Africa-Press – Angola. The director of the Zaire Provincial Office for Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports, Nzuzi Makiese, stated this Wednesday that the requalification in the coming days of the Historic Center of Mbanza Kongo will boost cultural tourism in the region.
The person responsible recalled that in order to achieve this goal, the Angolan Executive, through presidential order no. 10/24, made available a value valued at 100 billion kwanzas.
He explained that the amount allocated aims to restore and conserve all the sites and monuments that make up the historical-cultural mosaic of the Historic Center of Mbanza Kongo, elevated to World Cultural Heritage in July 2017.
“We believe that with the restoration of the historical sites and monuments that make up the historical-cultural fabric of our city there will be more visits and an increase in revenue collection”, he said.
Nzuzi Makiese stated that some monuments and historical sites on the UNESCO list call for urgent intervention, with emphasis on the ruins of the old cathedral, Kulumbimbi, which has cracks in its structure.
He also spoke about the requalification of the 12 water sources that surround the city of Mbanza Kongo, the conservation of the tomb of Dona Mpolo (mother of one of the kings buried alive due to disobedience to the orders of the royal court), Sungilo, Tadi-dya-bukikwa, among other historical collections.
The source applauded the exemplary behavior of the region’s population in the conservation and preservation of the city’s monuments and historical sites, for whom this attitude demonstrates the value and importance that local residents attribute to Kongo culture.
“We have never had acts of vandalization of historical sites and monuments in the Historic Center of Mbanza Kongo”, he declared.
The Historic Center of Mbanza Kongo registered, from January to December last year, seven thousand and 519 tourists, both national and foreign, two thousand and 463 more compared to the same period in 2022.
It should be noted that the Historic Center of Mbanza Kongo was inscribed on the list of assets controlled by UNESCO, on July 8, 2017.
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