Huambo – The writer and author of the National Anthem of Angola, Manuel Rui Alves Monteiro, was grateful this Tuesday for the attribution of his name to the Huambo Cultural Centre, which is scheduled to open soon.
The venture, the first of its kind in the country, will be called the “Manuel Rui Alves Monteiro Cultural Centre”, in honour of the son of Huambo, for his contribution to national culture and literature.
Speaking to the press, he said he was pleased to see his name “perpetuated and baptized” in the centre and, once again, return to the land where he was born, which has good memories.
Regarding the good times he had in the central province of Huambo, he recalled when he played “good football” in the municipality of Caála.
The cultural centre is located in an area of three hectares, at the confluence between Norton de Matos and Granja avenues and the street that runs down towards Deolinda Rodrigues square.
The project will consist, among other compartments, of three cinema theaters, with 500, 150 and 100 seats, respectively, 2 conference rooms, a space for art work presentation, literature and music, 2 rooms for dance classes, equal number for fine arts and crafts and one for exhibitions.
Manuel Rui Monteiro is an unavoidable figure in Angolan arts, author of the National Anthem and the song “Meninos do Huambo”, was born in the city of Huambo on November 4, 1941.
He completed his primary and secondary studies in his homeland, moving on to Portugal, where he studied Law at the University of Coimbra until 1969.
As a student, he was a cultural activist at the Casa dos Estudantes do Império, participated in literary and political events, and was arrested for two months in Portugal. He practiced law in Coimbra and Viseu.
He published, among others, the works “O Regresso Adiado”, “Memória de Mar”, “Sim, Comarada!”, “Quem me Dera ser Onda”, “Crónica de um Mujimbo”, “1 Morto & Os Vivos”, “ Rio Seco” and “Da Palma da Mão”. ZZN/ALH/CF/jmc
