The minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, said, at the conclusion of a 'webinar' on the Legacy of Slavery for Africans and African-Americans, that a "foundation for the creation of greater synergy and rapprochement between Angola" is sought and the "American brothers".
Téte António underlined the willingness on the part of Angola to "close and deep cooperation in key areas such as agro-industry, education, health, tourism, services", among others.
The statements were made at the end of a hybrid meeting (virtual and face-to-face) held from Luanda and Washington, in which the executive director of the US Chamber of Commerce in Angola, Neil Breslin, also underlined that a closer relationship between the two countries can open up the opportunities that exist in Angola for American investors.
With the "spirit" of "two continents, one people", Neil Breslin recalled that there are studies that show that "up to 25 percent of Americans who identify themselves as descendants of Africans, can potentially be from Angola" and that, thus, the number of Americans with Angolan roots can reach 12 million people.
The Minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment, Jomo Fortunato, recalled that the slave trade, "the greatest tragedy in the history of mankind, due to its duration, breadth, cruelty and accentuated exploitation", was started in the USA in 1619, with the forced arrival of 20 Angolans to the town of Jamestown, Virginia.
Professor Fernando Manuel, professor at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, considered that the arrival of the first 20 Angolans to the USA was a "treasure kept under lock and key, now discovered thanks to the approximation" between the two countries.
The Minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment declared that "everything indicates" that diplomatic relations between Angola and the United States started in 1993 "have not yet explored historical and cultural aspects that have united these peoples and countries for four centuries", but deserve a "wide dissemination and promotion ".
"Bilateral cooperation, especially between cultural and scientific research institutions, seems to be important", declared Jomo Fortunato.
For the Angolan ambassador to the United States of America, Joaquim do Espírito Santo, the "good moment" in relations between the two countries ended the "cycle of tragedy and injustice", to open doors to "a relationship of freedom and hope" .
Angola was one of the main export zones for slaves in Africa, due to the action of Portuguese colonizers, recalled the director of the National Slavery Museum, Vladimiro Fortuna.
Wanda Tucker, an American descendant of the first Angolans who arrived in the United States as slaves 402 years ago, pointed out that African-Americans' knowledge of slavery is limited to the narrative of European colonizers but overlooks the impact that slavery had on victims and peoples Africans.
The university professor said that this narrative leaves aside "a lot of context, history, knowledge about enslaved Angolans" and "all the wealth" about the past of their Angolan descendants.
When she visited Angola a few years ago, Wanda Tucker was delighted and surprised by the cultural wealth she was unaware of and was marked with a phrase from a village leader in the municipality of Calandula.
"When I asked what message it has for my family in the United States," said the descendant of Angolans, the village leader "asked to tell them: 'you have family members here'".
"I was shocked," added Wanda Tucker: "They never forgot about us [African descendants in America], but we forgot about them," she lamented.
