Gelson Caio Manuel Mendes, better known as Nagrelha, the most famous singer of the kuduro musical style, died at the age of 36 in Luanda from lung cancer, according to the D. Alexandre do Nascimento Hospital Complex for Cardiovascular Diseases, where he was hospitalized.
The funeral is scheduled for Tuesday, at the Santa Ana Cemetery, in Luanda, and will be preceded by moments of public tributes, at Cidadela Stadium, said the provincial deputy governor for the Political and Social sector, Manuel Gonçalves, in a conference report, cited by Angop.
The body will follow in a procession from the municipality of Sambizanga, the neighborhood where the artist lived and became famous in the group Os Lambas, becoming famous as the "Estado Maior" of kuduro.
Manuel Gonçalves appealed to all citizens and Kuduristas in particular to maintain serenity in order to maintain public order and avoid disturbances.
For security reasons, the cemetery will be closed on Tuesday, being exclusively reserved for Nagrelha's funeral.
Chief Superintendent Lázaro Conceição, from the Luanda Provincial Police Command, said that more than 800 personnel were mobilized to ensure the wake, the procession and the time of the funeral, and asked citizens to participate in the funeral ceremonies at Cidadela Stadium who do not go by car, since the entrance of vehicles will be conditioned.
According to Lázaro Conceição, on Tuesday Avenida Deolinda Rodrigues will be closed, and motorists will be able to use the Palanca and Terra-Nova roads.
The spokesperson for the families, "Ti Perigo", clarified, in turn, that there are no conflicts between Nagrelha's relatives and the widow, as has been speculated on social networks.
The Secretariat of the Political Bureau of the MPLA, a party in whose rallies the artist regularly participated, left a message of condolences, praising Nagrelha's unique and unparalleled way of being, which inspired and mobilized many artists to adhere to the kuduro style.
For the MPLA, the musician stood out as one of the most charismatic members of the musical group Os Lambas, responsible for introducing a new paradigm in the kuduro musical style, marked by compositions with appreciable rhyme and high creative capacity, which catapulted the group to the next level. of the best in the style in reference.
UNITA's parliamentary group also addressed wishes of condolence to family, friends, fans and the Ministry of Culture, considering Nagrelha as an icon of popular music, especially youth.
"To speak of Nagrelha's death is to speak of a pain that pierces the hearts of thousands of young and adult Angolans who love kuduro", he says in a statement.
"Charismatic, creative and eccentric, a son of the people and one of the symbols of youth that is not resigned to social and economic difficulties, Nagrelha leaves a great musical repertoire that immortalizes him and keeps him present in the cultural memory of Angola", stressed UNITA.
