Mbanza Kongo - The second edition of the International Festival of Kongo Culture (FestiKongo), to be held from July 5 to 8 in Mbanza Kongo, northern Zaire Province, will be marked by discussions towards several scientific aspects regarding "Kongo and its Diaspora".
The first edition of FestiKongo was held in 2019, being interrupted in the last three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the head of the scientific research and conservation area of the Participatory Management Committee of the Historic Centre of Mbanza Kongo, Avelino Manzueto, the debates will be held by national and foreign experts in colloquia, conferences and roundtables.
Speaking to ANGOP, Manzueto said several countries are expected to take part in the festival namely, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Cabo Verde, Congo Brazzaville and Gabon.
Manzueto explained that the theme chosen reflects the concern of the Angolan authorities to increase and include in this project the other countries whose territories were part of the Kingdom of Kongo, namely DRC, Congo Brazzaville and Gabon, as well as the Kongo diaspora spread across the world.
The aim of the debates on "Kongo and its Diaspora" is to strengthen cooperation in the research and dissemination of the Historic Centre of Mbanza Kongo and its status as a World Heritage Site.
The second edition of FestiKongo, Manzueto said, will mark the sixth anniversary of the Historical Centre of Mbanza Kongo registration as World Cultural Heritage, coinciding, also, with the festivities of this capital of Zaire Province.
Manzueto added that photographic exhibitions of handicrafts, rural products, African costumes, as well as musical and cultural performances would also mark the event that will review the new management plan for the historic centre for the 2022/2027 period.
The Historic Centre of Mbanza Kongo was registered as World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO on July 8, 2017, given the exceptional value of its tangible and intangible cultural heritage. PMV/JL/Amp/jmc
