According to a statement sent to VerAngola, e-Zomba's aim is "Preservation of the past, accessibility in the present and promotion of research in the future", being "a project adapted to today's advanced technology, which will not only expose Angolan culture to the whole world, how to make ancestral and new cultures accessible to the general public".
The creation of the aforementioned collection "is born under the guidance of the Ministry of Culture as a supervisory body, in a partnership with the Fundação Arte e Cultura", adds the statement.
According to Haim Taib, founder and president of the Menomadin Foundation – an international impact fund, established after 30 years of experience in the development and strengthening of African countries –, this initiative "is intended to draw attention and encourage exposure and interaction" among researchers, students, among others.
"This exceptional project is intended to draw attention and encourage exposure and interaction between researchers, students, historians, musicians, artists and the general public, as well as showing how wonderful the art and culture of this country really are, colorful and interesting," explained Haim Taib, quoted in the statement.
"Belonging to the Menomadin Foundation, in addition to promoting and disseminating Angolan art and culture", the Fundação Arte e Cultura is also dedicated to the "social insertion of children, adolescents, young people and women in vulnerable situations, through the arts".
One of the examples of the foundation's impact in this field is the Galeria Tamar Golan, which was launched in 2012 and has already welcomed more than 120 artists, of which around 70 percent are still pursuing their artistic careers. The space, visited by more than 8500 people, has already hosted more than 90 exhibitions and 40 art workshops, with more than 1600 children having participated in these actions, says the statement.
Haim Taib also mentioned the "exposure and opportunities that e-Zomba is destined to give to all" these artists: "Imagine the exposure and opportunities that e-Zomba is destined to give to all these talented Angolan artists, and how is destined to enrich the world. The e-Zomba archive will guarantee the most complete documentation and accessibility, which will allow to bring the exhibition to a wide and diverse public at national and international level".
In e-Zomba, the note adds, it will be possible to find different "musical collections from all eras, art collections, records of folk dances of all kinds that characterize" the country, as well as records of plays and theater shows.
The Minister of Culture, Filipe Zau, considered that the project "interacts with aspects" of the country's culture, as well as the "rescue" of values.
"This project, developed by Fundação Arte e Cultura, interacts with aspects of our culture, with the rescue of our values. This has always been a concern we had, because when we talk about rescue we are talking about identity. We are preserving something in the sense of cultural belonging of a country that is multicultural, however it is in diversity that we will find learning for our unity, respect between tradition and modernity, and respect between ancestry and future vision", he said, quoted in the statement.
In turn, Naama Margalit, general director of the foundation, considered that e-Zomba is an opportunity to "digitally preserve the cultural treasures" of the country, "for the benefit of the next generation", as well as "preserve the honor of creators and give the whole world an opportunity to enjoy this rich culture".
While Merav Galili, CEO of the Menomadin Foundation, stressed that "this project is extremely important, because it will digitize all the assets of Angolan culture, from music, sculptures, painting and art".
"From now on, everything will be online, and people from all over the world will finally be able to have access to the wonderful Angolan culture", he added.
