Ondjiva - The first museum center in the province of Cunene was opened on Tuesday, with the purpose of guaranteeing the preservation, conservation and appreciation of the cultural heritage of the region's ethno-linguistic groups.

The nucleus, installed in the building of the house of culture, initially contains 75 different artefacts, with emphasis on gastronomic aspects, household utensils, hunting equipment, clothing, agricultural and livestock material, among others, from both Nhaneka-Humbe peoples and ovambadja.

These are euta, okanga, oupa, okukanda, oimbale, omalilo, odelela, Ondjeva, elilo, oshini, omaholo and omushi, whose utensils represent the sociocultural mosaic of local communities.

In addition to the museum nucleus, the dome for the exhibition and sale of arts was also opened, where artists will be able to exhibit and sell their works and the reading room with more than 500 works of a scientific, academic and children's literature by Angolan writers and foreigners.

Speaking to ANGOP, the director of the Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports office in Cunene, Nelson Ndelimukuata, said that the center constitutes an “added value” for the preservation of the cultural heritage.

Nelson Ndelimukuata made it known that the office is working with the authorities of traditional power, to help in the collection of artefacts and artisanal pieces, either by donation or direct purchase to furnish the museum room.

He informed that the survey of more monuments for their classification is in the pipeline, under the guidance of the Ministry of Culture, so that by the end of 2024, five monuments will be classified. FI/LHE/OHA/DOJ