Africa-Press – Angola. The books “Kimpa Vita – A Profetisa Ardent” and “Filho Bem-Amado do Kongo: Nsaku Ne Vunda – O Negrita”, by Mena Abrantes, will be presented today, at 3:30 pm, in the fourth edition of the project “The writer of the month” , organized by the Mayamba bookstore, at its premises, on the Rua da Liga Nacional Africana.
“Kimpa Vita – A Profetisa Ardent”, being a play with two acts, in which the first is homonymous to the title of the book, containing 14 scenes, with the characters Kimpa Vita, Woman 1, Woman 2, uncle, Nephew / Acolyte of the Priest , and in the second act, “Tari-Yari – Mercy and power in the kingdom of Congo in the time of Kimpa Vita”, with 20 scenes, the characters D. Pedro IV – King of the Congo, Hipólita – His Wife, from Cruz Barbosa – Councilor and Butler of the King, Bernardo da Gallo – Italian Capuchin, Lorenzo da Lucca – Italian Capuchin, Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita (St. Kingdom (Clan Kimpanzu), rival of D. Pedro IV.
“Kongo’s Beloved Son: Nsaku Ne Vunda – O Negrita”, in a single act, contains 26 scenes, has 5 characters from the Kongo kingdom, namely Negrita, Negrita’s Mother, Military, Secretary to the King and King of Kongo, and 12 foreign characters: Portuguese Priest, French Captain, French Boy, Portuguese King’s Delegate, Spanish Duke, King of Spain, Pirate Captain, Portuguese Friar, Portuguese Abbot, Spanish Inquisitor, Italian Cardinal, and Pope.
As a guest writer, Mena Abrantes will maintain a dialogue with her readers, in addition to presenting the two works, in the dramatic genre (theater), in digital version.
The project, by the publisher Mayamba, aims to promote writers, authors and their works, putting them in permanent dialogue with their readers.
According to a press release from Mayamba Editora, José Mena Abrantes is a playwright, poet, writer and journalist, and a member of the Angolan Writers Union (UEA).
Graduated in German Philology from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon, the city where he took his first steps in theater, first as an actor, playing Volpone and Merlin-4, in the Scenic Group of the Academic Association of the Faculty of Law, and, later, taking courses in acting and theatrical direction at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, under the direction of Adolfo Gutkin.
Still in the 1970s, he participated in theater seminars and festivals, and directed, in Federal Germany – where he was exiled for four years – the group “La Busca”, of Spanish students and workers.
In 1974 he returned to the country and helped to found the Tchinganje theater groups, the Xilenga-Teatro and the Grupo de Teatro da Faculdade de Medicina de Luanda, having been responsible for the first dramatic performance, in 1975, in independent Angola.
The playwright regularly participates in theater festivals in African, European and American countries, in the most diverse categories, as author, director and director. From 1975 onwards he worked as a journalist, with collaborations in various Angolan, Portuguese, French and Mozambican media. He was general director of the Angola Press Agency (Angop), between 1982 and 1984, was responsible for the information and dissemination sector of National Cinematography (1985-87).
Holder of a very diverse literary work, with more than twenty published titles, he was awarded several prizes, including the Sonangol Literature Prize, three times, and the National Prize for Culture and Arts, in the Literature category.
He has four works edited by Mayamba Editora, among which, “Poeira do Tempo”, “Quotidiamo – this is not a love story”, “Kimpa Vita – The Burning Prophet” and “Bem-Amado Son of Kongo: Nsaku Ne Vunda – The Negrita”.
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