Africa-Press – Angola. The biography of the 18 kings who passed through the reign of Oukwanyama, province of Cunene, between the years 1500 to 1917, was covered Monday, in a lecture that took place in the municipality of Namacunde.
The lecture is part of the commemorations of the 106th anniversary since the death of the last king of the Oukwananyama people, Mandume Ya Ndemnufayo, on February 6, 1917.
When discussing the theme, the current sovereign of the reign of Oukwanyama, Jerónimo Haleinge, addressed the events that gave rise to the kingdom of Oukwanyama, in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Jerónimo Haleinge said the Oukwanyama reign saw 18 kings, 12 of which were buried in the sovereigns’ cemetery located in Oipembe, near the city of Ondjiva, and others in other areas of the municipality, including Mandume, in Oihole.
He clarified that regardless of the circumstances, each sovereign sought to defend the territory, its people, livestock and agriculture with determination.
He informed that at the time, they formed a strong and complex administrative unit in which the Cuanhama showed themselves to be fearless in the resistance struggle of the colonial occupation, through arduous battles.
He acknowledged that King Mandume was the most prominent throughout this seven-year period that he reigned, for his remarkable deeds and services rendered to the community, although under different circumstances.
He recalled that Mandume stood out on several fronts, such as the battle of Môngua, Chana de Ongwe and the final battle at Oihole, in which he committed suicide.
Government of Cunene
In turn, the vice-governor for the Political, Social and Economic sector of Cunene, Apolo Ndinoulenga, valued the lecture that allowed transmitting testimony to current generations regarding the kings who passed through the reign of Oukwanyama.
On this day, he explained, Mandume is remembered for his size, determination and bravery, having faced a strong regime that has military equipment, subjecting them to tough battles without bending, he preferred to die than be caught.
He said that Mandume established tough rules in defense of his reign, having restored the social order, wealth and prosperity of his people, expelling Portuguese traders who charged high prices.
“These values must be preserved and transmitted to generations, hence the need for researchers and academic society to research more about Mandume and other kings, for this knowledge to appear in books”, he stressed.
Mandume ya Ndemufayo was born in 1884 in the lands of the reign of Oukwanyama, a national state of the Cuanhama peoples, of the Ovambo ethnolinguistic group, from southern Angola and northern Namibia.
The Rei Mandume Memorial Complex is located in the village of Oihole, in the municipality of Namacunde, Cunene province, in southern Angola, and was erected in honor of King Mandume ya Ndemufayo.
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