Luanda - The carnival group União Amazonas do Prenda intends to pay homage to the kingdoms of Dongo and Matamba in the 2025 edition of the Luanda Carnival, to be held from March 1 to 3, the group's secretary general, Domingos Mboloy, said Tuesday.
Domingos Mboloy said the group intends to contribute to the dissemination of the history of Angola and its protagonists and to bring these figures to the carnival, since they are poorly disseminated in the country's cultural events.
He added that in this edition of the carnival, the group, made up of 348 members, aims to finish in the top positions, dancing in the Semba musical style.
During the parade, which will take place on the 3rd in Nova Marginal, the group will have King Kibeixa Octávio and Queen Maria Manuela.
The carnival group União Amazonas do Prenda was founded on February 27, 1987 in the Prenda neighborhood of Luanda. This is its 38th participation in the carnival.
The 2025 edition of the carnival is part of the 50th anniversary of Angola's independence, which was achieved on November 11, 1975.
The Kingdom of Dongo was a pre-colonial African state located in present-day Angola. It was founded by the Ambundos, a people of Bantu origin, and its name inspired the current name of the country, since its king had the title of Ngola a Kiluanje.
The kingdom of Matamba was located between the Ndongo and the Congo, east of the Kwango River, on the right bank of the Lucala River, and corresponds to the present-day Baixa de Cassange, in the Malanje region.
Matamba was nominally a tributary of the Congo until the middle of the 16th century, when the King of the Congo, Afonso I, included it in his possessions. AMC/OHA/DAN/AMP
