Mozambique: Maputo library hosts celebration for Lília Momplé at 90

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Mozambique: Maputo library hosts celebration for Lília Momplé at 90

9:33 CAT | 28 Mar 2025

File photo: Literatas

The Library of the Portuguese Cultural Centre in Maputo will, this Friday at 5:30 p.m., host a tribute to renowned Mozambican writer Lilia Momplé, on the occasion of her 90th birthday, celebrated on March 19.

Curated by by writer and cultural journalist Nelson Saúte, this event will feature a brief presentation of the author’s life and work. It will also includes the reading of excerpts from her works, followed by a debate open to the public, where participants will be invited to share their thoughts and questions.

Momplé, one of the most prominent voices in Mozambican literature, is the author of works such as Ninguém Matou Suhura and Neighbours, in which she addresses themes such as identity, gender and colonial memory with a poetic and deeply humanist narrative. Her contribution to Portuguese-language culture has been widely recognized, both in Mozambique and internationally.

Lilia Maria Clara Carriere Momplér; born in Ilha de Moçambique, 1935) is one of Mozambique’s best known writers, whose works have been translated into English and appeared in African and Mozambican anthologies. She is also known for her participation in Mozambique’s liberation movement. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in social work from Portugal, she was poised to lend a hand to a struggling post-colonial government at a time when there were few professionals in the country. She represented her country in numerous international meetings on cultural issues, including the UNESCO General Assembly in Paris

Her writing career spans the colonial, socialist and democratic cultural contexts of her country. Her literary publications include two novels, Neighbours (1995) and the forthcoming The Eyes of the Green Cobra, and a short story collection, Nobody Killed Shuhura (1989; subsequently translated into Italian and English). Her short story, “Slum Dwelling”, won the first prize in the literary contest of the centennial of Maputo in 1987. She was also president and general secretary of the Mozambican Writers’ Association. [AEMO]

This Friday’s session is part of the “Writer of the Month Initiative” series, which takes place monthly in the Library of the Portuguese Cultural Centre in Maputo, and aims to promote and discuss the work of relevant Portuguese language writers, encouraging reading and literary dialogue.

Source: Integrity