There will be new names from Africa participating at the XIII Biennial International Book Fair in Ceará State that will take place from August 16th to 25th, in Fortaleza, Ceará. These authors will be added to the previously announced lecturers for the event, including the participation of several authors from the African continent and Brazil.
The organization of the event, includes the partnership of the the University of International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Unilab), taking place during the Biennial event, the Portuguese Language Orality and Writings Meeting including the presence of three African authors: Abdulai Sila, Guinean, Aldino Muianga, Mozambican, and Ondjaki, Angolan.
The African authors
Abdulai Sila is an economist, social investigator, and electronic engineer who graduated from the University of Dresden, in Germany. Abdulai is also one of the unique voices in contemporary Guinean literature and initiator of an original fictional trend, as he is the author of what is considered the first Guinean novels, “Eterna Paixão” (Eternal Passion).
Abdulai Sila, guinean writer who will participate in the biennial.
Aldino Muianga was born in the Munhuana neighborhood, on the outskirts of the city of Maputo. He began to write for the high school newspaper when he was just a teenager. His first official publication was the short story “A Vingança de Macandza” (The Vengeance of Macandza), in the weekly magazine Tempo, in 1986, and he wrote as Khambira Khambiray, his pen name.
Ondjaki writes prose and poetry, as well as writing for the cinema and theater. He studied in Luanda where he graduated in sociality, and then he continued his studies in Lisbon. He got his doctorate in African studies in Italy in 2010. He was awarded the Grand Prize at the “Conto Camilo Castelo Branco” event in 2007, for his book “Os da Minha Rua” (Those from My Road). He was awarded the Grinzane prize in Ethiopia as the best African writer of 2008.
Aldino Muianga, mozambican writer who will participate in the biennial
Connection Brazil-Africa
The Portuguese Language Orality and Writings Meeting is going even to include some Brazilian authors, most of them are literature professors who have in-depth experience in Portuguese language African literature. Some of the confirmed names are Andrea Muraro, Jo A-mi, Júlio Machado, André Telles do Rosário, Mariana Fujisawa, and Rodrigo Ordine Graça.
The meeting will also include cultural presentations from three cultural groups, as well as lectures and the launching of new literary works, featuring the Firkidta Di No Kampada group (Vozes d’Africa-Voices of Africa), a project made up by young writers from several nationalities studying at Unilab and who are getting ready to publish their first book of poetry. This year, the core theme of the XIII Biennial International Book Fair is “As cidades e os livros” (Cities and books), and it will take place at the “Centro de Eventos do Ceará” (Ceará Event Center), located at Av. Washington Soares, 999 – Edson Queiroz, Fortaleza.
Main picture: Felipe Abud/Secult