Mozambique: Mr. Bow awarded Best Lusophone Artist at AFRIMMA 2023
File photo / Mozambican writer João Paulo Borges Coelho
Mozambican writer João Paulo Borges Coelho yesterday appealed for greater access to books in the country at a meeting held in Maputo on the occasion of the Portuguese Language and Culture Day on Friday.
“In Mozambique, for example, a poor student needs six months to buy a book. That is a shame, and it is vital to facilitate better access to books.”
The Mozambican author says it is necessary to take the books to youth, to avoid elitism in literature.
Coelho launched his appeal during a conversation with novelist and literary researcher Hélder Macedo, promoted by the Portuguese Cultural Centre and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which currently chairs the Portuguese-language Thematic Commission in Portugal.
Besides better access to books, the two authors highlighted other battles to be fought.
Hélder Macedo pointed out that most Mozambicans do not speak Portuguese as their first language, another challenge for the country’s writers.
“One of the greatest challenges for Mozambican literature is that Portuguese is not spoken by the majority of the population,” said the author of “Parts of Africa.”
The literature of Portuguese-speaking Africa also faces the challenge of redefining its position, since the narrative of the “revolutionary transition” is exhausted.
“I personally am interested to see what comes next. Forty years have passed, and the phase of revolutionary transition is over,” he told Lusa, adding that the great ideal of the consolidation of national identities is over.
“There are, truly, several literatures that use the same language. It is fundamental to look at the specific developments,” he noted, adding that there is still plenty of room for new generations in Portuguese-language African literature.
Borges Coelho, author of ‘O Olho de Hertzog’ (The Eye of Hertzog), said important the Lusophone literary space was experiencing “agitation”, and that “the greatest challenge is getting published”.
The conversation between the two authors brought together academics and writers at the Portuguese Cultural Centre in Maputo, including Mia Couto and Brazão Mazula.
Hélder Macedo holds several distinctions in academic and literary life, among them the Portuguese Pen Club Essay award of 1999 with ‘Viagens do Olhar’ (The Travelling Eye) and his 2006 novel award for ‘Sem Nome’ (Without Name).
João Paulo Borges Coelho wan the José Craveirinha Prize in 2006 with ‘As Visitas do dr Valdez’ (The Visits of Dr. Valdez) and the Leya Prize in 2009 with ‘O Olho de Hertzog’.
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