Africa-Press – Angola. Members of the National Multisectoral Commission for the Safeguarding of the World Cultural Heritage (CNMSPCM) this Tuesday considered compliance with UNESCO recommendations on the city of Mbanza Kongo to be satisfactory.
Under the guidance of the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa, the body’s first session, at present, took place in the city of Mbanza Kongo, province of Zaire, as part of its 48-hour working visit to the region.
According to the final communiqué, read by the Minister of Culture, Filipe Nzau, a considerable part of UNESCO’s recommendations on Mbanza Kongo have already been complied with by the Angolan Executive, while other recommendations are being implemented.
According to the document, among the actions already implemented, the highlight is the removal of metallic telecommunications antennas in the center of the city, the operation of the transversal management system of the historic site, as well as the elaboration of a local strategy for managing tourism and of accurate monitoring indicators on the basis of Outstanding Universal Value.
The communiqué also reads that the construction of the new Mbanza Kongo airport outside the urban perimeter is currently under construction and the consequent disuse of the current one located in the city centre.
The elaboration of the urban regulation is also underway, while collaboration with other countries in the field of scientific research on the sites of the ancient Kingdom of Kongo is ongoing.
The document also highlights corrective and marketing actions and measures that have been developed by the parties interested in the preservation and promotion of the site, namely the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Provincial Government of Zaire, through the Participatory Management Committee.
The members of the National Multisectoral Commission for the Safeguarding of World Heritage analyzed, at this meeting, the proposal for the Commission’s Action Plan for the period of 2023.
The participants were informed about the current status of the monuments and historic sites of Mbanza Kongo and also discussed the new Participatory Management Plan for the historic site for the period 2023-2027, which takes into account the recommendations of the UNESCO on historic urban landscapes.
Participants learned about the details of the Kongo International Culture Festival (FESTIKONGO), as well as the current status of museums in Angola.
Created under Presidential Dispatch 25/18, of March 5th, to, among other things, conserve and promote the participatory management of the National Cultural Heritage, and adjust the legal instruments for the protection of assets classified as World National Cultural Heritage, the Commission was updated pursuant to Presidential Dispatch No. 93/23, of May 3rd.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
