Agostinho Neto honoured in ecumenical mass

 Luanda - A mass in homage to the first President of Angola, António Agostinho Neto, was held this Sunday, in the town of Catete, Luanda.

Organized by the Inter-Church Commission, the event joined more than a thousand believers from different religious denominations recognized by the State and representatives of the civil society.

 

For a little over four hours, the participants sang songs of praise and honoured the character of the Founder of the Nation, who was born on 17 September 1922 and died of illness in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) on 10 September 1979.

 

During her intervention in the act, Reverend Deolinda Dorcas Tecas highlighted the trajectory of António Agostinho Neto and his facets as politician, physician and poet.

 

She appealed to the Church to continue praying for the Angolan Nation, underlining that it is difficult to speak about Agostinho Neto’s works.

 

Bishop Gaspar João Domingos, of the United Methodist Church, presented a brief summary of the life and work of Angola's first president.

 

He considered Neto the greatest character in the history of Angola in the 20th century, stressing that his life cannot be summarized in “small and trivial paragraphs”.

 

In his preaching, Tocoist Bishop Afonso Nunes appealed to Angolans to be generous and faithful to the principle of truth, and discouraged quarrels.

 

He recommended respect for the authorities and for elderly people, as well as the valuation of the ancestral culture and other values taught by António Agostinho Neto.

 

He asked the Angolan Church to continue working in partnership with the government, encouraging the construction of a new country.

 

Reverend Luís Nguimbi, Chairman of the Angolan Christian Forum (FCA), said on the occasion that the mass was aimed to praise the work of Agostinho Neto and to speak more about his career.

 

In accordance with Luís Nguimbi, the ecumenical mass also served to pray to God and to appeal to the new generation to follow the example of António Agostinho Neto “Manguxi”, who whoese achievements are stamped on the country's history.

 

On his turn, the Luanda Province Chieftain, Francisco Simão Cândida, considered the mass an occasion for the Head of State, João Lourenço, to renew the confidence of the Angolans towards the improvement of the social conditions.

 

He recalled Neto´s thoughts “the most important thing is to solve people´s problems”, which should always be a pillar to be fully complied with.

 

The service was held under the motto “Angolans united hand in hand for the future”, with instrumental support from the bands of the Simon Toco (Tocoist) and Simon Kimbangu (Kimbanguist) churches.

 

The mass was attended by the Head of State, João Lourenço, the First Lady, Ana Dias Lourenço, the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança Costa, the Parliament Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira, among other personalities.

 

António Agostinho Neto was physician, poet, the first President of Angola, who proclaimed the independence of Angola on 11 November 1975.

President attends Mass in honour of 100th anniversary of Agostinho Neto

 Luanda - Angolan head of State João Lourenço is participating in a Mass held in honour of the centenary of the first president of Angola, Agostinho Neto.

Also attending the Church service in Catete town, Luanda province, the Vice-President of Republic Esperança da Costa, National Assembly Speaker Carolina Cerqueira,  First Lady Ana Dias Lourenço, the widow of the founder of the Nation Maria Eugénia Neto.

Presided by Bishop Dom Afonso Nunes, leader of the Tocoista Church, the Sunday Mass is also being attended by the members of Executive, politicians and faithful from various religious congregations.

The programme is arranged by the Inter-Ecclesial Angola Commission.

Neto’s figure was exalted in recognition of his struggle for the independence of Angola and the oppressed peoples throughout the 60s until 1979, the time of his death.

Praises were made for the improvement of the lives of Angolans, peace, harmony and reconciliation of the whole nation.

In memory of the 100th anniversary of Neto, the Angolan Government has carried out various political and cultural activities in recognition of his achievements in favour of the development and well-being of the people.

António Agostinho Neto, born in Ícolo e Bengo, Luanda, on September 17, 1922, was a staunch defender of material and spiritual rights, dignity and freedom of the Angolan people, Africa and the world.

He died in Moscow, Former USSR, on September 10, 1979, victim of illness.

Physician and writer, he proclaimed national independence on November 11, 1975.

He was part of the generation of African students who would play a decisive role in the independence of their countries in what became known as the Portuguese Colonial War.

He was arrested by the International Police and Defence of the State (PIDE), of Portugal, and deported to Tarrafal, in Cabo Verde, after which he took up residence in Portugal, from where he fled into exile.

He took the helm of the Board of  MPLA, of which he has been honorary president since 1960.

On the 17th of September, Angola celebrates the Day of the National Hero and the Founder of the Nation, commemorating the day on which Agostinho Neto was born and his funeral ceremonies were held.

Official suggests review of Strategic Plan for Urban Waste Management

 Luanda – The chairperson of Associação Nação Verde (Green Nation Association) Nuno Cruz recommended a review of the Strategic Plan for Urban Waste Management to ensure a better quality of life for society and environmental protection.

The strategic guidelines provided for in this plan are based on the projection of future waste production in Angola, which is estimated, for 2025, at 8.6 million tons/year, equivalent to a daily capture of 0.81 kilogrammes/inhabitant per day.

These values, according to the plan, will represent an increase of 150 percent, compared to 2012, which was estimated at 75.

Nuno Cruz was speaking in Kinanga commune, urban district of Ingombota, ahead of the world cleaning day, during which he recommended other waste management policies as the current plan is out of date due to the country's reality.

According to Nuno Cruz, the problem of poor waste management deserves special attention because of malaria and other diseases that claim lives.

Nuno Cruz points to the need to put an end to the existence of open-air ditches due to the danger it poses.

To prevent the waste from ending up in the sea, Nuno Cruz says that the outlets of the drainage ditches should also be closed with metal nets and conduct periodic maintenance.

According to him, it is also necessary to adapt other waste disposal practices, reinforcing inspection actions in small and large commercial stores.

“The solution to waste management entails combined effort, with the integrated involvement of the whole society, such as churches, civil society associations, teachers and all other actors”, he said.

In his view, people should be constantly sensitized, alerted and informed about the useful life of a plastic to degrade and its harm, in order to prevent these practices that have nothing to do with people’s welfare.

In order to attack the problem from its root, Nuno Cruz called for the need to place garbage containers in every corner of the cities, coupled with education, awareness and therefore the improvement of infrastructure.

President swears in ministers and governors

 Luanda – Angola President João Lourenço on Monday swore in several new and reappointed ministers, plus the inauguration of the newly appointed provincial governors.

The president swore in the Minister of State and head of the President's Civil Office, Adão de Almeida, the Minister of State and head of the Military Affairs Office, Francisco Furtado, Minister of State for Economic Coordination, Manuel Nunes Júnior, and the Minister of State for Social Affairs, Dalva Ringote Allen.

 

João Lourenço swore in 23 ministers, most of them reappointed.

 

Among the new faces are the minister of Youth and Sports, Palmira Barbosa, of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Carmen Sacramento Neto, the minister of Territory Administration, Dionísio Manuel da Fonseca, and Mário Augusto da Silva Oliveira, minister of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Media.

 

Ana Paula Chantre Luna de Carvalho, former governor of Luanda, was sworn in as minister of Environment, and Marcy Cláudio Lopes, former minister of Territory Administration, as minister of Justice and Human Rights.

 

The Finance minister, Vera Esperança dos Santos Daves de Sousa, Mário Caetano João, of Economy and Planning, Teresa Rodrigues Dias, of Public Administration, Labour and Social Security, António Francisco de Assis, of Agriculture and Forestry, were also sworn in.

 

The other ministers swore in were Victor Francisco dos Santos Fernandes, for Industry and Commerce, Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, for Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, Ricardo Daniel Sandão Queirós Viegas D'Ábreu, for Transports, João Baptista Borges, for Energy and Water, and Carlos Alberto Gregório dos Santos, for Public Works, Urban Planning, and Housing.

 

The Head of State also swore in Maria do Rosário Bragança Sambo, as ministers of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Luísa Maria Alves Grilo, of Education, Sílvia Paula Valentim Lutucuta, of Health, Ana Paula do Sacramento Neto, of Social Action, Family, and Promotion of Women, Felipe Silva de Pina Zau, of Culture and Tourism, João Ernesto dos Santos, of National Defence and Homeland Veterans, as well as the Minister of the Interior Eugénio César Laborinho, and the Foreign Affairs Minister, Téte António.

 

The recently appointed 18 provincial governors were also inaugurated during the ceremony.