Africa-Press – Angola. The citizens of Saurimo, capital of Lunda Sul province, defended, this Monday, the construction of a museum for the preservation of the history, culture, habits and customs of the people of this circumscription.
Lunda Sul has only one house (not suitable), where the museum pieces are kept, located in the town of Namguanza, which is about 25 kilometers from the city of Saurimo.
Interviewed by press, student Valdemiro Laite highlighted the importance that museums have in preserving and transmitting cultural, sociological and anthropological knowledge to new generations.
He asked the government authorities to build a physical structure for a museum, with all the equipment representative of the deepest ties of the Côkwe culture, in order to preserve its cultural identity.
Bento Gomes, also a student, considered it imperative to build a house of culture, given that the local youth are losing their identity, a “pleasant situation”.
He said that in addition to museological infrastructure, the region needs more recreational spaces, to provide a useful occupation for young people.
History teacher Helena Mateus stated that the lack of a museum hinders the conservation of the region’s cultural heritage, hence the need to build a museological structure in order to facilitate research and conservation of the cultural identity of the people.
He added that the lack of a museum in the province endangers the symbols and other cultural values of the region and, consequently, the transmission of cultural heritage to new generations.
“It is through museums that new generations learn about the culture of the region, the struggles of the past, tribes and ethnicities of a given nation”, he underlined.
He stressed that museums have the responsibility of preserving the material and immaterial truth of the distinctive traits of the people of a given region, such as their origins, beliefs, traditions, habits and customs.
In his view, the construction of a museum where pieces that portray the Côkwe people will be displayed will attract more national and foreign tourists, to learn more about the history of this part of the national territory.
Contacted the head of the Historical Heritage and Traditional Authority department of the Provincial Office for Culture, Regina Pires, said that the museum pieces are well preserved.
However, he recognized the urgent need to build a provincial museum, so that the countless museum collections that are currently in a small space do not deteriorate in the coming rain.
He stated that the provincial government is waiting for funds to be made available by the Executive to build a museum.
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