Mbanza Kongo - The director of the Zaire Provincial Office for Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports, Nzuzi Makiese, said on Wednesday that the redevelopment in the coming days of the Historic Centre of Mbanza Kongo will boost cultural tourism in the region.
Speaking to ANGOP, she recalled that in order to materialise this goal, the Angolan Government, through presidential order no. 10/24, had made available an amount estimated at 100 billion kwanzas.
She explained that the amount allocated is aimed at restoring and conserving all the sites and monuments that make up the historical-cultural mosaic of the Historic Centre of Mbanza Kongo, elevated to World Cultural Heritage in July 2017.
"We believe that with the restoration of the historical sites and monuments that make up the historical-cultural fabric of our city, there will be more visits and an increase in revenue," he said.
Nzuzi Makiese said that some of the monuments and historic sites on the list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) are crying out for urgent intervention, especially the ruins of the old cathedral, Kulumbimbi, which has cracks in its structure.
She also spoke about the requalification of the 12 water fountains that surround the city of Mbanza Kongo, the conservation of the tomb of Dona Mpolo (mother of one of the kings buried alive for disobeying the orders of the royal court), Sungilo, Tadi-dya-bukikwa, among other historical collections.
The governor praised the exemplary behaviour of the region's population in the conservation and preservation of monuments and historical sites, considering the attitude to be valuable and the importance that local municipalities attach to Kongo culture.
"We have never had any acts of vandalisation of the historical sites and monuments in the Historic Centre of Mbanza Kongo," he said.
From January to December 2023, the centre recorded 7,519 tourists, both domestic and foreign, more than 2,463 compared to the same period in 2022.
It should be noted that the Historic Centre of Mbanza Kongo was inscribed on UNESCO's list of controlled goods on 8 July 2017. DA/JL/MRA/DOJ
