Luanda – The First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Lourenço, participated this Saturday, in Luanda, in the presentation ceremony of the religious book “Culto Ecuménico de Acção de Graça”, of which she is the promoter.
The work is a tribute to the centenary of the first President of Angola, António Agostinho Neto, who was born on September 17, 1922, in Kaxikane (Luanda) and died on September 10, 1979, in Moscow.
During the ceremony, Ana Dias Lourenço expressed her gratitude for the moment when she had the idea of turning the memorable event of September 18, 2022, into a brochure that would allow all Angolans, especially young people, to look at the words of transformation and hope transmitted during the ecumenical service held in Catete, Icolo and Bengo.
“That day, I was very touched and as soon as the service ended I thought and said, but those beautiful words that were said here, words of hope, words of teaching, guidelines on how society should be and how it should live in faith... we will have to do something”, she stressed.
For Ana Dias Lourenço, the words spoken at the time, now compiled in a book, show the current reality, having been transformed into a message filled with patriotic feelings, hope for the future, Christians, faith, education and ethics for the youngest, as they are the future of the nation.
“I challenged my husband: - look, we could make a book, we were still in Catete (...)”, she disclosed.
He looked at me and said: - but a book? How are you going to ask for all the papers? "I said: I want your support, I'm going to try with the media, radio, television, look for the audios and try to write it down", she said.
The First Lady ended her explanation by thanking the body of religious clergy and all the individuals and groups involved in the compilation of the Book.
In turn, the Secretary General of The Christian Churches Council of Angola (CICA), Reverend Vladimir Agostinho, said that the book launch event was an ideal setting to reflect on the legacy, the message of hope and courage of António Agostinho Neto.
He said that the work is not only a testimony of faith, but also a tribute to the life and struggle of a man who dedicated his life to the freedom and dignity of the Angolan people.
For the Archbishop of Luanda, Dom Filomeno Vieira Dias, the moment was appropriate to evoke in prayer the deeds of the first president of Angola.
During the event, which was attended by other prominent figures, such as António Agostinho Neto's widow, Maria Eugénia Neto, members of the Executive and ecclesiastical authorities, the Council of Christian Churches of Angola (CICA), handed over to those present Bibles translated into national languages, as a way of preserving the Angolan cultural matrix.
The First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Lourenço, symbolically handed over the books to the ecclesiastical authorities present at the event.
The Book
The book launched under the seal of Mayamba publisher features 14 personalities, including pastors, reverends, priests and bishops, who met on September 18, 2022, in Catete, Icolo and Bengo, defending the values and principles that should build the daily social life of Angolans, with the founder of the nation António Agostinho Neto as a reference. Two thousand copies were made available in this first edition. ANM/OHA/TED/jmc
