Huambo - The Minister of Culture, Filipe Zau, said on Monday that the province of Huambo is gradually being transformed into one of the cultural capitals of Angola.
The minister was speaking to the press after swearing in the heads of department of the 'Manuel Rui Monteiro' Cultural Center, in the city of Huambo, as part of his four-day working visit in this region of the country, regarding the central act of the National Day of National Culture, to be marked this Wednesday (January 8).
To materialize this intention, Filipe Zau said that some work is being carried out, such as the inauguration, next Wednesday, of the Provincial Archive of Huambo 'Constantino Camõli' and the unveiling of the plaque of the classification as National Cultural Heritage of Praça Doutor Agostinho Neto.
In this regard, he pointed out that the province also has the 'Manuel Rui Monteiro' Cultural Center, in addition to the elevation to National Cultural Heritage of the Olundongo dance, typical of this region of the Central Plateau of Angola.
He added that the focus will now be to work for the inscription of Olundongo as a UNESCO universal cultural heritage, similar to what is being done with the Tchianda dance and Semba.
He informed that the Sona (drawings in the sand) of the eastern part of Angola is already recognized as intangible heritage of humanity.
As for the Huambo museum, Filipe Zau said that the work will be done in due course, as first the cultural part will be reorganized, as a whole, and the other infrastructures will follow.
He defended greater appreciation of the 'Manuel Rui Monteiro' Cultural Center and the makers of the performing arts in the province of Huambo, who will be honored on the National Day of Culture, due to the fact that, many times, the good work they do in favor of art is not taken into account.
For his part, the governor of Huambo province, Pereira Alfredo, said that this region of the country has all the potential to become the country's cultural capital, with more work by arts makers in projects that add value.
He stressed that culture and tourism make a 'perfect marriage' and it is time for this province to take, in a good way, the dividends of these two components, which have rich valences in the region, to leverage its economy.
The National Culture Day is a date of high historical symbolism, approved in November 1986, in honor of the first President of Angola, António Agostinho Neto, because of his speech on the state of the sector, given on January 8, 1979, at the inauguration of the governing body of the Union of Angolan Writers (UEA).
The program of the celebration of the National Culture Day to which ANGOP had access reserves the inauguration of the 'Constantino Camõli' Archive and the unveiling of the classification plaque to National Cultural Heritage of Praça Doutor Agostinho Neto.The event also includes a conference on the theme 'Culture, Identity and Angolanity', in addition to the ceremony awarding diplomas of merit and trophies to cultural workers in the province of Huambo and a musical-cultural show at the Manuel Cultural Center Rui Monteiro. ZZN/ALH/DOJ
