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Angola festivals bring people together to celebrate their traditions and history. each of their festivals showcases a unique part of Angola’s heritage through music, dance, and storytelling.

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Angola, a country rich in natural resources and cultural diversity, has an economy that relies on various industries. While oil dominates as the primary source of revenue, other sectors such as agriculture, fishing, mining, and informal trade also play vital roles in sustaining the population. but Angola still faces challenges such as economic inequality and unemployment, leading many citizens to engage in diverse jobs to maintain their livelihoods and contribute to the country’s economy.

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Angola economy main occupations statistics

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protesters in Angola with signs in Portuguese

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Nothing defines a country's culture and self-identity more than the daily language it speaks and communicates with. Language is intrinsic to the expression of culture.

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Angola's architectural style has been affected before, during, and after the Portuguese colonial. Angola's architecture is a reflection of its rich history and cultural diversity, showing its journey from traditional indigenous designs to Portuguese colonial influences and modern urban styles. Each phase of Angola’s architectural evolution highlights the interplay between functionality, symbolism, and adaptation to historical and environmental contexts.

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angola's architecture chances through colonial

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In Angola, traditional clothing varies by ethnic group, but there are three main types of clothing that are widely recognized across the country. These garments are often worn during special ceremonies, festivals, and important events.

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Angola has a rich cultural heritage with many unique traditions that reflect its history, values, and the diversity of its people

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Angola has a rich and diverse music scene, with many genres that reflect its cultural history and creativity. Music is an important part of daily life in Angola, and three of the most popular styles are Semba, Kizomba, and Kuduro. Each has its own unique sound and story, but all face challenges in today's fast-changing music world.

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Angolan cuisine is rich and diverse, influenced by the country's ethnic groups, history, and natural resources. mostly influenced by the porturguese.

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https://youtu.be/jo2IS-7V_ms?si=6H2d69vPQzMj7eHe

Name: António Agostinho Neto
Birth: 1922/9/17 in Kaxicane, Angola
Death: 1979/9/10 in Moscow, Soviet Union
Occupation: Poet, Politician, Medical Doctor, Nationalist Leader

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“Kaleidoscope Project” is a cultural preservation project that aims to preserve the uniqueness of world culture by recording the culture of different nations worldwide in a digital format accessible to everyone. The reason that it's called the “kaleidoscope project” is to convey the idea of seeing the world through different angles it shows the different sides of the world's culture and uniqueness.

My country is Angola, which is currently facing a problem of cultural loss. Through this project, I hope to let the world see the uniqueness of Angola's culture, acknowledge Angola's special culture in 1o items in different categories of their culture, how it should be presented to the world, and let people recognize the value and appreciate it.

Angola, located in Southern Africa, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Namibia, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with diverse landscapes ranging from coastal plains to highlands and tropical forests. They are very rich in natural resources like oil and diamonds, its economy and development have been shaped by these assets. Portuguese colonial rule in Angola, lasted over 400 years and has left a significant cultural impact and Cultural exchange, as seen in the dominance of the Portuguese language, Roman Catholic traditions, and colonial architecture. Angola also boasts vibrant local cultures, with diverse ethnic groups contributing to its music, dance, and cuisine.

This “kaleidoscope project” hopes to not let Angola’s unique traditions, languages, and practices disappear. It would be a big loss for both the country and the world. Globalization and modernization will also make this worse, as more common, global trends often replace local cultures. This helps save Angola’s culture by recording it digitally so that everyone can share and remember it. This protects Angola’s identity and helps people worldwide see and value its rich and unique heritage, reshaping how people know this country and their understanding of Angola.

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Angolan uses language and poetry as their expression, their poetry combines spoken and written stories. This culture began long ago with oral traditions and became more known during the fight for independence in the 1900s. It continues today. It shares the country’s history, culture, and feelings, often about freedom and identity. It’s for everyone to read: Angolans in villages and cities and worldwide who want to learn about Angola. The uniqueness is in how it mixes old storytelling with modern writing, uses local Portuguese languages, and shows the beauty and difficulties of Angola. this poetry culture of Angola keeps Angola’s culture alive, helps fight the colonial rule, and lets its people stay proud of their roots.

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“Havemos de Voltar”/ “We Shall Return” by Agostinho Neto

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Today, I would like to share a poem by one of Angola’s most prolific writer and its first president, Agostinho Neto. This poem, “Havemos de Voltar” / “We Shall Return”…

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Dialogue is another distinctive element, both in written works and oral narratives. Angolan dialogue often integrates Portuguese with local languages such as Umbundu and Kimbundu, showcasing the linguistic diversity of the country. This vibrant interplay of languages mirrors the cultural dynamics of Angola’s multilingual society, making its literature deeply resonant and authentic.

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Folk tales, a cornerstone of oral tradition, feature stories passed down through generations. These tales, often involving animal tricksters like Kalulu the Hare, teach moral lessons and preserve cultural values. Narrated with vivid imagery and sometimes accompanied by music and dance, they encapsulate the wisdom and humor of Angola’s people.

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The Carnival of Luanda, held every February, is the most colorful and exciting festival in Angola. The streets of the capital city come alive with parades, music, and dancing. Groups dress in elaborate costumes and perform traditional dances, such as the lively semba, which is central to Angola’s cultural identity. This festival was Cultural homogeneity with African and Portuguese traditions, reflecting Angola’s history.

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FENACULT is their National Culture Festival, celebrating the diversity of Angola’s art and traditions every few years. It includes performances of music and dance, theater, poetry, and exhibitions of traditional crafts. Artists from all over Angola come together to perform. FENACULT not only honors traditional culture but also highlights modern creativity, making it a celebration of the past, present, and future.

but it has faced challenges over the years, raising concerns about its sustainability and relevance in modern times. While it remains a cornerstone of Angolan cultural expression, several factors suggest that it may be at risk of diminishing if not carefully preserved and revitalized.

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Músicas Tradicionais (folclórica ) de Angola

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The Festivals of the Tchokwe People held mainly in eastern Angola, are deeply rooted in the customs of the Tchokwe ethnic group. they often revolve around the agricultural calendar, with ceremonies like Mukanda, an initiation rite for boys. This involves beautiful masks, such as the famous Chikunza, and dances that teach important life lessons. These festivals are a way to preserve ancient traditions and pass them on to younger generations.

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FESTIVAL  TSHOKWE 2023 SASA TSHOKWE INTERNATIONAL

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Before Portuguese colonization, Angola’s architecture was rooted in indigenous traditions, characterized by circular huts with thatched roofs and villages arranged in harmonious patterns. These structures were made from locally available materials such as wood, clay, and straw, emphasizing sustainability and a deep connection to the environment. Symbolism played a significant role, as architectural designs often reflected spiritual beliefs and social structures.

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Post-Independence and Modern Architecture (After 1975)

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Post-Independence and Modern Architecture (After 1975)

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After gaining independence in 1975, Angola transitioned toward modern and contemporary architecture. Urbanization and post-war reconstruction efforts brought sleek skyscrapers, public monuments, and residential buildings that blend modern functionality with traditional design elements. Structures like the Agostinho Neto Memorial represent national pride and historical reflection, while new urban developments embrace innovation and global trends.

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Colonial Architecture (During Portuguese Rule)

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Colonial Architecture (During Portuguese Rule)

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During Portuguese colonial rule, European architectural styles, particularly Baroque and neoclassical influences, were introduced. Cities like Luanda and Benguela became hubs of colonial architecture, featuring ornate churches, administrative buildings, and fortresses like Fortaleza de São Miguel. This period saw a fusion of European aesthetics with local materials, creating a hybrid style that symbolized power and control while incorporating elements of local craftsmanship.

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The oil and gas industry is the most important part of Angola’s economy. It makes the country one of Africa’s biggest oil producers. People in this industry work as engineers, drill operators, and technicians, earning good salaries. What makes this sector unique is its huge impact on the economy, providing most of the government’s income and connecting Angola to the global energy market. However, relying so much on oil can be risky when prices drop.

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The Energy Minute: Angola's Latest Oil and Gas Developments

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Farming is a way of life for many Angolans, especially in rural areas. People grow crops like cassava, maize, and beans to feed their families. Others grow coffee, bananas, and sugarcane to sell and earn money. Farming in Angola is special because most of the land is fertile but not fully used yet. If the country invests more in farming, it could grow enough food to feed its people and even export more crops.

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Angola invests in agricultural training for local communities

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Informal trade supports a vast number of Angolans, especially in urban areas where formal job opportunities are limited. People work as street vendors, market sellers, and small business owners, providing goods and services that are essential to daily life. This sector thrives on adaptability and plays a crucial role in sustaining families and communities, especially during economic downturns or times of high unemployment. It also reflects Angola's resilience and entrepreneurial spirit.

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The Sambila is a wrap-around skirt worn by women, especially in central and coastal Angola. Made from brightly colored fabrics, it’s often decorated with geometric patterns. The skirt is worn with beads and headbands during dances, weddings, and celebrations, symbolizing femininity and cultural pride.

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The Binga is a traditional headdress worn by the Chokwe people, often during important ceremonies like dances or initiation rituals. Made from woven fibers, wood, or leather, the Binga is decorated with beads and feathers. It is a symbol of spiritual power and cultural identity, often worn by leaders or elders in the community. The Binga is considered a significant part of the Chokwe people’s cultural expression.

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the Kente in Angola, particularly among the Ovimbundu people, features rich, woven fabric with bold, vibrant patterns. It’s often worn during ceremonial events and festivals. The cloth represents heritage, family lineage, and status. Its intricate patterns carry symbolic meanings, and the fabric is often turned into robes or skirts.

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Muamba de Galinha is one of Angola's most iconic dishes. It’s a hearty chicken stew made with a rich blend of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and oil, often flavored with palm oil, giving it a distinct flavor. The dish is also typically cooked with okra and served with funge (a type of starchy side dish made from cornmeal or cassava flour), which helps balance the stew’s richness.

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Funge is a staple food in Angola, often served alongside stews like Muamba de Galinha. It’s made by cooking cornmeal or cassava flour with water to create a thick, smooth paste. Funge has a neutral flavor, which makes it perfect for pairing with flavorful sauces or stews. It can be served in a large bowl, and diners use their hands to scoop up the funge with the stew.

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How To Make Cassava & Cornmeal FUFU | Cassava Fufu in Saladmaster

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Caldeirada is a traditional Angolan fish stew made with a variety of fresh, locally caught fish. The stew typically includes tomatoes, onions, peppers, and garlic, and it's often seasoned with palm oil and sometimes spicy chilies. The dish is usually served with rice or french fries.

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Portuguese Fish Stew (Caldeirada de Peixe)

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Semba is one of Angola’s most iconic genres, often considered the country's soul music. It combines African rhythms with Portuguese influences and is known for its upbeat tempo, percussion, and guitar. Semba is the precursor to salsa and mambo and plays a significant role in Angolan culture.

Semba is facing the challenge of losing popularity among younger generations, who are more drawn to modern global music genres like pop and hip-hop. Its slower, traditional sound is less appealing to today's youth. Efforts to preserve it include festivals and artists trying to keep its cultural significance alive.

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Kizomba is a slower, sensual genre that emerged in Angola in the 1980s. It blends soukous and zouk influences with traditional Angolan rhythms, creating a romantic sound. Over the years, Kizomba has become internationally popular, especially in Portuguese-speaking countries.There's a risk that Kizomba could become overly commercialized and lose its original essence. However, many artists continue to innovate within the genre to keep it fresh.

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Daniel Santacruz - Lento - Kizomba (Official Video HD)

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kuduro is a high-energy, fast-paced genre that mixes electronica, dancehall, and traditional Angolan rhythms. It became popular in the 1990s and is known for its aggressive beats and energetic dance moves.

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Scró Que Cuia - Kuduro ft Gilmário Vemba & Baptista Miranda (Videoclipe oficial)

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This festival celebrates the cultural traditions of the Bantu people, one of the largest ethnic groups in Angola. It includes traditional dances, songs, and rituals that have been passed down through generations. The festival is a time to honor the ancestors and keep cultural practices alive.It brings together various ethnic groups to celebrate their shared history.

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The Kalandula ceremony is an important rite of passage for young people, especially in rural areas. It marks the transition from childhood to adulthood, involving rituals like dances, storytelling, and initiation rites. This tradition is common among the Kongo and Ovimbundu peoples.

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In the highlands of Angola, a masked dance called Danza de Mascarados is performed during harvest festivals and other celebrations. Dancers wear intricate masks made of wood, fabric, or beads to represent different spirits or animals. This dance is meant to protect the community and bring good fortune.

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Engolo, also known as Ngolo or the "Zebra dance," is a traditional martial art that combines combat techniques with acrobatic movements. Practiced primarily by various ethnic groups around the Cunene River, Engolo involves intricate footwork and inverted positions, drawing parallels to the way zebras fight. Historically, it is part of a rite of passage for young men competing for brides and is believed to have influenced the Brazilian martial art Capoeira

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Bassula is another traditional martial art from Angola, meaning "to swipe" or "to make the opponent fall." This sport was practiced mainly by fishermen in the coastal community of Axiluanda. The techniques can be quite violent, often involving staves and razors. Bassula served not only as a means of physical competition but also as a way to strengthen community bonds among practitioners

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Calango is a traditional Angolan game similar to volleyball, played by two teams of four players each. The game emphasizes teamwork and agility, reflecting the communal spirit of Angolan culture. It is often played during festivals and gatherings, contributing to social cohesion and entertainment within communities

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Angola's population is overwhelmingly Christian. About two-fifths of the population is Roman Catholic, about two-fifths is Protestant, and some one-tenth adheres to traditional beliefs or other religions.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The constitution defines the state as secular, prohibits religious discrimination, and provides for freedom of conscience, religion, and worship. The constitution requires the state to protect churches and religious groups provided they comply with the law. The law provides increased penalties for crimes committed because of religion or religious belief and sets criminal penalties for hate speech or inciting hate by other forms of communication based on religious belief. The law requires religious groups to seek government recognition by meeting legally established criteria and allows the government to close the premises of unregistered groups. The government estimates there are 88 recognized religious groups and more than 1,200 unrecognized religious groups in the country.

The government did not approve any new religious groups during the year. The Minister of Culture and Tourism, who oversees the government body that registers religious groups, said a focus group on Muslim issues may be added to the interagency government commission that handles religious matters. In September, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD in Portuguese) announced government-led mediation had ended the three-year dispute between the church's Brazilian-linked and Angolan-based factions, which were combined and renamed the Universal Church Angola (IUA). Most former IURD temples, which had been closed by the government in 2020, had not reopened by year's end, pending what Bishop Alberto Segunda called an "administrative" procedure by the government.

Following the announcement ending the split between the IURD factions, the unified and renamed IUA called on all its members to unify under Bishop Segunda. In November, Segunda said the new church was developing an internal reunification process with former IURD members, and he urged former IURD members to return to the church without protesting the unification.

Throughout the year, officials from the U.S. embassy raised religious freedom issues with government officials at the national level, including long-pending registration applications and the implementation of religious freedom legislation. With representatives of religious groups and civil society organizations throughout the country, embassy officials discussed the issue of slow recognition of religious groups, the IURD intradenominational split and its resolution, and the overall state of religious freedom in the country. The embassy promoted religious freedom on its website and through social media platforms.

The U.S. government estimates the total population at 36 million (midyear 2023). According to the 2014 national census (the most recent), approximately 41 percent of the population is Roman Catholic and 38 percent Protestant. Individuals not associated with any religious group constitute 12 percent of the population. The remaining 9 percent is composed of animists, Muslims, Jews, Baha'is, and other religious groups.

Among Protestants, members of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the World (Tocoists) are the largest group, with 2.8 million adherents, according to the National Institute for Religious Affairs (INAR). The IUA reports the church has more than 500,000 members. The Evangelic Baptist Church in Angola says it has approximately 400,000 members. Other major Protestant denominations include Seventh-day Adventists, Methodists, Baptists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church of Jesus Christ), and the Assembly of God Pentecostal. There is also a small number of Jehovah's Witnesses in the country.

INAR reports that in 2018, when the most recent government data was compiled, there were 122,000 Muslims, although Muslim groups estimate that the number has grown considerably since that time. A leader of one Muslim organization estimated there are approximately one million Muslims in the country, of whom approximately 95 percent are foreign migrants, mainly from North and West African countries. There are approximately 350 Jews, primarily resident foreign nationals.

In September, following the announcement ending the split between the IURD factions, the renamed IUA church called on all its members "to cultivate a spirit of unity" and "speak with one voice" through Bishop Segunda. In November, Bishop Segunda said the new church was developing an internal process with former IURD members to end the conflict between the church's Brazilian-linked and Angola-based wings. He told the media his goal was to unite the church and he urged former IURD members to "come back as we have announced, because the Universal Church is open as long as people do not come to make a fuss, do not come to do vandalism, (and) they really come to seek God as the word of God says."

During the year, several media outlets published op-ed articles critical of Muslims in the country. In the state-run Jornal de Angola, one editorial warned of a "Muslim invasion" that was "replacing" Angolan culture as a part of a "complex operation." Another outlet equated Islam with terrorism and framed calls for government recognition of Islam as a "threat to the country."

In a November meeting with Secretary of the President of the Republic for Social Affairs Fatima Viegas and the INAR director, several religious leaders urged the government to act against so-called churches whose practices they deemed to disrupt "social harmony." Religious leaders expressed concern regarding witchcraft, false miracles, and false promises of prosperity in these churches, but also asked the government to recognize those religious groups that truly served their communities.

In addition to the Catholic radio station Ecclesia, which broadcast in 16 provinces, other Catholic (Vatican Radio and Maria Radio), Methodist, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Tocoist, and Adventist radio stations continued to operate in the country under government licenses. Several religious groups had programs on secular radio and television stations, including Jehovah's Witnesses, the IURD, and the Josafat Church. On June 27, the INAR director visited the studios of Radio Adventus, a new Adventist radio that started operating on February 28.

Plataforma Sul (Southern Platform), composed of several faith-based organizations linked to the Catholic Church and the Protestant Congregational Evangelical Church in Angola, continued to advocate for more efficient government and social responses to problems affecting rural communities and minority ethnic groups such as food shortages resulting from the widespread drought.

U.S. embassy officials engaged with government officials throughout the year. In meetings and communication with officials from INAR and the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, embassy representatives discussed the status of religious groups awaiting official recognition and the implementation of legislation on religious freedom.

Throughout the year, embassy officials also engaged with religious communities and civil society representatives, including religious leaders and NGOs from Luanda, Moxico, Lunda Norte, Benguela, Huila, Cuando Cubango, and Cunene Provinces, as well as with representatives or leaders of religious groups and organizations such as CICA, the IURD, the Tocoist Church, the Order of Angolan Evangelical Pastors, Jesuit Refugee Services, the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, the Catholic aid NGO Caritas, the Islamic Community of Angola, Church of Jesus Christ, the Apostolic Faith Church, the Evangelic Baptist Church of Angola, and the Jewish group Chabad-Lubavitch. In these meetings, embassy officials discussed the issues of government recognition of religious groups and pending registration applications, the IURD church conflict and its resolution, overall religious freedom in the country, interfaith topics such as societal respect for religious freedom, the ability to worship freely, and social initiatives to assist underserved communities.

The embassy promoted religious freedom on its website and through social media platforms. It used social media posts to promote the principle of religious freedom as a universal right on International Religious Freedom Day.

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Angola - United States Department of State

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The constitution defines the state as secular, prohibits religious discrimination, and provides for freedom of conscience, religion, and worship. The constitution requires the state to protect churches and religious groups provided they comply with the law.