Huambo – The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Filipe Zau, stated this Friday that the entry into operation of the “Manuel Rui” Cultural Center in Huambo will certainly help to increase the sense of self-esteem of the country’s artistic.
The government official, who was speaking moments after the inauguration of the project by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, accompanied by the First Lady, Ana Dias Lourenço, said that the property will, in a certain way, boost the appreciation and sociocultural validation of the artists' work.
Filipe Zau said that, with the delivery of the Cultural Center, the real creative potential of cultural workers will emerge, with greater dignification of their vocational options and greater quality of the projects resulting from their work.
He added that it will also contribute to improving the working conditions of artists and promoters of cultural actions in its broadest sense.
He recognized the commitment of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, in building the project, as “culture unites and strengthens the Nation” and the beneficiaries are immensely grateful, associated with the public interest in cultural appreciation.
The construction of the center, according to the minister, will also decentralize the activities normally carried out in Luanda (capital of the country) and, at the same time, enable the emergence of other local cultures still not sufficiently promoted.
He called on the future management board of the center to work towards profitability, in order to become self-sufficient, at a time when it already has UNICEF available to carry out the initiation of training for children in vulnerable conditions, for the creation of a nucleus of the Kaposoka Orchestra, under the direction of Pedro Fançony, a son of Huambo.
Regarding the honoree, the minister considered Manuel Rui, born in the city of Huambo on November 4, 1941, an icon of literature, with his lyrics translated into different languages, including the national vernacular Umbundu.
He said that the in-person tribute to the former Minister of Information in the Transitional Government and also rector of the University of Huambo (currently José Eduardo dos Santos University) and the Faculty of Arts of Lubango (currently Universidade Mandume Ya Ndemufayo) constitutes greater living tribute to the author of the National Anthem and the popular patriotic song “Meninos do Huambo”.
In turn, the governor of the province of Huambo, Lotti Nolika, said it was a day of achievements, as the center was designed by local government officials, with the aim of giving shape to the legitimate aspirations of the population, in reaffirming and developing the cultural and spiritual dimension, which characterize the region.
She declared that the cultural center, in addition to its
architectural beauty, will serve to contribute to the development of arts in the province of Huambo in the most diverse dimensions.
ALH/VIC/TED/jmc
