Angola’s Institute of Languages registers 28 folk music treasures

The collection includes popular themes made public by singers and bands, like ‘Muxima’ and ‘Manazinha’ by Ngola Ritmos band, ‘Kiselengenya’ (Bonga), ‘Maye Maye’ (Jacinto Tchipa) and ‘Humbi Humbi’ (Filipe Mukenga). The listing covers other themes like ‘Lalipo’, ‘Katarina’, ‘Lomondendela’, Eme Pemba, Bwa Santo, Maria Kandimba and a few others sung in Portuguese, like 'Passarão', Olha o Lenço: deixa cair, Margarida Morena and 'Atirei o Pau ao Gato'.

According to the director of the National Institute of Languages, José Pedro, speaking to the Agência Angola Press (ANGOP), the collection is part of a programme of gathering of themes of the oral tradition from the communities.

Speaking on the eve of Angola’s National Culture Day on 8 January, Pedro said the project is intended to help a new generation of singers to stick to the original versions of the folk music they often sing.

The city of Huambo was the venue for the 8 January celebrations, including a lecture on the role played by the historical figures in the struggle against colonial occupation. The events included a seminar on orthographic harmonisation of the Umbundu vernacular language, an arts and culture exhibition and a lecture on the proliferation of churches in the country.