Africa-Press – Angola. Inhabitants of the village of Boa Entrada, headquarters of the former Angolan Agricultural Company (CADA), located seven kilometers from the city of Gabela, in the municipality of Amboim, fondly remember the visits of the first President of independent Angola, Doctor António Agostinho Neto.
Speaking to the press, about the memories of “Manguxi”, as he was treated at the time, the citizen Jorge Manuel, born on April 12, 1940, who was a waiter and served President Neto both times he traveled to the village of Boa Entrada, recalls the good times lived at the time. Jorge Manuel says he is proud to have been part of the team that prepared food for President Neto and his delegation, which also included former President José Eduardo dos Santos . Jorge Manuel, was part of the kitchen and table service team Joaquim Bondo, who was head cook, assisted by Armindo da Silva, both already deceased, while waiting for the table were Benjamim da Silva and Afonso Luís, also deceased, he being the only survivor of the team. As it all happened, Jorge Manuel confessed that the first official to contact them was the then Minister of Agriculture, Manuel Pedro Pacavira, who traveled constantly to the region, and the official described that the place guaranteed good conditions to receive important visits. “The first person who contacted us was Manuel Pedro Pacavira, who was Minister of Agriculture, and we accepted the challenge”, he said, noting that it was not difficult for them, because they already served the high-level managers of Companhia CADA.
Asked which delicacies were preferred by President Neto, Jorge Manuel was peremptory in stating that the Founder of the Nation had a preference for natural and land products. “Comrade Presidente Neto liked more funge de bombó, with jerky, but also white rice with steak and salad, and for breakfast he ate toasted bread with cheese and milk”, he stressed.
Jorge Manuel, who is now 82 years old, recalls that whenever Dr. Agostinho Neto arrived at Boa Entrada, he conveyed warmth, camaraderie and affection to people, as he was an easy-going man with the attitude of a man of peace. “When we saw him, we felt that we were in front of a man of great virtues, especially at matabicho or lunch time, because even though he was someone of great value, after serving him he never failed to thank him with a “Thank you for the meal”, he said.
Each end of the journey, according to Jorge Manuel, there was always a reward on the part of the State Protocol, with monetary amounts ranging between five and six thousand kwanzas. “We already knew that at the end of the visit, the head of State Protocol, comrade Hermínio Escórcio, would call us and give each of us a monetary reward of five to six thousand kwanzas, and at that time it was a lot of money”, he recalls. homesick.
Invited to Luanda With the loyalty shown in his tasks, Jorge Manuel was invited by the State Protocol to go to Luanda, during the visit to Angola of the former President of Zaire, currently the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mobuto Sesse Seko, having served the distinguished visitor. “We were invited by State Protocol to serve President Mobuto and his delegation when he came to Angola in 1978, and we feel very honored to have been chosen,” he said.
In this last trip to Luanda, Jorge Manuel considers it to have been the one that marked him the most, for the blessings that were given to him. “After the work was finished, the head of State Protocol called us and took us to a warehouse to choose what we needed, and I asked for zinc sheets to cover my house, clothes for me, wife and children. , it was a lot”, he recalls.
Good colorful entry
The later head of the Administrative Post of Boa Entrada, Jorga Manuel Machado, told Jornal de Angola that every time President Neto arrived at Boa Entrada, the village was all colored to receive such an illustrious visitor. “Every time President Neto arrived at Boa Entrada, various activities were carried out, with emphasis on the musical-cultural shows at night”, he said. Jorge Manuel Machado recalled that, in addition to President António Agostinho Neto, the locality also received visits from former Presidents Sam Nujoma, from Namibia, who is still alive, and from Cape Verde, Aristides Pereira, who is now deceased.
The head of the Administrative Post revealed that the Clube da Boa Entrada was the place where meetings with the ambassadors of Angola were held, first in 1978, under the direction of President Agostinho Neto, and second in 1981, already under the direction of the former president. President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.
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