"When speaking of the Portuguese language, it is possible to speak of the legacy of, already in the 15th century, our ancestors took the decision to assume the Portuguese language as the language of the court, at the time schools were flourishing and teachers were already circulating", said this Thursday Téte António.
According to the minister, who presided this Thursday, in Luanda, at the solemn ceremony alluding to the World Day of the Portuguese Language, Angola has a secular relationship with the Portuguese language, because in some kingdoms, such as Congo, the Portuguese language was already spoken at the time.
"Because the first non-traditional schools would have been opened in the region and it would have been the first African region to dedicate itself to teaching a language of non-African origin", he described.
"[Today] we celebrate one of the most important dates for our community and the Portuguese language and culture of the CPLP, established at the 14th Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers held on 20 July 2009 in the city of Praia", he recalled.
The commemoration of the World Day of the Portuguese Language, stressed Téte António, constitutes "a gain of diplomacy" by the Portuguese-speaking community, "as it was on November 25, 2019 that [it] saw its legacy elevated to a global dimension by UNESCO".
"It is an achievement of all our peoples, being indicative of the current and future importance of our common language", said the executive secretary of the CPLP, Zacarias da Costa, about the proclamation by UNESCO of the 5th of May as World Portuguese Language Day, who added: "It thus represents a moment of collective celebration of our common language".
"And, as usual, various institutions in member states, associated observers, consultative observers, partners, signal this date all over the world," he noted.
The ceremony also marked the opening of the "Portuguese Language Week", in Luanda, which takes place between 5 and 11 May 2022.
