Luanda — The Vice President of the Republic, Manuel Vicente, last Thursday in Luanda handed out the 2012 National Culture and Arts Prize awards to the winners in various categories.

This year the winners were Eduardo Paím in the music category, José Mena Abrantes (literature), Kiluanji Kia Henda (arts), Henrique Artes group (theatre), while the filmmaker Alberto Botelho got the award in the category of cinema and audiovisuals and the Ombembwa group got it in the dance category.

All the mentioned acts also received a diploma of merit and a statuette.

The gala also paid homage to the Angolan traditional instrument Puita.

The event was enlivened by the singers Matias Damásio, Lina Alexandre, the instrumentalist Sanguito, the Muntuenu and Os Pescadores dance groups, as well as the writer Manuel Rui Monteio who recited some of his poems, among other artists.

The gala was also attended also by the Culture minister, Rosa Cruz e Silva, and the Mass Media minister, José Luís de Matos, among other personalities.