For reasons that are not easy to understand, Portuguese-speaking African literatures seem to have lost the attention and enthusiasm that followed the independence of the countries in question in recent decades. While it’s true that authors such as Mia Couto, Pepetela, Manuel Rui, Ondjaki or Agualusa are widely read and studied, it’s no less true that there’s a near silence about many others of the same quality, especially the less contemporary ones. This is one of the reasons behind this colloquium, which aims to cross literature and thought and will take place in the same city where a similar initiative took place 30 years ago, under the title The Equal Voice.

In addition to the general objective of debating African literatures in Portuguese, this colloquium aims to mark the 40th anniversary of the death of Agostinho Neto (1922-1979), one of the first poets from this area to achieve a large national and international circulation (as evidenced by the translations of his work). On the other hand, the aim is also to draw attention to the six African writers who have been awarded the Camões Prize over the thirty editions: José Craveirinha (1991), Pepetela (1997), José Luandino Vieira (2006), Arménio Vieira (2009), Mia Couto (2013) and Germano Almeida (2018).

To this end, we will be joined by members of the Dr. António Agostinho Neto Foundation, some of the writers who have won the Camões Prize and essayists and researchers from various countries whose work focuses on the authors and themes in question.

PROGRAM

Photos of the event are available at:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/184517092@N03/albums/72157710894490948