Africa-Press – Angola. Historian Francisco Tchiwende appealed Sunday, in Luena, Moxico province, on the verge of extinction, as it is a practice in which education has its space as the basis of social being.
Speaking on “The culture of the province of Moxico in the past and rural organization”, at the provincial act of the National Day of Culture, marked today, 8, the historian regretted that the Mukanda, known as traditional circumcision or male initiation rite, stopped running.
Mukanda is a male initiation ritual during which pre-adolescents are circumcised by a surgeon (Nganga-Mukanda).
It also designates a field surrounded by circular huts, in which the initiates – tundandji (plural of kandandji) – live away from their families for a period of one to two years, usually during the cacimbo period.
Children and adolescents, during the ritual, learn about life, how to survive, hunt, fish, sing, dance, good manners, among other things.
With a degree in History from the Open University of Lisbon – Portugal, Tchiwende appealed, on the other hand, to the government to help the traditional authorities for the moralization of society, above all in the rescue of habits and customs, “which has not happened in recent times”.
Francisco Tchiwende lamented, during his lecture, the negligence in practicing good manners with the elders of the village, the disrespect for the uses and customs of the lineage, the attribution of Western names, and the lack of hospitality towards visitors.
He recalled that in the past, it was mandatory for all members of the community to have their own ways of dressing, talking, walking and greeting, just as adults, elders, at that time, had respect and admiration, since they were seen as “living libraries”.
He continued that these elders were prominent figures and worthy of attention in sharing their life experiences with young people, transmitting knowledge.
“Today they are being devalued, accused of being the cause of evil, deaths and other bad events in the family”, he lamented.
Sociologist André Celestino Upite underlined that the population of Moxico has suffered many cultural influences (globalization), hence the need to rescue its traditional values, in order not to lead to an unprecedented acculturation.
Speaking about “Acculturation in Moxico, the current time”, he condemned the behavior of adults and elders who refuse to pass on testimonies to young people about habits and customs, as well as those who mistreat their relatives due to the traditional name, forcing others to choose names Europeans, Americans and Asians.
The activity, witnessed by the deputy governor of Moxico province, for the Political, Social and Economic Sector, Victor da Silva, was filled with dance, music and theatre.
The event, National Culture Day, was instituted in 1986, in honor of the speech given by the first Angolan president and founder of the nation, António Agostinho Neto, on the occasion of the inauguration of the governing bodies of the Angolan Writers Union (UEA).
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