Africa-Press – Angola. The first edition of the Festival of Traditions, opened this Friday, in Dundo, Lunda Norte province, whose main objective is to rescue the habits and customs of the Lunda Cokwe people and will promote cultural tourism and business opportunities in the sector of culture.
When speaking at the event promoted by the local government, the director of the provincial Culture office, José Pinto, said that the festival is a pedagogical space for the cultural singularities of the province of Lunda Norte and has the participation of artists, traditional authorities and ethnic groups from the ten municipalities.
He said that the event aims to provide a holistic response to popular reactions to community recreation, in order to develop a sustainable tourist offer in the region and provide a space for good cultural practices.
He highlighted that the festival, which will be held annually, also aims to encourage the creation of traditional and authentic products that translate into evidence and experiences, combined with the concept of authenticity that should be structuring elements of the tourist offer in the province.
He added that it is the government’s objective to rescue the model of good practices of the Lunda Cokwe people, from their saints (mahamba), uses and customs, gastronomy, rituals and their commemorative dates.
During the three-day festival, rituals such as supplications and offerings to Nzambi Kalunga (gods), txiphwya (pilgrimage), Mukanda and cikumbi (male and female initiation), among others, will be carried out.
There will also be demonstrations of marriage and reception ceremonies, regional costumes, signs of the “Sona” communicative code, traditional games, the form of hospitality and traditional power.
A gallery of crafts, visual arts, gastronomy and traditions was set up.
The dances, sessions of Cokwe stories and proverbs and the musical show, where the highlight will be the performance of the musician Santos Católica, will mark the first edition of the festival.
The festival is part of the memorandum of understanding signed between Fundação Brilhante (FB), the social face of the diamond subsector, and the local government in the field of culture and arts, and aims to encourage artists to continue preserving and researching more about the habits and customs of the region.
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