Africa-Press – Angola. National Culture had one of its highest moments in 2023, with the holding of the 1st Eastern Regional Music and Dance Festival “Ngeya”, bringing together 126 artists from this region of the country, in the year of the death of Queen Nhacatolo, sovereign of the Luvale people .
The festival, the largest cultural event in the provinces of Moxico, Lunda Sul and Lunda Norte, took place at the Monumento à Paz Tourist Complex, in the city of Luena, and aimed to revive intercultural dialogue, providing the reunion of different generations of artists, with the combination of music, dances, display of musical instruments, characteristic of the region.
The event took place from the 23rd to the 24th, with the participation of 11 folk groups, in addition to 44 artists who performed with modern music on the first day of the festival, sponsored by Sociedade Mineiro – Catoca.
On the stage of “Ngeya”, a local expression that in Portuguese means euphoria, the groups Nejas, Ihalo, Marimba Kayowe, Wino Wa Tembo and Nhamusso paraded representing the province of Moxico.
From the province of Lunda Sul, the groups Zango Tchissela, Mba Heza Mitingui and Kulimuka Tchiyanda stood out, while Lunda Norte was represented by the Txako Txa Utxokwe, Mwesseke Utalé and Maringa do 1o de Maio.
Participants displayed different types of dances, such as Makopo, Mitingui, Maringa, as well as Kalofolofo, Kauali, Hulengo, Kandemba, Musheta, and those less known regionally.
The venue for the second edition of the festival, taking place in 2024, will be the city of Saurimo, capital of the province of Lunda Sul.
Death of Queen Nhacatolo devastates National Culture
The death of Queen Nhacatolo Chilombo, sovereign of the Lunda-Luvale tribe, one of the most important kingdoms in the country, was another event that shook National Culture, in 2023, a phenomenon that mobilized several political, cultural and traditional personalities in the country.
The sovereign died on June 15th at the Cardeal Dom Alexandre do Nascimento Hospital, in Luanda, a victim of illness, at the age of 86, after commanding the Luvale kingdom for a period of 19 years, succeeding Queen Nhakatolo Tchissengo, who died in 1992, on the throne.
The sovereign’s death left a vacancy in that kingdom that occupies a large part of the east of the country, in addition to countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia, and the appointment of the successor is scheduled for 2024.
Queen Nhakatolo, who was born in 1937, in the commune of Cavungo, in the municipality of Alto Zambezi, is described as a figure who had centuries-old stories and a deep knowledge of her culture, knowing how to preserve and transmit the values, traditions and identity of the your people.
The sovereign, according to sources, emerged as a wise woman, who contributed to the harmony and development of communities.
The Luvale kingdom is being governed, on an interim basis, by an 80-year-old governor, Anabela Ngambo Kaumba, appointed by the royal court council of the Luvale Kingdom.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
