Africa-Press – Angola. Fifty-five members of the Carnival 2024 judging panel, in the province of Huambo, were trained, this Friday, on the criteria for evaluating the song, dance, costumes, court, queen and commander revelers.
The jury is responsible for evaluating children’s, traditional and adult carnival groups at the communal, municipal and provincial stages, with the aim of improving the classification methods for the different categories awarded at Entrudo.
On the occasion, the head of the Cultural Action department in the province of Huambo, Pascoal Pedro Nhanga, said that the training aimed to avoid some dissatisfaction among the public and participants in Carnival, regarding the decisions taken by the jury, as happened in previous editions..
The person in charge said it was important for the jury to analyze, in detail, the classification aspects of the groups, so that the Huambo Carnival would be more cultural and joyful.
He considered Carnival as a fundamental factor for the cultural and tourist development of the country, which increasingly needs to be praised, as a factor of national unity, which aims to increase national potential.
He informed that, for this year, Carnival has as its motto “Cultural diversity as a factor in tourist attraction” and the communal phase is scheduled for the 20th and 21st of this month, the municipal phase (27th to 28th), while the provincial parade is scheduled for February 11th and 12th.
According to the official, 39 carnival groups, including children, traditional and adults, will be able to participate, this year, in the provincial Entrudo, with the stage on Avenida Alioune Blond Beye, in the Académico neighborhood, in the interior of the city of Huambo.
There are 13 children’s groups, 12 traditional dance groups, 10 adults and four reserved for entertainment.
Therefore, he asked for greater preparation from the revelers, including clothing and choreography, so that they can be among the three representatives from each of the 11 municipalities and win the provincial phase.
The training also covered content linked to the Shrovetide regulations, to better evaluate the categories, with emphasis on dance, music, choreography, clothing, presentation, allegory and, consequently, the final score.
The Okutiuka group, from the municipality of Huambo, won the last edition of the children’s phase of the Huambo Carnival, while Rainha do Milho (Caála) and 7 de Novembro (Cachiungo), occupied second and third place, respectively.
In adults, with 12 participations, the group Ecos da Gruta, from Cachiungo, won the 2023 edition, Ovinjenje (Chinjenje) and Tchimbilundu (Longonjo), respectively, were in second and third positions.
In the traditional dance parade, the Katyavala group, from the municipality of Bailundo, won, followed by the groups Deolinda Rodrigues (Ucuma) and Ongondjo (Longonjo).
Huambo Carnival Winners
With 11 titles won in 30 participations, the Fogo Negro group holds hegemony in the winners’ gallery of the adult Carnival in Huambo, although it has not won since 2010.
Founded in the early 1980s, when the groups Saidy Mingas and União Seguessa were the biggest references of local Entrudo, Fogo Negro also has the largest number of consecutive titles (six).
Since 1978, the year in which the biggest cultural manifestation of the Angolan people took to the streets of the Central Plateau for the first time, 14 groups have registered their names in the winners’ gallery.
Of these, seven were extinguished for various reasons and only four still continue to brighten the Huambo Carnival, making it more spontaneous, in addition to increasing the degree of difficulties for potential candidates for the title.
The main winners of the Huambo provincial Carnival, in the adult category, are the groups Fogo Negro, with 11 titles, União Seguessa (five), Saidy Mingas and Velha Guarda, both with four, and Ovinjenje (three).
In addition to these, Carnival also had other winners, such as the groups União Emprotel and Bloco Branco, das Artes, Ecos da Gruta, both with two titles, such as União Ecomil, Evesrang, União Paulo Kassoma, Família, União da Paz and Instituto Superior Politécnico, all with a trophy.
The groups Fogo Negro, Velha Guarda, Bloco Branco, Ovinjenje and Ecos da Gruta are the only survivors of the legion of winners.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
