Maputo, 20 May (AIM) – A statue in honour of Marcelino dos Santos, one of the founders of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), is being unveiled on Saturday in Lumbo, his birthplace in the northern district of Mozambique Island.
The ceremony takes place on the day when, had he lived, dos Santos would have celebrated his 94th birthday. The statue and the associated commemorations are the work of the Marcelino dos Santos Association,
According to its chairperson, Eduardo da Silva Nihia, the purpose of the association is to “promote citizenship and unity among Mozambicans”, which be described as one of the dreams of dos Santos, who died in 2020.
In addition to the statue, the Association plans to rebuild the house where dos Santos was born, which is currently in ruins, and turn it into a museum.
Speaking in Nampula city on Friday, Nihia said dos Santos had fought so that Mozambicans could be a free and independent people. He would have been saddened by the current situation in Cabo Delgado province, where islamist terrorists have driven around a million people from their homes.
“It was not his dream”, said Nihia, “to see the country destroyed by people who did not know or experience the sacrifices made by the youths of his time to free Mozambique from the colonial yoke”.
A message from President Filipe Nyusi said dos Santos had been a central figure in forming a nationalist awareness in Mozambique. He had been “the first among the first patriots”.
“It is not death that will usurp from us our right to recognise your invaluable legacy in raising the awareness of Mozambicans of the need for freedom”, said Nyusi.
He recalled that Marcelino dos Santos dedicated his entire youth to creating sustainable bases leading to the independence of Mozambique.
“Today would be your birthday”, he continued, “but we shall not mourn because we want to celebrate your life. Today we celebrate the life of a convinced nationalist, of a poet of freedom, of a diplomat of consensus, and of a leader focused on the problems of the people. Above all, we celebrate the life of a man of unshakeable beliefs”.
“Today we celebrate you, Kulangano (the name used by dos Santos in his literary work), because you opened for us this space for celebration through your altruistic and disinterested sacrifice”, said Nyusi. “Today we are celebrating your life, and not your death, Kulangano”.
(AIM)
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