Menongue - Cuito Cuanavale is heading to become one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country due to the potential of the memorial erected there in honor of the combatants who fell in the historic battle fought in the region.

By Maurício Mangala, ANGOP journalist

Even without support infrastructure, the Memorial dedicated to the heroes of the Cuito Cuanavale's Battle (BCC) is already recording a considerable number of visitors from various countries, attracted by curiosities about the history of the battle that gave freedom to the entire, Southern Africa region.

They are mostly neighboring regions citizens and Cubans, and visitors from other part of the world are also expected, judging by the growing international recognition of the impact of the BCC, which took place from November 15, 1987 to March 23, 1988.

According to the BCC Memorial Director, Lieutenant Colonel António Tchilulo Caluçhua, the structure receives, on average, 7,000 tourists of different nationalities annually, with a tendency for a significant increase in the coming years.

Speaking to ANGOP, on the occasion of the 36th anniversary of the BCC's cease fire and the Southern Africa Freedom Day, marked on March 23, the official stated that, in 2023, 7,657 visitors were registered.

From January 2024 until the first half of March, he continued, the Memorial received 696 foreign visitors from various countries, with emphasis on Cuba, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia, not to mention national tourists.

He indicated that the greatest interest of tourists is to better understand the BCC history details and all its existing collection, from old war materials to cultural pieces of the Ovanganguela people, as well as the natural beauty of the confluence of the Cuito and Cuanavale rivers.

Regarding the support and reception infrastructure for tourists, he acknowledged that there are “many weaknesses”, as there are no support units such as bars, restaurants and hotels in the town.

He assured, with further details, that the conditions are being created so that, in the coming years, tourists can find better reception and accommodation options.

In this regard, it is known, for example, that the second phase of construction of the Memorial has already been awarded, the completion of which will allow tourists to find leisure and accommodation spaces, among other tourist attractions.

The work involves the construction of modern housing for the local population and protocol houses as well as the creation of services and equipment that will provide the well-being of the local population, such as electricity and drinking water.

Elevation to world heritage

The Memorial's tourist value will be further reinforced when it is elevated to a World Heritage Site, as planned by the Angolan Government, which is working on the process.

According to the Angolan authorities, “great steps” have already been taken towards implementing the project.

In addition to infrastructure issues, the process also covers technical and administrative elements that are being discussed with experts from the United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

UNESCO experts have already worked, in Cuito Cuanavale, on creating conditions for this purpose, and one of the conditions required lies in reconstituting the scenario in the region, taking into account what the municipality was like before the BCC period.

At the beginning of this year, the Government of the province of Cuando-Cubango held the first Investors' Forum for the Angolan Okavango Region, to provide conditions for tourist attraction, taking into account the region's potential.

The region has the largest hydrographic basin of the Okavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Project, through the Cuando-Cubango rivers.

BCC Memorial

Regarding the content of the information that the Memorial offers, the director clarified that the visitor comes into contact with the history of the BCC, starting with the first retreats and advances of government forces, before their progression to the epicenter of the war and their resourcefulness until the March 23, day of the final battle and declaration of victory.

In António Caluçhua's view, the transition of March 23rd from a national celebration date to a regional holiday, as Southern Africa Liberation Day, represents “a vision and a very big gain” that arouses international curiosity.

Of the sculptural ensemble parked in the BCC Memorial square, built on 3.5 hectares, the Monument to the Soldiers stands out, a bronze sculpture 21.5 meters high and weighing 110 tons.

It is illustrated with two soldiers, one Angolan and the other Cuban, holding the map of Angola as a symbol of defending the country's territorial integrity and representing solidarity and friendship between the two peoples.

Another piece is the National Flag Monument, 55 meters high and with a thousand square meters of useful area, covered in granite stones and bronze elements.

The monument depicts a weapon surrounded by the national flag, with a viewpoint at its “Aiming Point” whose main access is via elevator.

From the viewpoint it is possible to glimpse the plenitude of the heroic village, as well as the confluence of the Cuito and Cuanavale rivers that give the municipality its name, as well as the Tumpo Triangle, the epicenter of military operations.

The Memorial also has an open-air museum, displaying all the war material used during the fighting, including artillery pieces and aviation equipment.

International Impact of the Battle

Among other consequences, the defeat of the South African Army forced the implementation of United Nations Resolution 435 on the Independence of Namibia, until then occupied by South Africa, which agreed to negotiate the signing of the New York Peace Accords on 22 December 1988.

The Independence of Namibia would finally be consummated on March 21, 1990 as a corollary of the New York Agreements signed by the governments of Angola, South Africa and Cuba, whose troops fought alongside Angolan troops.

The end of the apartheid regime in South Africa and the consequent release of Nelson Mandela after 27 years in prison are also at the center of BCC's gains.

For their part, Angola and Cuba, in a true victorious outcome from the military confrontation with one of the most powerful armies in the world, decided to accept the return to Havana of Cuban internationalist troops whose intervention was decisive in the outcome of the battle that dictated the liberation of Southern Africa.

“Cuito Cuanavale was the turning point in the liberation struggle of my continent and my people”, acknowledged Nelson Mandela after becoming the first black President of South Africa. MSM/FF/IZ/CF/DOJ