It all started in 2010, when Cabingano Manuel was chosen to cover the CANFEU, which took place in Uíge. "I confess that at the time, I did not personally know the national secretary of JMPLA, the 30-year-old at the time, Sérgio Luther Rescova Joaquim. I only heard his name," he writes, affirming that that moment will never escape his memory. "Memory never let me telegraphically escape the episode that changed my life as a professional and revealed the brother that life introduced me to," he recalls.
With only three years of his career, Cabingano says that the gymnasium at Uíge was waiting for the CANFEU2010 ceremony to begin. Noticing that his microphone was being "swallowed" by the other microphones, he decided to reposition it. It was at that moment that he heard a voice saying that they needed to talk to him. The journalist looked at the person, without recognizing her and answered that they would speak at the end of the event.
When he returned to his place he asked his colleague who was the figure that had approached him. The colleague promptly told him that it was Luther Rescova. "I accused him of shame for not knowing the protagonist of the act. But I lifted my head and fixed his face forever," he recalls.
"At night, I was given the mission to do a live broadcast, with Luther Rescova as my interviewee. We'd be together for the first time, face to face, after his request to talk," continues the journalist.
At the end of the interview, recalls the journalist, Luther Rescova called him and congratulated him on the journey he had made so far: "Cabingano I saw the report of your thesis defense at ISCED, I heard your father speaking moved by your achievement and I saw myself in you. Your life story is very similar to mine. You are to be congratulated," says the journalist, who says he was surprised by Luther Rescova's words".
However, the surprises didn't stop there. The governor revealed that he wanted to help him. "You're coming from far away. since the novels I follow you and now as a reporter I see that you are very hard-working. You have a lot of potential. You're still coming a long way. I want to help you," Luther Rescova said to Cabingano Manuel.
According to Cabingano, Rescova told him to choose a country to do a master's degree in journalism and that the expenses would be at his charge. Surprised, the journalist did not know what to say. However, Rescova insisted: "Make a survey of the needs with apartment rent, tuition fees and food in the country you choose and, let me know".
Cabingano Manuel at first was incredulous with the proposal of help, thinking that it was "another politician making promises. However, he accepted the help. They exchanged contacts and each went their own way".
"After two weeks, my phone rang. It was Rescova on the other side. When I answered, I heard a question that revealed the person of commitment who was: 'Bro, what's it like? Do you have the cost estimate yet? Do you already know where you want to do your master's?'. It was then that the journalist noticed that the conversation he had two weeks ago was with "the human being Luther Rescova and not with the politician".
Without having yet done the survey, he rushed to elaborate an expense sheet. "I started looking for solutions in Brazil, through the Internet, because it was a country I already knew a little about", he adds.
After presenting the survey to Luther Rescova, he told him that he had chosen a good country and that they would move forward.
"Who in my place wouldn't be happy with the moment I was living? I was in front of a young man with Christian values, committed to the people. At the same moment, Luther Rescova asked me for the bank coordinates and promised to deposit the value of the passage, food and lodging so that I would immediately go to Brazil. And he did so without hesitation," he recalled.
He ended up taking two postgraduate courses in Brazil, with Luther Rescova's support. "Counselor, friend and great motivator, Luther Rescova never let me down. He was a de facto brother," says Cabingano Manuel, stating that the governor always encouraged him to study.
When he started the 'Gente da Banda' program, the journalist was more relaxed financially having warned Rescova that he didn't have to worry so much about him, however, the governor didn't give up on his promise: "You can't get tight there. I'll always send some more for my family expenses," said the governor at the time.
"If it weren't for him, I certainly wouldn't have won so many victories in this profession," he writes, adding that after his father and his brother, Rescova was "truly, God's gift" in his life.
"Today I am who I am also for the generosity of Luther Rescova, the politician, governor and scholar that the country weeps for. I weep desperately for the premature death of the brother I won, the godfather of my firstborn, the friend of all times (...). Rescova was generosity in person," he concludes.
Cabingano Manuel is 38 and has been a journalist for 15 years. He has a degree in Sociology from the Instituto Superior de Ciências da Educação de Luanda (ISCED), a Master's degree in Public Administration and two post-graduate degrees in Strategic Communication Management from IGEC and Investigative Journalism, both taken in Rio de Janeiro.
Since 2002 he has a professional relationship with TPA. In July of this year he was appointed to occupy the position of television information director, becoming TPA's youngest direct information company.
Before becoming director, he was sub-director of institutional content for channel 2 and TPA International, assistant general manager of TPA International and director of communication and marketing for TPA.
He currently presents the program "Na Lente", which is shown fortnightly at TPA. In 2013 he received the National Journalism Award and last year he received the National Journalism Award.
