From different fields of knowledge, the speakers addressed the legacy of Neto (September 17, 1922 – September 10, 1979) and Fidel (August 13, 1926 – November 25, 2016) and the role of both leaders in establishing and developing the ties between Angola and Cuba.
They showed the world the advantages of friendship and solidarity when they agreed, at the beginning of the construction of the Angolan nation, to implement internationalist aid, praised the widow Maria Eugénia Neto, who directs the Foundation dedicated to spreading the life of the patriot. , writer and poet.
As Ambassador Esther Armenteros recalled, Neto has the glory of fulfilling the dream of achieving a united homeland, from Cabinda to Cunene (from north to south), in the midst of immense adversity and danger.
The Cuban official distinguished the statesman’s ethics, his deep anti-imperialist thinking and the fraternal friendship that united him with Fidel, Army General Raul Castro and the people of the Greater Antilles.
For historian and university professor Fernando Jaime, the Caribbean nation has opened its arms to the world and especially to this continent since the times of the struggles against colonialism and “it was in Angola, Neto’s homeland, where Fidel and the Cuban people. gave evidence of unparalleled humanity”.
Over several decades, the collaboration allowed the inclusion of more than three thousand doctors and other health professionals trained on the island in the health care network, the example of Dr. Yilian Jiménez.
In addition, a team of 300 professors, together with colleagues from Angola, inaugurated five medical schools in the provinces of Huila, Benguela, Huambo, Malange and Cabinda, from which approximately two thousand doctors graduated, the head of the medical mission in abundance .
Starting in 2021, he reported, with the inauguration here of specialized tertiary care hospitals, teams of Cuban doctors with very high expertise in cardiovascular surgery, assisted fertilization and bone marrow transplantation began working on assistance and counseling programs. to expand services.
In the field of education, the balance of cooperation is equally outstanding, said jurist Liliana Vilar, describing the main moments of the exchange of more than 45 years.
The António Agostinho Neto Cultural Center in the province of Luanda served as the meeting place, where the Foundation received a work by Cuban artist Yasiel Palomino, inspired by friendship.
Academics, historians, soldiers, government representatives and members of the diplomatic corps from friendly countries participated in the event, which prefaced with the offering of flowers at the feet of a bust of Neto in the municipality of Icolo and Bengo, his birthplace.
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