According to a statement from the Angolan Embassy in France, the document will be signed by Filipe Zau, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment, and by his French counterpart, Roselyne Bachelot, in Paris.
The agreement, according to the note, aims to "promote mutual knowledge of the culture and history of both countries, using culture as a lever to achieve a better quality of life for the respective peoples, taking into account its impact on socio-economic development. " and, on the other hand, also intends to "consolidate and strengthen the bonds of friendship and mutual understanding".
The embassy added that the agreement will be signed at the castle of Versailles, "during the official ceremony of handing over to the French State, two French sculptures from the 18th century of great historical and artistic value, donated by the Angolan State, within the scope of a Protocol of partnership between the Ministries of Culture of Angola and France, signed on 1 September 2021 at the Angolan Embassy in Paris".
The ceremony was scheduled for Friday, 4 February, with the aim of paying tribute to all those who made it possible for Angola to be an independent and sovereign country, the statement said.
In addition to the signing of the agreement and the deed for the donation of the statues, the ceremony will also include the inauguration of an exhibition that will portray the "path of the sculptures, from their creation to the removal of the Embassy of Angola, as well as the presentation of a marble plaque that enshrines the Republic of Angola as one of the great patrons of the castle of Versailles".
According to the embassy, the works had been commissioned by Kings Louis XIV and Louis XV to decorate the gardens of their castles, forming part of the Versailles heritage that was dispersed because of the revolution.
In response "to the request of the castle of Versailles, the Angolan State agreed to donate the sculptures to the French State, in the name of excellent bilateral cooperation relations, including in the field of culture".
The note also notes that "some bilateral cultural cooperation actions resulting from the sculpture donation protocol are in preparation, namely the exchange between professionals from both countries in the field of museums and heritage, which will be materialized by the visit of Angolan technicians to Versailles next May, and in the field of defining and implementing cultural policies and legislation, which will bring experts from the French Ministry of Culture to Angola, later this year".
In addition, the Angolan embassy will receive, from the castle of Versailles in July, two replicas of the sculptures with a view to replacing the two originals donated to the French State.
