Africa-Press – Angola. The Head of State João Lourenço said Friday that the death of nationalist João Garcia Bires represents a painful loss of a patriot who served the interests of the Angolan people in various fields, particularly in diplomacy.
In a condolence note made public by the Presidency of the Republic, President João Lourenço expressed his dismay at the event, which occurred on Wednesday in Lisbon due to illness.
‘It is always painful to see those who have dedicated their lives to the cause of Angola’s independence, peace and developments pass away,’ wrote the President.
He expressed his ‘deepest condolences to the bereaved family and all his friends and comrades’.
Born in Luanda on 27 February 1944, João Garcia Bires stood out from an early age for his dedication to scientific knowledge and his firm patriotic ideals.
In September 1960, courageously embracing the ideal of national liberation from colonial rule, he went into exile with other young patriots in what was then Congo-Leopoldville, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, giving unequivocal proof of his commitment to the cause of Angolan independence.
His revolutionary commitment, from the underground to the post-independence period, is a testimony to his exemplary militancy, unwavering loyalty to the MPLA and dedication to the Angolan people.
A consistent militant, Garcia Bires carried out important functions within the MPLA and national diplomacy with zeal and a high sense of state.
From 10 September 1979 to 23 December 1980, he was also interim Rector of Agostinho Neto University.
As Angola’s ambassador to Namibia and, later, to Mozambique and China, he defended the strategic interests of the Angolan state with competence and dignity and consolidated ties of friendship and cooperation with sister nations, whose relations of friendship and cooperation contributed to the construction and development we have seen.
In the cultural field, he stood out as an intellectual committed to affirming national identity.
He was a member of the Union of Angolan Writers, where he served as President, and contributed to Angolan literature with the publication of several poems in magazines and youth newspapers of the former socialist republics of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and the USSR, as well as three outstanding literary works: Dia do Calendário, O Silêncio Acordado and Olhadelando.
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