Dundo: The ethno mathematical art of ‘Sona,’ a symbol of the Cokwe people’s culture, is one of the main attractions of the 3rd edition of Expo-Dundo, which opened Wednesday in Dundo city, to attract investment for cultural tourism and promote business partnerships.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the content of the largest trade fair in eastern Angola, which includes the provinces of Lunda-Norte, Lunda-Sul, Moxico, and Moxico-Leste, was based on Sona art, as stated by the event’s executive director, Osvaldo Muanbumba.
Osvaldo Muanbumba said the organization’s goal is to expose national and foreign entrepreneurs to business opportunities in the cultural sector ‘and demystify the idea that in Lunda-Norte it is only possible to mine diamonds.’
Sona, an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, has significant sociocultural value, transcending mere aesthetics, as it is a means of communication, teaching mathematics, and preserving collective memory. With the graphic signs of the ‘Sona,’ the Lunda people learned to convey geographical positions, tracing the cardinal points, such as North, South, East, and West, including the teaching of geometry, arithmetic, and traditional games.
The Sonas (plural of Sona) were used for communication by the ancestors of Lunda-Norte, in the form of engravings on the walls of houses, trees, and on the ground to be deciphered by other members of the community. Difficult to understand, they are currently housed in the Dundo Museum and in a book on Bantu culture. They were also featured in a feature film, ‘Os Deuses da gua’ (The Gods of Water), a co-production between Argentina and Angola in 2013.
There are more than 10 scientific works around the world that depict Sona art. Running until July 7, as part of the celebrations of the 47th anniversary of the founding of the province of Lunda-Norte (July 4) and the 50th anniversary of national independence (November 11), the 3rd edition of Expo-Dundo will bring together more than 200 exhibitors and is expected to generate a turnover of more than 300 million kwanzas.
The event brings together companies from the diamond sector, banking, tourism, technology and innovation, culture, entrepreneurs, agricultural producers, and insurance.