The Angolan ambassador to Cairo Hendrick Vaal Neto today announced the publication of his new novel, “Makala,” a Portuguese word meaning coal. The novel is about street children in Cairo and Poland, and the connections between them. The ambassador announced the publication yesterday as he was leaving his ambassadorship in Cairo, a post he held for six years. Neto attended a farewell party in his honor hosted by many media figures. “I'm very sorry to leave this beloved African country, a country that affects all African countries,” Neto said at the party. “Egypt is the gift of the Nile.” Neto also praised the January 25 Revolution, saying he hoped its goals would be achieved through the generations. Many countries suffer from the tragedy of street children, he said, adding that his novel was translated from Portuguese to Arabic. “This is the first novel I ever translated and I liked it very much, particularly because it concerns a very poor, disenfranchised portion of the population,” said Dalia Samir Victor, the translator.
