As the Mexican government has cracked down on deforestation and available farmland is harder to come by in Latin America, a group of Mennonites from the Yucatan are pioneering a fresh migration corridor to Angola, the Anabaptist Christian’s first ever on the African Continent. The group of 8 families has secured a government land concession through an unlikely partnership with diamond miners. As Angola imports the majority of its basic food staples, the government aims to promote agriculture in the heart of the country’s infamous “blood diamond” region by offering mining companies who invest in agricultural projects, access to diamond rich lands. Once controlled by UNITA guerillas during Angola’s 3 decades-long civil war, the country’s diamond industry accounts for roughly 10% of global output and is slated to grow exponentially in the next 3 years. The road from Lumua to Lóvua will soon be divided, one side by corn and the other by diamonds. The rural communities of Chokwe people which line the road and subsist on manioc farming are waiting to see which side might offer them a better life. Despite the wealth produced by their lands, villagers such as those from Cambanze live in mud houses with thatched roofs. Water is collected at the local river in 20-liter jugs and lights are scarce. Most own one essential pair of clothing, often filled with holes. The day revolves around the growth, cultivation, soaking, peeling, drying and cooking of Manioc, the staple diet.

The Mennonite’s first attempt at establishing a colony the year prior, ended in tragedy. The handful of families were swindled in a land purchase by a local geologist with ties to suspected corrupt officials. Living in tents in a burnt-out forest on the edge of Malanje, Malaria was rife, claiming the life of an 8-year-old girl, Lucy. With their visas running out, all were forced to return to Mexico, save for David Harder and his family who had no passport for their newborn, Caleb, neither Mexican nor Angolan. The delay allowed for a serendipitous meeting with Diamond Mining officials and eventually led to the birth of their first colony in Angola, LavouraEsperança or Fields of Hope.