Luanda - The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, on Friday welcomed the initiatives linked to the study of languages, in coexistence with the official one (Portuguese), highlighting for this fact the meeting of the 3rd committee of the CPLP Parliamentary Assembly, referring to Language, Education, Science and Culture, which the Angolan capital hosted on April 16th, 2024.
Minister Téte António was speaking during the closing ceremony of the 5th edition of the Portuguese Language Week, as part of the celebrations of the 5th of May, Portuguese Language and Culture Day of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), held at the São José de Cluny, to which he was invited.
In the Constitution of the Republic of Angola, the Portuguese language is recognized as one of the national languages, on an equal footing with the others that coexist in the vast and diverse Angolan socio-cultural space.
This fact was highlighted in the intervention by the holder of the Angolan diplomacy portfolio, as it demonstrated Angola's commitment to linguistic and cultural diversity, as well as to promoting social cohesion and respect for the country's ethnic and linguistic plurality.
With regard to the promotion of the Portuguese language and the culture of the CPLP, minister Téte António said that the Republic of Angola has assumed its commitments since July 17, 1996, the date of the Constitution of this Community that unites all speakers through Portuguese language.
He highlighted that, for this reason, during its last rotating presidency of the CPLP between the years 2021 and 2023, the Republic of Angola promoted, through its global diplomatic network, the celebration in all capitals where it has diplomatic representations or consular offices, on the 5th of May, World Day of the Portuguese Language and Cultures of the CPLP, as well as transforming Luanda into the capital of Culture and the Portuguese Language.
The occasion was used for the Minister of Foreign Affairs to congratulate the winners of the CPLP Creative Writing Award and make an appeal for these annual days to continue to be held with great interest and relevance, at national level, with the participation of the usual partners, society civil and other stakeholders.
World Portuguese Language Day is celebrated on May 5th. The date was created as Portuguese Language and Culture Day by the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries on July 20, 2009, by resolution of the XIV Ordinary Meeting of the CPLP Council of Ministers, held in the city of Praia, Cape Verde.
Subsequently, on November 25, 2019, the date was established by UNESCO as World Day, making the Portuguese language the first in the world to have an official date recognized by the UN body.
The event was attended by the host minister, Luísa Maria Alves Grilo, who is responsible for the Education portfolio, by the former Angolan Minister of Education, João Manuel Bernardo, representatives of the CPLP Member States, teachers, linguists, researchers, representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Angola and the governing body of the friendly school CPLP - São José do Cluny. SC/DOJ
