Mbanza Kongo - A traditional ritual carried out at the Cemetery of the Kings of Kongo marked on Monday, in Mbanza Kongo, Zaire Province, the opening of activities celebrating the 8th of January, National Culture Day.
The act which was led by the coordinator of the group of traditional authorities of Mbanza Kongo, Afonso Mendes, the ritual began with a welcome ceremony named Yala Nkwu, on the premises of the Kings of Kongo Museum, with the presence of members of the Provincial Government, as well as guests.
At the time, Afonso Mendes asked for the interception of the ancestors in providing health, peace and well-being to all the inhabitants of this region, in particular, and to Angolans, in general.
It has been a recurring process in this region for local traditional authorities to carry out a traditional ritual when it is a large-scale event.
The director of the Provincial Office of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports, Nzuzi Makiesse, explained that the National Culture Day activities will extend until the celebration of 50 years of National Independence, which will be celebrated on November 11th.
He said that the program includes, among other activities, a lecture on the "importance of Kongo culture", to awaken young people to the need to prevent the uses and customs of this region.
The act was attended by the deputy governor of Zaire for the Political, Social and Economic sector, Afonso Nzolameso and the deputy governor for the Infrastructure and Technical Services sector, Ângela Diogo,.
The 8th of January, which marks National Culture Day, was made official in November 1986, in honor of the speech on national culture given by the first president of Angola, António Agostinho Neto, in 1979, during the inauguration of the governing body of the Angolan Writers Association.
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