Africa-Press – Angola. The ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Angola, Jozef Smets, this Tuesday highlighted the history and cultural richness of the Ovimbundu ethnolinguistic group, with emphasis on the habits and customs of the Bailundo and Huambo kingdoms.
The diplomat, who was speaking to the press, after having held courtesy meetings with the sovereigns of Bailundo and Huambo, considered that, in addition to the cultural richness and personality of the Ovimbundu people, this region of the Central Plateau of Angola, has great potential for launching projects aimed at socio-economic development.
He assured that the role of the Belgian Government will be to contribute in this development process, starting with the railway sector which, alongside training staff, intends to launch the Benguela Railway (CFB) on the route of local progress, corridor of Lobito and Angola in general.
Jozef Smets the ambassador announced, for this year, the beginning of training and qualification of CFB technicians.
In turn, the kings of Bailundo and Huambo, Tchongolola Tchongoga and Filipe Moço, respectively, praised the visit of the Belgian diplomat, considering that it served to strengthen cultural ties and friendship.
In two days in Huambo, the Belgian ambassador to Angola, Jozef Smets, was received, in audience, by the governor of the province, Lotti Nolika, with whom he discussed matters of common interest, having then visited the CFB training center and the private Higher Polytechnic Institute of Caála.
Belgium is considered one of Angola’s main trading partners in Europe and invests in various sectors of The Angolan writer Israel Campos suggested Tuesday, in the city of Huambo, the need for the Angolan Government to implement a strategic plan to promote national literature, to respond to market difficulties.
Israel Campo was speaking during the presentation, to readers in the province of Huambo, of his debut work in the Angolan literary market, entitled “E o Céu changed”.
The author said that the difficulties that writers face in producing works and making their contribution to the development of the national market are enormous, from the shortage of publishers, high printing costs and constraints in the distribution and sale of books, as the literary structure of the country.
In order to counteract this situation, he understands that it is necessary to implement a strategic plan for the promotion of literature and the expansion of books.
He referred that, although the Ministry of Education already has a national reading plan, it is insufficient to respond to the needs of the market, requiring, therefore, the creation of policies that aim to guarantee more accessible production and that encourages agents of the sector to boost production and rapid distribution throughout the country.
Israel Campos defended the exemption of taxes for books that are imported abroad, as he understands that the issue of literature is crucial for the country’s education.
The book “E o Céu Mudou de Cor” was launched in February this year, in Portugal. Before the province of Huambo, it was already presented to readers in Luanda.
The same, written in a novel format and with 170 pages, distributed in 25 chapters, narrates the various issues of social and political life in the daily life of Angolan reality.
Born in March 2000, in Luanda, Israel Campos, with a degree in Journalism from the City University of London, is currently a Master’s student in Strategic Communication and Leadership at the Catholic University of Portugal. He began his career as an announcer of children’s programs on Rádio Nacional de Angola, at the age of 12. He is currently a freelance journalist for the Portuguese service of the Voice of America (VOA) and for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) world service, covering subjects such as Angolan politics, environment and society.
In 2021, Israel was considered one of the 100 most influential black personalities in Lusophony (Bantu Men, 2021). Among the other awards it accumulates, it won the “EU GCCA+Youth Awards for the best climate storytelling” award, from the European Union, in 2021, and was nominated as a finalist for the “Free Press Award”, in 2022, and for the awards “Amnesty Media Award”, in the same year.
Israel was honored this year for its journalistic and youth contribution at the Gala Afrodescendentes in Zurich, Switzerland.
Situated in Western Europe, Belgium is a constitutional monarchy and one of the founding members of the European Union.
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