Luanda - The President of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, Fernando Gonzalez llort, considered, in Havana, the figure of António Agostinho Neto as a man of critical thinking and firm character.
The Cuban leader was speaking during the opening ceremony of the tributes to the first President of Angola on Tuesday, the day of the National Hero (17 September) marked by the laying of a wreath next to the bust of Neto in the Square of African Heroes in the Cuban capital.
During his speech, Fernando Llort said that Agostinho Neto dreamed of and created a sovereign republic against all interference from foreign powers.
He referred to the words of Fidel Castro, who considered ‘Agostinho Neto a man whose name will go down in history among the revolutionary leaders who have acquired great merit with their people and the world revolutionary movement’.
For Angola's ambassador to Cuba, Maria Cândida Teixeira, Neto left a legacy of hope and resistance for Angolans, inspiring future generations to fight for their rights and defend the values of freedom and justice.
She said that his ideal of national unity and reconstruction continues to be a guide for the challenges facing Angola, such as the fight against poverty, inequality and corruption.
The diplomat also said that, as well as being the greatest symbol of freedom and the fight for self-determination, Agostinho Neto is also a symbol and exponent of Angolan culture.
For this reason, she continued, the new generations of Angolans should see themselves in the figure of the Immortal Guide, so that ‘we know how to strengthen our national identity and preserve the genuine idiosyncrasy of Angolans in the most diverse areas’.
The tribute ceremony was attended by senior officials from the Communist Party and the Cuban state, as well as ambassadors and other representatives of international organisations accredited in Cuba and representatives of Cuban civil society organisations.
António Agostinho Neto was born on 17 September 1922 in Kaxicane, Icolo e Bengo.
He proclaimed Angola's independence on 11 November 1975 and died on 10 September 1979. ART/DAN/DOJ
