Luanda: The Head of State, Joo Louren§o, attended a photography exhibition depicting the life and work of Angola’s first president, Ant³nio Agostinho Neto. This event was part of the 6th decoration ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of Angola’s Independence.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the decoration ceremony is a significant part of the official program celebrating the 50th anniversary of National Independence. It is dedicated to acknowledging the contributions of Ant³nio Agostinho Neto, the first Angolan Head of State. The Head of State was accompanied by the First Lady, Ana Dias Louren§o, at the event held in one of Luanda’s hotels. During the visit, the various facets of Agostinho Neto’s life were highlighted, particularly his historic return to Luanda on February 4, 1975, which was marked by the largest popular demonstration in Angola’s history, gathering approximately 300,000 people.
The exhibition also features moments of Agostinho Neto’s interactions with notable leaders such as Fidel de Castro of Cuba, Sekou Tour© of Guinea Conakry, and Amlcar Cabral of Cape Verde in March 1976. It also documents his humanitarian visit to the sick in Santo Anto, Cape Verde, in 1962, and his receiving an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, in January 1978.
Agostinho Neto, born in Icolo e Bengo on September 17, 1922, and passed away in Moscow in September 1979, was a prominent doctor, writer, and politician in the 20th century. He served as president of the MPLA and became the first President of Angola in 1975, a position he held until 1979. Neto was recognized with the Lenin Peace Prize in 1975-1976. His arrest in Praia City, Cape Verde, on October 17, 1961, led to his transfer to Aljube Prison in Lisbon. Faced with strong internal and external pressure, Neto was released in 1962 and allowed to reside in Portugal. However, by July 1962, he had clandestinely left Portugal with his family, arriving in L©opoldville, Kinshasa, where the MPLA had its headquarters.
During the Movement’s National Conference in December of that year, Neto was elected President of the MPLA. He was honored with the Lotus Prize by the Afro-Asian Writers’ Conference in 1970. Following the “Carnation Revolution” in Portugal on April 25, 1974, and the subsequent overthrow of Salazar’s regime, the MPLA saw an opportunity to sign a ceasefire agreement with the Portuguese Government, which was finalized in October 1974.
