Africa-Press – Angola. The promotion and dissemination of the heritage of the cultural and ethnic diversity of the linguistic ethnic groups of the people of the municipality of Curoca, province of Cunene, was demonstrated this Thursday during the second edition of the cultural festival of the commune of Chitado.
The event, part of the commemorative days of the 56th anniversary of Culture in Chitado, marked on the 13th of May, had the objective of stimulating, publicizing, promoting and preserving the cultural identity of the people of this region.
The two-day event was marked with dances, music and cuisine from the ethnic-linguistic groups, Muchimba, Mundimba, Mutchavikwa, Mungambwe and Muhumbi.
Muhelo dances, ndjando, cancula and endjongo and mutwupa and eyango, among other traditional dances, captivated visitors from the neighboring Republic of Namibia and from other parts of the provinces of Cunene, Huila and Namibe.
The chief chief of Chitado, João Mateus Cambuta, said that the cultural festival in Chitado has great traditional symbolism, as the main traditions of each tribe are represented.
In addition to the demonstration, he said that the party is a bond of union where the most varied peoples eat and drink, pass on information to younger people for continuity and preservation of habits and customs.
The administrator of Chitado, Fiel Tomé Hilapo, explained that the event served as a point of promotion of cohesion, unity and cultural diversity, as well as the preservation and dissemination of local identity.
In this festival, he added, communities demonstrate cultural expressions through their origins and way of life, respecting cultural, regional, local and individual differences.
He clarified that the date was instituted in 1967, by a group of resident farmers, mostly Catholics, and others from Ombadja, Yayá, Chivemba and the province of Bié, who came together to form the Board of Agricultural Population for festivals and exhibitions.
For his part, the municipal administrator of Curoca, Manuel Domingos Taby, praised the event that served to revive the past, stating why the traditional authorities had long complained about this environment that in the past united the people of this region.
He said that despite the country’s reforms, the communities of Chitado continued this festival, which serves to demonstrate their cultural expressions, through their origin and their way of life, respecting cultural differences.
Domingos Taby highlighted the need for local cultural agents to work on rescuing these and other cultural values of the province, for the sake of preserving habits and customs and passing on the testimony to new generations.
The municipality of Curoca is 333 kilometers from Ondjiva, capital of the province of Cunene, and is administratively divided into two communes, Oncocua and Chitado.
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