Tarrafal — The Angolan minister of Culture, Rosa Cruz e Silva, guaranteed on Thursday evening, in Tarrafal, Santiago Island, the total support of the Angolan government to turn the Tarrafal Concentration Camp into a museum dedicated to former Angolan, Cape Verdean, Guinean and Portuguese political prisoners.

Speaking to the press at the end of a meeting with the President of Cape Verde, Pedro Pires, on the fringes of the International Symposium on the Tarrafal Concentration Camp, Rosa Cruz e Silva stated that the Angolan government is ready to participate in the project presented by Cape Verdeans aimed at perpetuating the memory of every former political prisoner of the Portuguese colonial regime.

"Angola's desire to develop the project was confirmed by President Pedro Pires, who also expressed to us Cape Verde's will to implement the referred project as soon as possible", the Angolan official reaffirmed.

The minister assured that the country is interested in seeing the project implemented, and his engaged in recovering the Tarrafal Concentration Camp due to its history.

According to Rosa Cruz e Silva, the interest in this project is associated with the fact that Angolan authorities are committed to keeping the cells of former Angolan political prisoners at a space of culture and research of the history of Angola.

Relating to the relations between Angola and Cape Verde, Rosa Crus e Silva considered them as excellent, having affirmed that Culture Ministries of both countries are identifying the best means of cooperation.

Organised by Amilcar Cabral Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministries of Culture of Angola and of Cape Verde, the symposium aims to gather former prisoners of Tarrafal from different countries, renowned personalities, politicians and scholars.