Dundo - The Minister of Culture, Filipe Zau, considered Monday, in Dundo, Lunda-Norte province, the musician Augusto Chakaya a cultural heritage and “a guardian of traditional Angolan music”.
Reacting to the death of the main vocalist of the “Jovens do Prenda” band, Filipe Zau stressed that Augusto Chakaya's professional career is intertwined with the history of Angolan music and the country's own cultural heritage.
“Whenever we lose reference musicians and especially those who are linked to bands, as is the case of the “Jovens do Prenda”, it is an irreparable loss as these people are confused with the cultural heritage of our country itself', he said.
On the other hand, he said that the Angolan State is creating conditions for better assistance to musicians who reach a certain age facing many difficulties, especially when they fall ill.
“We are building the artist's house, with 80 rooms, for senior artists who may not have family support and we, the State, provide medical and social assistance, thus avoiding premature deaths”, he stressed.
Augusto Chakaya was a member of the Jovens do Prenda band in the 1980s and 1990s. He was a composer of reference songs, such as 'Lamento de um filho', 'Papá', 'Isabel', 'Longa Marcha', 'Samba Samba', 'Quem procura acha', among others.
He was born in 1951, in the municipality of Bembe, province of Uíge and began his musical career on the children's stage 'Palmo e Meio'.
The musician, who died at the age of 73, in a hospital unit in Luanda, leaves 16 children. HD/DOJ
