Africa-Press – Angola. African literature, with emphasis on the poetry of Agostinho Neto, played a crucial role in the liberation of the African people, in particular in the affirmation of Angolan identity, said writer Isdore Otombo in Cunene province.
In a statement this Tuesday, regarding the 21st of March, World Poetry Day, the writer said that over the years many nationalists and African statesmen have used poetry as a weapon for the liberation of the continent.
Isdore Otombo highlighted that the challenges for the intellectuals of the time, in which António Agostinho Neto stands out, consisted in the emancipation of minds and promoting the liberation struggle and the appreciation of the peoples’ tradition.
He clarified that the poetry of Agostinho Neto served as a source of inspiration from the point of view of identity, personality, spirit of Angolanity, for achieving independence from the colonialist yoke.
He pointed out the poem “Havemos de Voltar”, as one of the aspects of rescuing and restoring the identity of the peoples’ culture, which was being invaded by Europeans.
He stressed, on the other hand, that literature in its most varied levels, plays an important role in the congregation of interests and in the search for common elements that serve as a national identity.
On his turn, the delegate of the Brigada Jovem de Literatura de Angola in Cunene, Hamiltom Venokanha, considered African poetic literature as the foundation of liberation struggles, whose process involved first freeing the minds of Africans.
He highlighted the names of Agostinho Neto and António Jacinto, among other nationalists, who used writing as a weapon of intellectual massification in the struggle for independence.
In this path, he said that poetry has its social function, as an example and means of inclusion in combating crime, strengthening culture, in order to humanize society.
He said that at provincial level, between 20 and 25 poets are controlled, among reciters and writers in the municipalities of Ombadja, Namacunde, Cuanhama and Cuvelai.
Despite being a very small number, he said that poetry has gained space where young people recite and participate in astrologies of a provincial nature.
World Poetry Day is celebrated on March 21 and was established by Unesco in 1999. It serves to recognize poetic movements and literary tradition, encourage reading and promote linguistic diversity.
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