"This is a difficult time in which I have the painful duty to pay my last respects on behalf of all of Africa, which I represent here as the acting President of the African Union and, in particular, of the Republic of Angola, to President Sam Nujoma, a prominent figure in contemporary African history, a hero of the Namibian people and an unwavering symbol of the struggle for liberation of Southern Africa against colonial domination and the apartheid regime," the head of state began by saying.
In his speech, João Lourenço said that "a courageous man, a convinced Namibian patriot and a genuine son of Africa, who became an icon of the struggle to rescue the dignity and sovereignty of his people, bravely and exemplarily challenging the heinous apartheid system, which dominated the political scene of southwest Africa for several decades, with indescribable cruelty, has left for eternity".
The President of the Republic also mentioned that it is up to those who remain here to continue the legacy of "men with the temperament of Sam Nujoma".
"To men of the stature of Sam Nujoma and other great leaders in the history of African liberation, to us who today have the responsibility to follow them, inspired by the examples they left us, it is up to us, in the context of an almost impossible mission, to internalize their spirit of selflessness and dedication to African causes and lead our continent in order to realize the dreams and objectives for which they fought and believed until the end of their days, that of being able to build a free, developed Africa, zealous in its deepest values", stated João Lourenço.
"(...) Allow me to say that we will know how to carry out all the efforts within our reach so that Africans, as a whole, dignify and honor the memory of all their founding fathers, building, in an environment of active solidarity among all, 'the Africa we want'", he added.
João Lourenço said it was a good time to remember that "it was with this perspective that young Angolans and Namibians and people from both countries of all generations came together and shed their blood in hard battles fought in Calueque, Xangongo, Kahama, Cuito Cuanavale and other locations, to write glorious pages in the history of liberation" of the region.
"In line with President Agostinho Neto's thinking, when he said that 'in Namibia and South Africa was the continuation of our struggle', the Angolan people, led by then President José Eduardo dos Santos, embodied solidarity and support for the cause of the Namibian people and other peoples of our region, thus contributing to the construction of a new free nation, with justice and dignity for its inhabitants, by having helped in the process of self-determination of Namibia and the end of apartheid in South Africa", said João Lourenço.
According to the President of the Republic, "in this atmosphere of sadness that also invites reflection", it is worth remembering that "final peace in Angola would not have been possible if the apartheid regime had not been defeated, which led to the decolonization and independence of Namibia".
The Head of State also took the opportunity to express his "deepest condolences" to the Namibian people, their authorities and family.
"Sam Nujoma's work on behalf of his people will be indelibly recorded in the annals of history and will immortalize him as an essential reference for future generations of Namibia and the African continent," he stressed, adding: "Great men do not die, they rest."
It is recalled that the President of the Republic arrived this Friday in the capital of Namibia to participate in the funeral ceremonies of Sam Nujoma, who will be buried on Saturday.
Sam Nujoma died on February 8, aged 95.
