Africa-Press – Angola. The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, said goodbye, Sunday (27), to the former minister, retired ambassador and agronomist, Gilberto Buta Lutucuta, who died on the 18th of this month, in Luanda, at the age of 80, a victim of illness.
The Angolan Head of State, accompanied by the First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Lourenço, bowed before the urn containing the remains of the nationalist and former Minister of Agriculture, in a gesture of recognition for the tribute dedicated to the country, as a politician, professor , family head and friend.
Emotional, her daughter and Minister of Health, Sílvia Lutucuta, remembered her attentive, affectionate father, of whom she is proud: “We knew you were friends with your friends. A family man with few words. Very connected to his roots, with a very strong national meaning, but we could not imagine its real dimension”.
Aware of the emptiness caused by the “unexpected” departure of the parent, she declared how important it was in her life, expressing herself in disbelief: “And we already questioned ourselves. But how can a person who spoke little and only the essentials move crowds, and each one tells how special you were to them? You were indeed a talent. He leaves a great legacy, with humility and simplicity that have always characterized him. The person I just talked about, of whom I am a number one fan, is my dear father: Gilberto Buta Lutucuta”.
Also at the farewell ceremony of the former ruler was the best man, Paulo Tchipilica, who accepted this family affinity in Huambo in 1967, having therefore resorted to the Umbundo language in his speech, with proverbs. He highlighted the qualities and virtues of Gilberto Buta Lutucuta: “God is good. Life only changes, it does not die out. A believer, a serene man, a sincere man, above all, very intelligent, a friend of the family, an irreparable loss.”
In turn, the current minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Francisco António de Assis, stressed that the honoree’s determination and sense of responsibility served as an example for several generations of Angolans, mainly, when least expected, due to difficult circumstances and times.
According to the official, Gilberto Lutucuta was one of the first Angolan citizens to embark on a career in Agriculture, as a student in Chivinguiru, at a time when that was not possible for the natives of Angola. “The engineer Gilberto Buta Lutucuta is an encyclopedia within our ministry”, he stressed.
The former minister of Agriculture and Rural Development pointed out that the best way to honor the nationalist is to follow his good example. “It’s a great loss. A friend, a leader, a politician with character and humility, who fulfilled his mission on earth very well. This tribute is deserved. He was a companion in the great battles for the development of Angola. homage is to follow his good example”, reinforced Afonso Pedro Canga.
After yesterday’s funeral ceremony, at the Army Headquarters, the urn containing the mortal remains was transported to the birthplace of Gilberto Lutucuta, where a tribute was paid in Bailundo (Huambo), at the Evangelical Mission of Chilume, provided by local entities. Just yesterday, he returned to the country’s capital, as the nationalist will be buried today, in the Alto das Cruzes Cemetery. Before that, a religious ceremony is planned at the Central United Methodist Church in Luanda.
Gilberto Buta Lutucuta died in the early hours of February 18, 2022, in Luanda, due to illness, at the age of 80. Born in Bailundo, Huambo province, he began his political activity against the colonial regime, in 1959, at the Clandestine Progressive Political Nucleus to Support the Liberation and Independence Movement of Angola.
Later, in 1977, as instructor of the Popular Defense Organization (ODP) and instructor of the Reserve Troops Battalions, Lutucuta was proposed to be a member of the MPLA Central Committee, a party he embraced with active and selfless militancy, highlighting the his spirit of dedication to the most noble causes of the Angolan people.
A retired ambassador, he carried out a mission in Equatorial Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire, having previously played an important role in the development of the agricultural sector in the country, starting as a technical assistant at the Instituto de Pesquisa Agroómica de Angola, where he joined in 1965, a devotion that earned him recognition of the State, for the appointment as Minister of Agriculture, after having held the positions of Secretary of State for Coffee and deputy.
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