Dr. António Agostinho Neto Memorial

After the death of Agostinho Neto, which occurred on September 10, 1979, in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Angolan Government commissioned the former USSR to design a Mausoleum to house the President's remains.
The first stone was laid on September 17, 1982, by the then President of the Republic, José Eduardo dos Santos. In 1998, the project was reformulated, and construction work resumed in January 2005, having been completed in January 2011.

On September 17 of the following year, José Eduardo dos Santos inaugurated the Dr. António Agostinho Neto Memorial. When construction began in September 1982, the Agostinho Neto Memorial began to attract attention.
The structure, designed by the Soviets, quickly became a work of Santa Engrácia that took decades to complete. There, in the middle of a vacant lot in Praia do Bispo, the mausoleum of the first Angolan President was a strange and disproportionate element, to which the people of Luanda ended up getting used to. The stiga, of course, did not take long.

And from mausoleum, the Memorial became known as “Rocket”. This analogy was taken to its maximum potential by several artists, including Kiluanji Kia Henda. In a photographic installation, the Angolan artist transformed the mausoleum into the central axis of the “Icarus 13” project, the first space trip to the Sun, led, of course, by an Angolan mission. No one knows if the trip will ever happen.
But at least – finally! – the Memorial took flight after the mechanical failure that, between 1982 and 2005, caused it to stop in its advance towards outer space.
On September 17, 2012, after seven years of construction, the building was finally inaugurated with pomp and circumstance. The complex is located in an area of 18 hectares centered on the mausoleum with the mortal remains of the so-called “greatest poet” (here’s a parenthesis to recall the popular rumors that have been passed around for years, saying that the sarcophagus is empty!

This version is obviously so disrespectful and evil that the authorities don’t even bother to deny it!) In the burial chamber, visitors can read the texts of the Proclamation of the Dipanda and the solemn oath taken at Neto’s death. Poems by the author of “Sagrada Esperança” are also printed on the walls of the building.

In addition to the old 120-meter-high rocket, the Memorial has important structures that are sorely lacking in the capital: a museum, an exhibition gallery, multipurpose and training rooms, a library and video library, and a documentation center.
The well-kept exterior is pleasant, with its main square, grandstand, parking lot, and the enormous 500-meter avenue for special parades.
More than celebrating the image, life, and work of Agostinho Neto – a figure who is not widely regarded in Angolan society – this space aims to be a center for artistic training and promotion.

Part of the center's program revolves around ceramics, wood, metal, and graphic arts workshops.
At MAAN (the acronym by which the memorial is known), literature, theater, music, and contemporary dance workshops are also held frequently, as well as holiday programs with multiple activities.

At the same time, this is a place for shows, exhibitions, gatherings and lectures, with a varied programme. The importance of MANN is therefore fundamental to understanding a vital period in the country's history.
Aware of this, the Ministry of Culture elevated it to the status of Historical and Cultural Heritage of Angola in May last year. A few months later, on 25 September, the plaque commemorating this classification was unveiled.