Dundo - The elevation of the ethnomathematics art “Sona”, a symbol of Tchokwe culture, to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), was one of the landmark facts in 2023, in the cultural domain.

The 'Sonas' is the second World Heritage Site inscribed by Angola, after in 2017 UNESCO declared the historic center of the city of Mbanza Kongo, province of Zaire, northern Angola.

he art 'Sonas' became the second Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity related to Mathematics, taking into account that the only one until then belonged to China.

The announcement of the elevation of the 'Sonas' was made during the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, in Kasane, Botswana, where Angola was represented by a delegation coordinated by the Secretary of State for Culture, Maria de Jesus.

'Sonas', which means writing in the sand, was a form of communication of the ancestors of the eastern region of the country, predominated by the Tchokwe people, who wrote messages through engravings on the walls of houses, trees and on the ground (sand) in the villages, to be deciphered by other members of the community.

The engravings, which are difficult to understand, are currently found in the Dundo Museum, and in a book that discusses Bantu culture, and have already been portrayed in the feature film “The Water Gods”, in a co-production between Argentina and Angola, in 2013.

Research carried out recently indicates the existence, at the time of recording the feature film, of just one elderly man, an employee of the Dundo Museum, who still practiced 'Sona' and was one of the local actors in the film.

Currently, there are more than 10 scientific works published in various parts of the world portraying the 'Sona' and none in Angola.

The year was also marked by the holding of the first edition of the festival of traditions, in which rituals such as supplications and offerings to Nzambi Kalunga (gods), txiphwya (pilgrimage), Mukanda and cikumbi (male and female initiation), among others, were carried out.

During the event, demonstrations were given of the marriage and reception ceremonies, regional costumes, signs of the communicative code 'Sona', traditional games, the form of hospitality and traditional power.

The dances, sessions of Cokwe tales and proverbs and the musical show, the highlight being the performance of the musician Santos Católica, marked the first edition of the festival.

Another remarkable moment was the signing of the memorandum of cooperation between the Brilhante Foundation (social face of the diamond subsector) and the local government for the construction of the tourist village 'Aldeia Sona'.

The project, to be implemented in 2024, foresees a residential area with 90 units of typologies T1 and T2, four tennis courts, two courts for basketball practice, two 11-a-side football fields, as well as green spaces and various technical services.

It also includes a cultural art and leisure school, church, protocol house, space for rituals, such as mukanda (male initiation), Cikwmbi (female initiation), mungonge-cyiwila (maximum degree of mukanda), among others.

Rural electrification opens up business opportunities

The rural electrification project, launched in November this year, in the town of Cafunfo, municipality of Cuango, was also a remarkable event in the province, as it opened up new business prospects in the energy sector.

The project, which is expected to benefit more than 309,891 people in 15 rural locations in the province of Lunda Norte, will, according to the Minister of Energy and Water, João Borges, allow businesses related to the sale of recharges for prepaid meters, network maintenance and equipment, among others.

The government's intention is to leave it to the private sector to take care of the maintenance of the network, the equipment and the marketing of recharges, within the framework of the decentralization of services, especially in the communes.

The electrification of the 15 rural locations will be done through the expansion of the national electricity grid and the construction of an equal number of photovoltaic parks with battery energy storage systems, such as isolated electricity production and supply systems.

The 15 photovoltaic systems will produce a total of 111.45 megawatts of electricity, plus 256.39 stored in batteries, a reserve that will allow the production of energy at night.

In addition to Lunda Norte, the project, whose overall investment is around 5.9 billion euros, will also electrify 45 rural locations in the provinces of Malanje, Bié, Moxico and Lunda Sul.

Postponement of the inauguration of the Luachimo dam

The postponement of the inauguration of the Luachimo hydroelectric dam, with a capacity to produce 34 megawatts, due to the regular flooding of the hydraulic circuit, is also highlighted.

This fact forced the expansion of the capacity and evacuation of the hydraulic circuit, to ensure better drainage of river waters.

The works in progress also aim to prevent the accumulation of sand in the hydraulic circuit (water intake, adduction channel, loading chamber and return channel), a problem that conditions the start of full production of electricity.

For the duration of the contract, for a period of 49 days, the bridge that gives access to the dam will be closed to vehicles, allowing only the circulation of people.

Budgeted at US$212 million, the contract included the rehabilitation of mechanical equipment, execution of a new hydraulic circuit sized for 240 cubic meters of water per second, consisting of a water intake, adduction channel, loading chamber and restitution channel.

A new 60-kilovolt substation was also built and the access road to the dam was remodeled, including the passage to the power plant.

The new infrastructure of the plant is 35 meters high, equivalent to an 11-storey building, installed in an area of 50 meters in length and 30 others in cross-section. 

The building of the old power plant was rehabilitated to serve technical education institutions, with the prospect of being the first museum of the energy sector in Angola.

The contract includes the recovery of the 85-kilometre high-voltage transmission line to the mining town of Nzagi, municipality of Cambulo, with an additional value estimated at US$40 million. 

The last stage of the project foresees the extension of the distribution network to the Lucapa headquarters, including the town of Calonda.

The transport line will also pass through the towns of Fucauma and Cassanguidi, taking into account the existence of economic activities, especially in the mining sector. HD/DOJ