Africa-Press – Angola. On Friday, in Lisbon, writer Artur Pestana “Pepetela” lamented the devaluation of national languages, which have fewer and fewer speakers.The writer reflected, among other subjects, on the issue of the need for policies to promote national languages during his intervention in the literary section “Author of the Month”, promoted by Livraria Lello, based in Lisbon, Portugal.
“We are losing our languages. Most Angolan children only play, read and speak in Portuguese,” he lamented.
An essential figure in contemporary Portuguese-speaking literature, Pepetela was the author chosen for the month of November by the emblematic Portuguese bookstore.
Moderated by Portuguese journalist Sérgio Almeida, the conversation session with the author took place on Friday afternoon and was attended by several lovers of the author’s literature, whose greatest source of inspiration is the transformations of Angolan society, which is expressed in both sarcastic and hilarious novels. In over an hour of conversation, readers and admirers of the Angolan writer’s work had the opportunity to hear and learn more about Pepetela’s history and contribution to Portuguese-language literature and culture.
One of the greatest writers in the Portuguese language, Pepetela said that he writes because writing helps him to think better about what he sees, arguing that he never wanted to be a teacher but ended up being one for most of his life, having taught at university. The author explained that he has not taught for more than ten years, a profession he chose because he believed it would allow him to continue writing.
“Being a professional writer has its advantages and disadvantages, such as not being able to socialize with the young people I met when I taught at college. I started writing stories when I was 8 or 9 years old, while I was still writing in school essays. My teachers understood how to support me, instead of punishing me,” he recalled.
Pepetela revealed that throughout his decades-long career he continues to write for pleasure, without allowing it to be an effort, which is why he said he does not “feel pressured” to respond to requests from admirers and publishers for new sequels to works already published.
When asked about the dominant role that music plays in the cultural landscape in relation to literature, Pepetela acknowledged that this scenario is old. The writer stated that music has always been the main form of expression, emphasizing that even when writing was developing, music was already a highly relevant medium in the country in past centuries.
New book on the way
A key figure in Angolan literature today, Pepetela celebrated his 83rd birthday on 29 October, more than half of which he has dedicated to narrating the country’s recent history in books. During the week of his birthday celebrations, he announced the release of his new novel, entitled “Tudo-Está-Ligado”, published by Dom Quixote, one of the most prestigious publishers in the Portuguese-speaking world. According to the synopsis, in the new novel, Pepetela takes readers on a journey that ranges from the formation of kingdoms in the Central Plateau to the present day, exploring little-known episodes in the country’s history. The release date of the new book does not yet have a release date, but it begins in Benguela, his hometown. Pepetela’s highly anticipated new novel is now on sale in Portuguese bookstores and marks the return of the renowned author, six years after his last book, “Sua Excelência, de Corpo Presente”.
Artur Carlos Maurício Pestana dos Santos “Pepetela” was born in Benguela in 1941. He graduated in Sociology in Algiers (Algeria) while in exile, and was a MPLA guerrilla, politician and government official. He completed his primary education in his hometown, then moved to Lubango (Huíla), where he continued his studies. In 1958, he went to Lisbon, where he enrolled at the Instituto Superior Técnico, where he studied Engineering until 1960. Pepetela became a member of the MPLA in 1963 and when he abandoned political life, he opted for a teaching career at the Faculty of Architecture in Luanda, where he taught sociology. Translated into several languages, in 1997 he was awarded the Camões Prize, the highest literary award in the Portuguese language. He has published, among others, the books “The Adventures of Ngunga” (1973), “Muana Puô” (1978), “Mayombe” (1980), “The Dog and the Caluandas” (1985), “Yaka” (1985), “Lueji” (1989), “Generation of Utopia” (1992), “Kianda’s Wish” (1995), “Parable of the Old Turtle” (1997), “The Glorious Family” (1997), “The Mountain of Purple Water” (2000) and “Jaime Bunda, Secret Agent” (2001) and “His Excellency in Body Present” (2018). His gallery also includes the Correntes de Escrita awards in 2020, the Rosalia de Castro awards from the Centro PEN Galiza in 2014, the National Literature Award (1981), the National Culture and Arts Award (2002), the Special Award from Literary Critics of São Paulo (1993), the International Award from the Association of Galician Writers (2007), the Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands (1993) and the Degree of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Algarve, conferred on 28 April 2010. Pepetela was also awarded the title Doctor Honoris Causa by the Council of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2022.
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