Africa-Press – Cape verde. The controversy is sparked with the Cape Verdean Minister of Culture, Abraão Vicente, accusing, this Friday, the Amílcar Cabral Foundation (FAC) of “intellectual dishonesty” after it announced the submission of the candidacy of its patron’s writings to the Memória program of the UNESCO World.
Speaking to the Lusa agency, the Minister of Culture and Creative Industries of Cape Verde said that he was surprised by the FAC’s communication, that on Thursday it was “formally submitted to UNESCO, through the appropriate channels, the candidacy dossier of the ‘ Arquivos by Amílcar Cabral’ to the UNESCO Memory of the World register ”.
Abraão Vicente clarified that the “ only way ” to submit an application is through the National Commission for World Memory, created by the Government, and where he confirmed that the dossier has already been delivered and “is in compliance”, just like the documents on slavery , protected by the National Archives of Cape Verde.
In this sense, he accused the foundation, led by former Cape Verdean President Pedro Pires, of “intellectual dishonesty” and of “ getting ahead” to “appear ” to have submitted “ without the work of the State and the UNESCO National Commission ”.
“Because we have not yet received any communication from the Dakar delegation or from UNESCO in Paris that the two applications have been accepted. The deadlines end on November 30th ”, stated the member of the Government, who chairs the UNESCO National Commission.
And he also considered that the announcement was “ hasty ” and “ calls into question ” the consultancy and preparation work of Cape Verdean technicians, including the president of the National Memory of the World Commission.
“I was really surprised to see the news, precisely because there is work here that is joint, and it is not worth, once again, seeking protagonism through the name of Amílcar Cabral”, he understood, also criticizing the “very double play smart” from FAC.
According to Lusa, Abraão Vicente made it clear that the Government “fully” supports the inscription of Cabral’s writings at UNESCO, but clarified that the process must “ always ” be delivered by the National Commission on the platform for this purpose.
“ Here there is clearly an attempt to pass off an attack of incompetence on State institutions, something that I will not let go unnoticed because I am not in any ideological dispute”, he continued, alluding to the fact that the Government is supported by the Movement for Democracy (MpD), while Amílcar Cabral founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), which gave rise to the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV, currently in opposition).
The minister also alluded to the fact that on October 30, the MpD disapproved a resolution presented by the PAICV in parliament to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the leader of the independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, on September 12, 2024.
“The disputes and the disapproval of a document in parliament did not change the agenda of the Ministry of Culture, because we understand the actions of the deputies, because of the context and the way it was presented, but scientific work is not affected by the agendas and disputes political parties ”, he assured, in statements via telephone to Lusa.
FAC thanks everyone for their support in the process
Meanwhile, in its communication cited by Lusa, the FAC thanked everyone who supported the process and, “ particularly ” the National Committee for the Memory of the World, the National Commission for UNESCO and the Permanent Mission of Cape Verde to UNESCO in Paris .
“ We presented a solid dossier and we think it has all the conditions to be approved by UNESCO ”, Adão Rocha, member of the FAC, told Lusa.
Leader of the Cape Verdean and Guinean independence movements, Cabral, who was born on September 12, 1924 in Guinea-Bissau, was murdered on January 20, 1973, in Conakry, says the source of this newspaper.
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