Huambo - Cultural agents in Huambo province consider musician Justino Handanga, who died Monday in Luanda, to be a true promoter and disseminator of habits and customs, who knew how to internationalise the identity of the Ovimbundu people.
The 55-year-old musician died at the Cardinal Dom Alexandre do Nascimento Cardio-Pulmonary Hospital Complex, where he had been transferred last week.
Speaking to ANGOP, the director of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports, Jeremias Piedade Chissanga, said that this was an irreparable loss for national culture, especially in Huambo, because Justino Handanga was a musician who always ensured that the cultural identity of the Ovimbundu people was valued.
He considered the late musician to be a complete cultural agent who always worked for the appreciation, conservation and dissemination of local culture, having contributed greatly to the internationalisation of the national language of Umbundu, including his performance in 2010 at the National Independence Day celebrations at the Angolan embassies in Italy.
"We've lost not only a musician, but also a person with an easy manner and countless human qualities, the scale of which obliges the authorities to repay his legacy, perhaps with the construction of a monument or the creation of the Justino Handanga Cultural Award," he emphasised.
Without giving details of the funeral ceremonies, Jeremias Piedade Chissanga said that they were working on the transfer of the body which, in principle, should be buried in the municipality of Bailundo, the musician's hometown.
"How sad (...) I have just received the news of the death of our brother and friend Justino Handanga. It is an absolutely irreparable loss because, as a cultural nation, we are poorer and will be less ourselves, so I will continue to listen to him as a way of honouring and perpetuating his grateful memory," lamented the former governor of Huambo, João Baptista Kussumua.
Singer Edna Mateia, who shared the stage with the late musician several times, said she had lost her main artistic reference.
"Although we knew that Justino Handanga was ill, we thought that he should overcome this diabetes crisis once again, but unfortunately he gave up the fight," she lamented.
Musician João Baptista Joly described Justino Handanga as a man of integrity, who never refused to perform with the new generation, even though he was an internationally renowned artist.
He recalled that the late musician, whom he discovered in 1991 in the municipality of Bailundo, also contributed to the growth of many artists of the new generation.
Castelo Ekuikui, ambassador of the Kingdom of Bailundo, said that it was a loss without replacement, because Justino Handanga naturally became a spokesperson for the customs and habits of the Umbundu people.
The late musician, whom he considered a "brother and friend", was one of the best sons of the Kingdom of Bailundo, who did the bidding of his ancestors, whether it was through his visits to Ombala or the local administration, or through the reference to habits and customs in his songs.
Event promoter José Catumbela said that Justino Handanga's death was "a heavy blow", as he had a show scheduled for 28 April to honour him.
"We've lost an icon and a timeless artist, who still had a lot to give to the Angolans who loved him so much," he lamented.
Inside
Justino Handanga, a name that needs no introduction on the national music scene, with a vast repertoire and several hits, was born on 1 January 1969 in the village of Ndoluka, Luvemba commune, Bailundo municipality, Huambo province.
He has two albums on the music market, the first "Ondjonguele Ya Telisiwã (Alvo Atingido)", released in 2004, and the second "Homenagem ao empresário Valentim Amões", released in 2011.
The author of hits such as "Ndumbalundo", "Olonamba", "Tenho saudades", "Paulina", "Carlito" and "Abílio", joined the Angolan National Police on 10 October 1992, after completing his military service in the Popular Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA). ALH/DAN/DOJ
