Perfil

He was born in 1944 in Luanda. He has a degree in Social Sciences from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, “Angelicum”, in Rome.

A former official in the Treasury and Accounting Services, he served successively as Director of the National Book and Record Institute (1977/1981), Secretary of State for Culture (1981/1990), Minister of Information (1990/1991), Ambassador of Angola to France (1992/1999), Italy and Malta (2000/2002), Representative of Angola to the UN organizations based in Rome (IFAD, FAO and WFP), Minister of Culture (2002/2008) and Governor of Malanje Province (2008/2012).

He was a Member of the National Assembly (2012/2022), serving as Chairman of the Committee on Culture, Religious Affairs, Social Communication, Youth and Sports.

He is a writer and a founding member of the Union of Angolan Writers. He is also a founding member of the Angolan Academy of Letters, of which he was Chairman of the Board of Directors (2016/2020).

Awards and Distinctions: National Prize for Culture and Arts, in the discipline of Literature (2001), DST Angola/Camões 2022 Literature Prize.

He is an honorary member of the Palmense Academy of Letters (Brazilian state of Tocantins); Order of Cultural Merit in the class of Commander, awarded by the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, in 2006; Order of Peace and Concord of the First Degree, awarded by the President of the Republic of Angola, in 2023.

He has published the following works: “Dizanga dia Muenhu” (1977), “O Fogo da Fala” (1980), “A Morte do Velho Kipacaça” (1987), “O Signo do Fogo” (1992), “Maio, Mês de Maria” (1997), “Mãe, Materno Mar” (2001), “Noites de Vigília” (2012) and “Margens e Travessias” (2022).

It is referenced in “Novo Aurélio”, Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa-Século XXI, by Aurélio Buarque de Holanda Ferreira; Editora Nova Fronteira, Rio de Janeiro; 1999.

He is also referenced in “The Literary Encyclopedia”, published by Oxford University in 2019.

His work is widely studied and has been the subject of university essays and theses in Portugal, Brazil, Italy, France and the USA.

His permanent research area is literary studies.