Africa-Press – Angola. The magnitude of Agostinho Neto’s legacy has not yet been properly publicized as a reference for new generations, said on Wednesday, in Catete, the president of the Dr. António Agostinho Neto Foundation (FAAN), Maria Eugénia Neto.
The widow of the first President of independent Angola made this observation when presiding over the launch ceremony of a new project, about the life and work of Agostinho Neto, called “Ciclo de Conferências Netianas”, an initiative of the Foundation, at the Dr. António Agostinho Neto Cultural Center.
Eugénia Neto stated that Agostinho Neto’s legacy continues to motivate debates in Angola and abroad and to inspire generations, even after his physical disappearance more than 40 years ago.
The FAAN leader recalled that Agostinho Neto must be celebrated in all his dimensions, as a man of culture, doctor, leader of the Liberation Struggle, statesman, diplomat and humanist, without ideological, religious, ethnic or racial differences.
“(…) It is important that our youth hone their curiosity and delve deeper into the annals of our History, researching Agostinho Neto and other Heroes, men and women, who fought voluntarily, passionately and selflessly so that we could have access to the dynamics of the modern world as free people”, stressed Maria Eugénia Neto.
“The ‘Netian Conference Cycle’ is another instrument capable of generating knowledge”, defended Maria Eugénia Neto, adding that the project is implemented with the fundamental objective of promoting debate around the different facets of the National Hero Agostinho Neto.
The new generations, he added, must continue to equip themselves with sufficient elements for a broader knowledge of “the man who dared to challenge the fascist colonial regime in Portugal, fighting alongside progressive Portuguese people and several other illustrious nationalists from other Portuguese colonies, and solemnly proclaimed the Independence of Angola” on 11 November 1975.
At the launch ceremony of the new project on the life and work of Agostinho Neto, part of the commemorative days of the “Day of the National Hero and the Founder of the Nation”, Maria Eugénia Neto emphasized the need to fulfill the duty of recognizing the “great journey allowed” by the older generations, amid decades of cruelty and humiliation, and that each citizen should, patriotically, preserve the achievements attained and place themselves at the service of the Nation.
Maria Eugénia Neto acknowledged that “in this process [the National Liberation Struggle] there were flaws, as in any activity in which human action is felt”.
“We are all fallible”, acknowledged Agostinho Neto’s widow, arguing that, “before we resort to criticism and generational conflicts, which always happen in any society (…), let us not forget the sacrifices made by older generations; the reprisals, the mutilations, the murders and all sorts of aggressions against life and human dignity, in favor of this freedom that we proclaim and should be proud of, regardless of the condition and challenges of the present.”
The former First Lady of the Republic argued that, “from our coexistence”, the “ghosts of misunderstanding, incoherence, greed, hatred, revenge and intolerance” must be removed, combining “the new and the old in a single verb, which can generate, in such a way, development and equity, with the purpose of promoting social peace.”
Netian Conferences in Luanda and Bengo
The first “Netiana Conference” addressed the themes “Agostinho Neto’s strategic vision for the development of Angola” and “Neto’s legacy for the youth” and were presented by Joaquim Martinho, master in Comparative Studies of Portuguese Language Literature, and by Justo Muanganga.
The executive director of the Dr. António Agostinho Neto Foundation, Amarildo da Conceição, informed the Media that the “Netianas Conference Cycle” will be held monthly and, in the first phase, will only be implemented in the provinces of Luanda and Bengo.
“As there is sustainability, we will move to other provinces”, said Amarildo da Conceição, announcing, for October, the second edition of the “Netianas Conference Cycle”, at a location and date that will be announced, in the coming days, by the Dr. António Agostinho Neto Foundation.
JORNALDEANGOLA
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