Mbanza Kongo – Angola’s Vice President Esperança da Costa is expected Tuesday in Mbanza Kongo, northern Zaire province, to chair the 1st Ordinary Session of the National Multi-Sector Commission for Safeguarding of the 2023-World Cultural Heritage.
According to a note released Monday by the Vice Presidency’s Press Office, the meeting will analyse the current state of the monuments and historical sites of Mbanza Kongo.
The session will also review the proposals of the International Festival of Culture programme (FESTIKONGO) and the Commission's Action Plan for the 2023 period.
Other aspects include the implementation of UNESCO's recommendations on the Management Plan of this World Heritage city.
The Vice-President of the Republic will also visit sites of interest to the Commission.
Updated by Presidential Dispatch 93/23, of 3 May, according to the press release, the commission aims to ensure the development of identified actions to preserve, enhance and manage the cultural heritage, in accordance with the conventions and international treaties on the matter, to which Angola is a party.
This include the Convention on World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted in 1972 at the United Nations General Conference on Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO).
Created under the Presidential Order no. 25/18, of 5 March, the National Multi-sector Commission for Safeguarding the World Cultural Heritage is responsible for promoting the implementation of conservation programmes and the participative management of the cultural heritage.
The objective is to adopt special measures to monitor the national cultural heritage of exceptional universal value.
The Historic Centre of Mbanza kongo, capital of the former Kingdom of Kongo, joined the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list on 8 July 2017.
