#LocalLens: Time Travel through Luanda with @notflavio
In this series, local Instagrammers show you their favorite places to shoot around where they live. To see more photos of Luanda, Angola, through Flávio’s eyes, follow @notflavio on Instagram.
Flávio Cardoso (@notflavio) is an experienced time traveler, simultaneously capturing Angola’s past and present. Through his camera, the 27-year-old information technology advisor from Luanda records nostalgic relics, like aging walls and shattered windows, scattered amid shiny new architectural designs in his southern African hometown. “People just let go of things they once treasured. There’s a lot you can tell from the past when it’s left abandoned,” he says. Flávio’s fascination with old objects is very much a result of his surroundings. “You get all sorts of contrasts around here; from the richest people in Africa to very poor people struggling to survive in the streets to expensive luxury cars parked right next to rotting, used commuters,” he explains.
Lucky for Flávio, there are many nearby places to explore Luanda’s history and make new memories for himself. “One of my favorite places is certainly Santiago Beach, also known as Ship’s Graveyard, where several decomposing ships were left abandoned. This is also where Natalia Vieira (@nat_rvieira), Rui Jorge (@ruyjorgee) and I had our first InstaMeet, and it inspired many photo adventures here in Angola.” Hotel Panorama, a decaying hotel with mesmerizing views of the city and sea, is also among Flávio’s favorite photo locations. Although his photos capture scenes of destruction, they also bring the past back to life, in hopes that these places and objects may be valued again.
