Paula Tavares

 She goes by the name Raízes Cruzadas in the world of interior design. Paula Tavares is a woman of Portuguese roots with an Angolan heart. She has an inspiring story when we look at her 30-year journey in Angola. As she would put it, it wasn’t enough to dream or create, but Angola has brought her success. She sees herself as a full-time «consensus person» and finds an escape from her everyday life in painting. Now it’s Paula’s turn, the entrepreneur who creates projects with roots that connect around the world.   

What made you leave Portugal and set off for Angola?
I’ve always had an intense fascination with Africa, even without having been there. At first, I was drawn to the intense colours of the landscapes and the sunsets, which I had never seen in the northern hemisphere. Then there were the sounds of the music, the rhythm that lifts you out of your seat. I had read about different Angolas, but all of them pulsating and full of magic. That was until the day I received an invitation to take on a project involving my greatest passion, at which point I decided to realise what Fernando Pessoa wrote: «Put all of what you are / Into the smallest thing you do». With my suitcases packed, I set off in search of a new direction, with my soul wide open to discover a new country: Angola. 

In Angola, you founded Raízes Cruzadas, a brand working in interior decoration...
Raízes Cruzadas is the result of more than 30 years in Angola. I’ve had magnificent experiences, such as working with materials as premium as Angolan wood, through which I’ve been able to immerse myself in all the new dimensions and even grow within them. Raízes Cruzadas is another way of looking at Angola and its potential and, in fact, the country has good craftsmen; proof of this is the work that I produce using Angolan labour. All the items I produce have a soul and tell stories, not to mention that they reflect the good things about this country. 

You create a very distinctive design with your projects. If you could define it, what would you say?
Design is born from observation, challenge and the courage to experiment with unthinkable materials, deconstructing the obvious and questioning whether (or not) we would put that piece in our home. It’s not enough to just create. In this respect, I like to define my pieces as poetry that adds comfort, that makes it possible to have new visual and aesthetic experiences, that welcomes with affection, enabling inner harmony to be built. Creation needs to flow within us and from us to others, just like poetry.  

Do you see talent in the Angolan people? If so, how do you contribute to stimulating it?
Yes. They are a people who suffer and don’t have access to abundance, but who reinvent themselves and make the best of what they have. A people that does not give up on its traditions and which has an immense love for the land they were born in. Nowhere else in the world would I have received what I have received here, which is why I have stayed here, receiving this nationality with such great pride. The way I can give back all the love, solidarity, fraternity and protection I’ve been given is by taking care of my co-workers, seeing them as family. I realise how lucky I am to work in a reality so rich in ancestral experiences, in a culture where voices sing with the hands that produce.

«The country has good craftsmen»

Do you believe that the Angolan economy is increasingly open to the world, despite the current challenges?
Unfortunately, the last decade has been a troubled one from an economic point of view. Many of the changes that have taken place have had a negative impact on productivity, as has the huge dependence on foreign products, which doesn’t help. You have to have resilience and tremendous imagination to achieve excellence. My wish is for the Angolan economy to strengthen and become well and truly robust. 

Your origins are Portuguese, but is Angola what you carry in your heart?
You see, we can never be very far from where we were born, whether it’s family relationships, childhood places, life experiences or parents. But I can only confirm that, on a daily basis, I am Angolan and my fight is alongside this people, to help build a country where social welfare is universally prevalent. 

Has being a woman ever restricted you?
No. Neither here nor in Portugal. I’ve always been a woman who was strengthened by the education I received from my mother, from being independent to having my own ideas, and from my father, who passed on honour and ethics. Women in Angola have strength and pass it on to each other. Having lived here for so many years, I can say that I have lots of sisters (daughters of other mothers), with whom I share and receive experiences that give me a sense of belonging.  

Do you feel that Angola has moulded you into the person you are today?
Without a doubt. We are the result of our experiences. Angola is definitely the greatest proof of who I am today, of the person I have become, of the affections I have and of the intrinsic goodness that exists in most people, who have not been contaminated by individualism, by looking away, by indifference. I try to be the best of myself every day, a journey that painting triggered. I’m also fascinated by the culinary aspect, where my beloved grandmother’s recipes are reproduced between pots and aprons, in a house always full of friends. I feel at home, here.