Africa-Press – Angola. Tchingange, Onhatcho and Litamba, traditional dances from Balombo, Benguela province, are on the verge of extinction and need to be rescued urgently.
According to the municipal director of Culture and Tourism, Bibiana Nassessa, the local Administration is in contact with the traditional authorities to look for people who still master those dances to pass on the legacy to the youth.
As a result, dancers are invited to participate in celebrations at the municipal headquarters to show their expertise to the population.
However, the youth, although mobilized, has not yet shown the desired interest, according to the director.
“We have been carrying out awareness campaigns and lectures to show the importance of these cultural values”, he informed.
Regarding music and theater, he said that the intervention of these artists has been reasonable, although they encounter difficulties in terms of spaces to present their art.
“The only cultural center in the municipality is in a poor state of conservation due to having been vandalized during the conflicts”, revealed the director.
The cultural movement in Balombo needs more dynamism due to the few existing artists, as well as the difficulties they face in displaying their talents, according to Bibiana Nassessa.
Tourism sector to be explored
The area that houses the source of the thermal waters of the Cota-Cota, Balombo’s biggest tourist attraction, is in a poor state of conservation.
The director revealed that the Administration is waiting for funds to recover the infrastructure, although the population makes use of that place on a daily basis.
“Until a few years ago, the infrastructure was being operated by a businessman, but he fell ill and from then on, there is no one to take care of it, so he returned under the supervision of the Administration”, he explained.
Witnesses claim that in colonial times, tourists took advantage of those thermal waters to bathe and take some amount back home, for medicinal reasons.
Next to it, there is an inn, in ruins, which served to accommodate tourists, national and foreign, who came from various parts of the country to enjoy the warm waters of the cotta.
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