wagging.
It was then that I ran into Aunt Alice. She must have been going shopping because she was holding an empty basket. She wanted to talk. "Hey, Tico. What are you up to?"
"Not much. Just walking."
The dog stopped behind me. He kept his distance from Aunt Alice and sniffed at her with his muzzle raised, not coming any closer.
"When are you going to begin working?" she asked.
"There's no work, Aunt Alice. And for me, it can't just be any old job, you know."
"Listen kid, cut the crap. A young guy, strong, without work? You just don't want to work. You should be ashamed of yourself! It's your mother who does everything."
"She's got a good job selling things in the market. That's what really pays these days. I'm always looking for something, but there just isn't anything around."
"You're just a parasite. Like it says in the newspaper."
"Take it easy, Aunt Alice."
"Why don't you go and pick coffee? I've heard they need lots of people for that."
"And leave Luanda? Let the hicks pick coffee, I'm a city boy. I've studied, I finished my sophomore year in high school, I'm a revolutionary intellectual. I even got a poem published in the paper."
The old lady grumbled. But she no longer gave voice to her criticisms, because my way with words intimidated her. She looked at the dog and changed the subject. "Where'd you get him?"
"He's handsome, isn't he? Took a liking to me and started following me."
"Swell. And who's going to feed him? You?"
"No. We just hooked up this minute."
"Forget chance encounters and go get yourself some work. Or enlist in the army, you're old enough now."
"Me? In the army? My uncle Jo o Domingos, he was a guerrilla in the fight against the Portuguese... spent fourteen years in the field. That's enough. Our family's fought enough."
"There's no giving advice to you. I'm going shopping."
"And what d'ya think you're going to find for sale?"
"They tell me there's a line outside one of the stores. Gonna see what they've got."
"Where, that one on the corner?"
"Yeah, behind the bank."
"It's refrigerators. I already saw."
"Refrigerators? Good grief, I don't even have electricity in the house."
"Buy one anyway. You can keep your shoes in it until you get electricity."
"Always so clever, aren't you? You think I came to the city just yesterday? My father was born right here in Luanda."
"And you want me to head to the coffee fields - right, Aunt Alice? Can't you see that just isn't me? Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get going."
And I left the old woman on the sidewalk shaking her head. These old ladies today are obsessed with handing out advice. The dog sniffed a few times more around her, glanced into the empty basket and then figured he had a better shot with me. You bet wrong, pooch, that old lady's got more food than me, and I'm not even headed home. But if you want to tag along knowing all that, you can. You might even give me a little prestige downtown, a dog like you. There was a time when only a white person could walk around with a representative of the mammalian class trailing behind. But now that we have independence, even a regular citizen can.
It occurred to me that this might be a good subject for a poem. I crossed Bay Avenue, dropped down on a bench in the shade of a palm, thinking it over. The dog sat down right away by my side. What I was thinking is that now, with the abolition of social classes everyone's been talking about, there's no more difference between people. So a regular citizen can have a classy dog like a German shepherd, which in the old days only white people and the police could have. But was it because the regular people had gotten richer? No, it was because these days dogs had joined the proletariat. I remembered a phrase from Marx which I'd read in the newspaper: the proletarian society. This dog, which a while back was a member of the bourgeoisie, now had come down to join the proletariat, maybe because his master had fled to dear old Portugal. It was truly worthy of a revolutionary poem.
The dog nuzzled closer and I rubbed his head. I swear he was smiling.
"Dog, I don't know your name," I began, "but anyone can see you're the result of the class struggle. Worker-peasants versus the petits bourgeois. And don't you mix up versus, which is from Greek, with verses, which is from poetry, my specialty. You only know how to bite and wag you tail. Versus might as well be Chinese. But it means against - get it? So you lost your house, your meal ticket, everything. Now you're just a wandering mutt, a proletarian. You've dropped down into the heart of the masses who've been exploited for five centuries. You're gonna become a regular guy, a worker-peasant. Tomorrow I'll read you the poem, you'll like it."
The dog seemed to understand. He moved his head up and down to the rhythm of my words. He was smiling.
I got up. I stood by Bay Avenue, trying to get a ride from somebody. My thumb stuck up uselessly in the air - no luck. Nobody stopped. Drivers these days are all selfish. You think they'll give you a ride without getting something in return? Now if it were a girl showing a little leg, they'd leave rubber on the street from braking so fast, and even if she said she wanted to go three hundred miles to Benguela they'd say right away that that was exactly where they were headed and they just needed to stop at home for a minute to pack their bag. Then at the edge of town they'd suddenly have car trouble and stop, those wise asses. As for me, I was left standing like an idiot, and if I didn't rely on the power of my own two feet I'd never get to the Island district. And so the two of us headed off, the dog looking pensive.
Once we got there, we went into a restaurant. Nobody mentioned the dog. I was assuming the owner would put him out in the street, but nothing happened. Then I understood. From the way the customers were scratching themselves, it was obvious that the place was already full of fleas. One animal more or one animal less would make no difference.
It was national policy of sorts that anyone wanting a beer had to get the house specialty, in this case rice with fried fish. I ordered a plateful and three glasses of beer. I gulped down the three beers. I put the meal on the ground and the dog vacuumed up the rice and fish. The people swarming around were clamoring for more beer, but the owner was intransigent: every three beers you had to order a rice with fried fish. I hesitated a minute, because the money in my hand was my mother's. I looked at the dog, who was lying on the ground, licking his chops. I ordered another plateful. We did like before: the three beers for me, the food for the pooch. And so my mom's kwanzas disappeared. But that's what she earned just by selling three little piles of tomatoes, with four tiny tomatoes to the pile. Life was pretty good for us.
We left the restaurant well fed, both of us burping. We walked ahead a bit and dropped down on the beach, in the shade. The sea wasn't rough like it would get in the afternoon. It made a purring like a cat about to take a snooze. My proletarian dog and I fell asleep.
When I woke up, at about four in the afternoon, the dog was gone. I looked around. Nothing. I whistled. Not a damn thing. I looked up and down the whole beach, even in the shadows under the ever fewer casuarina trees. Where the devil did he go?
I'm still looking for that dog, who turned out to be nothing but a lumpen schmo. He ate my lunch, snoozed, woke up and went off to his own life. Without saying goodbye. A parasite, an exploiter. And me, Tico, a revolutionary intellectual, I didn't write that poem I was thinking of. The scoundrel didn't deserve the effort. He'd kept his bourgeois mentality all along. He was a class enemy of worker-peasants like me, exploited for five centuries. Just goes to show that a viper's offspring will never be anything but a viper himself.


* * * * * * *

"Rabies!"

From: Animal Control Technician for the City of Luanda
To: Comrade Bureau Chief

I hereby inform Comrade Bureau Chief that countries bordering the Popular Republic of Angola have been experiencing cases of rabies which, though presently localized, have already caused the death of some residents of said countries.
In light of the precarious situation regarding hygiene in the city of Luanda and in view of the ever growing inadequacy of our municipal services for analyzing and preventing epidemics of this kind, and considering as well the unusual number of stray starving canines that have been observed scouring garbage cans for whatever food they can find, I herewith take the liberty of calling Comrade Bureau Chief's attention to this alarming state of affairs, and I would at the same time offer a proposal which, if authorized, could avert a calamity in our country.
It is solely with the objective of averting the terrible consequences to our heroic people of an outbreak of disease and illness that I take the further liberty of apprising you, my illustrious comrade and superior, of the following:
In addition to the rampant increase in the number of canines who freely roam the streets and whose numbers it is impossible to control because the so-called "dog-catching cars" which used to capture animals without collars or anti-rabies vaccine tags stopped operating a long time ago, there has been a concurrent proliferation of wild pigs, rats, fowl, goats and other unidentified animals, as well as, according to certain locals in the Mutamba district, a specimen of the German shepherd breed with an undernourished demeanor who has taken to following passersby. There is no record of this canine having bitten anyone, but his general look and the fact that he follows certain people have raised what I believe are well-grounded suspicions that he is carrying rabies. Adequate measures can and must be taken, and I propose to issue the following notice to the general populace via all the channels of communication:

ADVISORY - All owners of dogs are hereby notified that from
NOTICE March 1 to March 30 anti-rabies vaccination
stations will be open for all dogs accompanied by
their owners during normal working hours. The
stations will operate at the following sites (to
be designated following approval of this
proposal). Dog owners are also notified that
after this date all dogs without proper
identification - including the name of their owner
and proof of vaccination - will be captured and
put to sleep within 24 hours.

Comrade Bureau Chief, I am able to confirm that we have the means for implementing these measures. I should also inform you that: 1)we possess anti-rabies vaccines in sufficient quantities, though the conditions for preserving them are precarious (the refrigerators aren't working well and spare parts are unavailable), so that fairly swift action is necessary if they are not to deteriorate further, 2)we have at our disposal qualified auxiliary workers in adequate numbers to ensure the smooth functioning of vaccination stations, and 3)with the help of the police force we will be able to duly organize an effective round-up of all unidentified canines.
Comrade Bureau Chief need only authorize the posting of this notice and the implementation of the attendant measures described above. I wish to stress that swift action is necessary.
Please accept, Comrade Bureau Chief, my most respectful

REVOLUTIONARY REGARDS
Luanda, February 2, 1980 - YEAR OF THE
FIRST SPECIAL PARTY CONFERENCE AND OF
THE CREATION OF THE PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY,

(signature illegible)
Chief Technician

Recommendation of the Bureau Chief

Having given due consideration to the memo of the Chief Technician of Animal Control, having carefully and exhaustively studied and analyzed the matter with the objectivity befitting Marxist-Leninist scientific analysis, and having taken stock of the supplies and human resources at our disposal, this Bureau has reached the conclusion - after consulting with representatives of political, labor and recreational organizations - that the proposal should not only be accepted but urgently implemented, and that any delay will represent bureaucratic negligence, something which in our country, "the bastion of revolution in Africa," could only be considered a heinous crime.
Now as this is a sensitive case in which it is necessary to bring together all the available pertinent data and to consider all possible consequences, particularly with regard to political repercussions among the residents of the city, who might consider these measures a return to the practices of colonial rule, I submit the final decision to the higher authority and ever impartial and competent judgment of our comrade the Department Head.

The essential goal is to resolve the problems of the People!
The fight must go on!
Victory is assured!

Luanda, April 15, 1980 - YEAR OF THE
FIRST SPECIAL PARTY CONFERENCE AND OF
THE CREATION OF THE PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY,

(signature illegible)
Bureau Chief

Recommendation of the Department Head

The memo from the Animal Control Bureau as well as the recommendation of the Bureau Chief have been read with careful attention. Given the urgent and important nature of the case at hand, I am of the firm conviction that immediate steps must be taken without the bureaucracy that hinders speedy and efficient action.
The fact is that I myself, while in the Mutamba district, was almost accosted by the German shepherd in question, an admittedly handsome creature, but that nevertheless sniffed my trousers, looking for I don't know what.
Since the Party has already defined with its revolutionary foresight that its first priority is not to cure but to prevent illness, and seeing as how an outbreak of rabies would be an intolerable occurrence in our scientifically socialist society because only reactionaries here in our idyllic nation have reason to rave, and since we have the necessary means to take effective action, it is my considered opinion that the advisory notice should be made public via all the communications media.
The only problem I see is that the dates suggested have already come and gone.
But as it is the Director's job to direct, I remand the case to my superior.
The essential goal is to resolve the problems of the People!

The fight must go on!
Victory is assured!

Luanda, June 27, 1980 - YEAR OF THE
FIRST SPECIAL PARTY CONFERENCE AND OF
THE CREATION OF THE PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY,

(signature illegible)
Department Head

Memo from the Director

There must be no fear of popular opinion when the decision is just. Authorization granted. Take all necessary action.

Luanda, October 5, 1980 - YEAR OF THE
FIRST SPECIAL PARTY CONFERENCE AND OF
THE CREATION OF THE PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY,

(signature illegible)
Director

Memo from the Chief Technician of Animal Control for the City of Luanda

I received notification today of the decision taken by Comrade Director approving my proposal of February 2nd of this year.
Lamentably, it is incumbent upon me to report the regrettable news that, on account of the time already passed, the material and human resources to carry out the proposal are no longer available: the vaccines have spoiled due to the inadequate storage facilities to which I made reference in my original proposal, many of the auxiliary workers have already found work in other sectors which pay higher salaries, and even the German shepherd in question (which Comrade Department Head himself once encountered) disappeared from the Mutamba district several months ago.
In consequence, new vaccines will have to be imported, which will take months if not years, and new personnel will also have to be trained, meaning that the sticky problem of salary adjustment will need to be dealt with yet again.
I therefore request authorization at this time to void as untimely and impracticable my earlier memo of February 2, 1980, and I further request that the memo of Comrade Department Head of October 5 be likewise made null and void.

Luanda, October 16, 1980 - YEAR OF THE
FIRST SPECIAL PARTY CONFERENCE AND OF
THE CREATION OF THE PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY,

(signature illegible)
Chief Technician

Recommendation of the Bureau Chief

Urgent. I remand the attached to the consideration of higher authority.

Luanda, October 18, 1980 - YEAR OF THE
FIRST SPECIAL PARTY CONFERENCE AND OF
THE CREATION OF THE PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY,

(signature illegible)
Bureau Chief

Recommendation of the Department Head

Urgency confirmed. I remand the attached to the consideration of higher authority.
The essential goal is to resolve the problems of the People!

Luanda, October 20, 1980 - YEAR OF THE
FIRST SPECIAL PARTY CONFERENCE AND OF
THE CREATION OF THE PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY,

(signature illegible)
Department Head

Memo from the Director

I hereby make null and void my memo of October 5, 1980. When proposals are made, they should be realistic and clearly achievable. A note of censure has been registered in the file of the Chief Technician of Animal Control.

Luanda, October 26, 1980 - YEAR OF THE
FIRST SPECIAL PARTY CONFERENCE AND OF
THE CREATION OF THE PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY,

(signature illegible)
Director

Translated by Richard Zimler