Literature Festival in Cape Verde pays tribute to 4 Portuguese-speaking writers

The seventh edition of the 'Literatura-Mundo do Sal' festival kicks off on Thursday, on that Cape Verdean island, and will pay tribute to four Portuguese-speaking writers, with a programme dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the independence of Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe.

"In this year, which marks the 50th anniversary of independence" of Portuguese-speaking African countries - with the exception of Guinea-Bissau, which is already celebrating 52 -, the festival will pay tribute to writers Agostinho Neto, the first president of Angola, Alda Espírito Santo, a pioneer of São Tomé literature, Onésimo Silveira, a Cape Verdean writer and translator, and Noémia de Sousa, a Mozambican poet, announced the publisher Rosa de Porcelana, which is organizing the event in partnership with the Municipal Council of the island of Sal and scientific curator Inocência Mata.

In its seventh edition, the festival runs from Thursday to Sunday with the aim of consolidating the island as a literary reference in Cape Verde and abroad, as well as encouraging debate and reflection.

The event also seeks to open literature to new voices and promote dialogue between authors, translators and researchers from various countries.

This year's event will feature 10 Cape Verdean writers and teachers and 11 foreigners from Germany, Angola, Brazil, Italy, Mozambique, Portugal and São Tomé and Príncipe, as well as students from secondary schools on the island of Sal.

The opening session on Thursday includes reading sessions with visiting writers.

The festival was held for the first time in 2017, with tributes to the Cape Verdean poet Corsino Fortes and the Portuguese writer José Saramago.