In a note sent to the Lusa agency, the Embassy explains that it is an initiative of the Municipality of Praia, being “another tribute to the Angolan statesman, doctor and poet, for the contribution he made to the friendly and cooperative relations between Angola and Cape Verde. Green".
“Agostinho Neto had a remarkable season in Cape Verde both on the island of Santo Antão and on the island of Santiago, where he was imprisoned, being at the time one of the most watched figures by the International Police for the Defense of the State (PIDE), the political police of the political system. Portuguese colonial”, recalls the note.
Agostinho Neto (1922-1979), was the first President of Angola, a position he held from 1975 to 1979, and will give the name to the avenue in the city of Praia, in Lém Ferreira, in an inauguration ceremony scheduled for Saturday, at 10:00 am local (12:00 in Luanda) with the presence of the Angolan ambassador, Júlia Machado, and the mayor of Praia, Francisco Carvalho.
The Embassy of Angola in Cape Verde has carried out several initiatives within the scope of the commemoration program for the centenary of the birth of António Agostinho Neto, which culminates this Saturday.
After being arrested in Luanda, the then doctor and politician was deported to Cape Verde in the early 1960s, continuing to practice medicine on the islands of Santo Antão and Santiago, before being transferred to the prisons of Aljube, in Lisbon.
The name of António Agostinho Neto was attributed to the largest hospital in Cape Verde, in Praia, there is a street named after him in the city of Mindelo, in São Vicente, and a bust in the city of Ponta do Sol, in Santo Antão.
Cape Verdean President José Maria Neves recalled earlier this month the “extraordinarily important” presence of Agostinho Neto in the country, understanding that the archipelago would be “poorer” without the contribution of Angola and its first head of state.
“At decisive moments, Angola made an important contribution. Therefore, without Angola, without the friendship of Agostinho Neto – and he left his fingerprints on the new Angolan leaders – today Cape Verde would certainly be a poorer country”, underlined the Cape Verdean head of state, on 4 November , during the launch of a book about the visit of Agostinho Neto to Cape Verde, in the 1960s.
Entitled “Agostinho Neto em Cabo Verde: Angola, Nôs Lágrima Ê Igual”, the work was organized by the Angolan embassy in Cape Verde, as part of the commemorations of the centenary of the birth of the first President of Angola, and compiles testimonies of several Cape Verdean personalities. Verdeans, including José Maria Neves.
“Agostinho Neto laid many stones in Cape Verde (…) His presence here was extraordinarily important”, recalled Neves, understanding that the work represents the “duty of memory” that everyone should have and the need to know the history of those who in various moments played a decisive role in the liberation struggle of African peoples.
Understanding that it is a pride and an honor to honor Agostinho Neto, the President said that he was “a great figure” in the history of Cape Verde, but also that he had an important role in the independence of Angola and on the African continent.
The title of the book “Angola, Nôs Lágrima Ê Igual” is a verse from a poem by Cape Verdean composer Tonecas Marta, to express the idea of a “strong bond” between the two countries, according to the Angolan ambassador to Cape Verde, Júlia Machado, despite the fact that the song was sung when Agostinho Neto died, on September 10, 1979, in Moscow.
