Huambo - The Governor of Huambo Province, Pereira Alfredo, said on Wednesday that the presence of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, at the celebrations of the National Day of Culture celebrated on January 8, is a great boost for actions aimed at strengthening cultural identity.
Speaking to the press after the unveiling of the plaque declaring Doutor António Agostinho Neto Square a National Cultural Heritage Site, the governor said that the Head of State is a great boost to what has been done in the province and in the country in general to strengthen culture.
"I said that the province of Huambo is celebrating and is now the cultural capital of Angola, because it has woken up with a lot of light, color and a very strong demonstration of cultural values," he stressed.
Pereira Alfredo said that the focus now is on working to rescue cultural identity, combining culture, which strengthens the nation, with tourism, as a means of promoting development in the province.
Regarding the declaration of Praça Doutor António Agostinho Neto as a National Cultural Heritage Site, the governor promised greater preservation of the site to maintain its mystique, as it pays homage to Angola's first president and is located in the center of the city of Huambo.
The governor said the local authorities would do everything possible to preserve the site and make the most of its location and historical importance.
For Pereira Alfredo, the Ministry of Culture has just made history by giving dignity to this historic space, and so the Huambo provincial government will continue to work to dignify it and other sites in the region, such as Ombala Yo Mbalundu.
Pereira Alfredo said that the province of Huambo is very fortunate in the field of cultural infrastructures, as it has the first cultural center of the country, inaugurated in January 2024 by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço.
He said the center is a national reference infrastructure, which should be used to offer various services, moments to promote cultural identity and other events to promote development.
The National Day of Culture is dedicated to the appreciation, promotion and preservation of the rich cultural diversity, established as a way to highlight the importance of culture in national identity and development.
The event was approved by decree in November 1986, as a tribute to the speech on National Culture given by the first President of Angola, António Agostinho Neto, in 1979, on the occasion of the inauguration of the governing bodies of the Angolan Writers' Union, in Luanda.
On that occasion, António Agostinho Neto, also a great poet, delivered a speech on national culture, which has since become a fundamental reference in all discussions on Angolan culture. ALH/AMP
