What You Need to Know
Sónia Sultuane has been awarded the Prémio Literário Guerra Junqueiro Lusofonia 2025, recognizing her impactful literary work that reflects African identity and promotes Mozambican culture. The award honors writers from Portuguese-speaking countries, highlighting the importance of literature in fostering cultural ties and identity across the Lusophone world.
Africa-Press – Mozambique. Writers Sónia Sultuane, Inês Pedrosa, Paulo Coelho, Francisco Conduto de Pina, Fátima Bettencourt, Daniel Braga, Lúcio Neto Amado, Maria Andeme and José Mena Abrantes have been awarded the Prémio Literário Guerra Junqueiro Lusofonia 2025, it was announced yesterday.
“The Prémio Literário Guerra Junqueiro Lusofonia honours writers from the nine member states of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) and is thus a valuable integrating element, helping to strengthen cultural ties between Portuguese-speaking countries and peoples,” the prize’s curator, Avelina Ferraz, told Lusa.
The 2025 laureates are:
Portugal – Inês Pedrosa;
Brazil – Paulo Coelho;
Guinea-Bissau – Francisco Conduto de Pina;
Cape Verde – Fátima Bettencourt;
Timor-Leste – Daniel Braga;
São Tomé and Príncipe – Lúcio Amado Neto;
Equatorial Guinea – Maria Jesús Evuna Andeme;
Angola – José Mena Abrantes; and
Mozambique – Sónia Sultuane.
The prize’s advisers considered in awarding Sónia Sultuane’s literary work “a socially engaged reflection, with writing deeply connected to African identity, the female body, spirituality, memory and belonging, and the promotion of Mozambican culture.”
“The award also recognised Sultuane’s projects promoting reading and literature in Mozambique, as well as her use of language, “simultaneously delicate and assertive, and marked by a strong historical and social awareness.”
Since 2017, the Prémio Literário Guerra Junqueiro has awarded writers from the Lusophone world writing in Portuguese. Under the curatorship of Avelina Ferraz, and organised by the municipality of Freixo de Espada à Cinta, the prize was extended to the wider Lusophone world in 2020 and aims to recognise and honour writers from the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP).
Based on the life and work of writers from the Lusophone context, and following consultation with honourees from previous editions, as well as representatives of the municipality and the curatorship, regarding books and literary figures who promote the Portuguese language through writing, the prize also seeks to highlight the importance of Portuguese as a vehicle for citizenship and development across the Lusophone world.
“A new edition of the national and international tribute to the poet Guerra Junqueiro will soon take place, promoting a multidisciplinary cultural gathering of the Lusophone world in Freixo de Espada à Cinta and in other towns and cities across Lusophone countries, based on literature in the Portuguese language as a vehicle for fostering identity, history and memory,” Avelina Ferraz told Lusa.
According to the mayor of Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Nuno Ferreira, quoted in a statement, “once again, the region’s and Portugal’s commitment to culture is evident through the work of one of the greatest writers in the Portuguese language, the native of Freixo, Abílio Guerra Junqueiro.”
Avelina Ferraz reiterated the importance, in the 21st century, of honouring Guerra Junqueiro, “studied in the nine Lusophone countries since the beginning of the 20th century, a poet and writer with a clear, humanist style, representing a socially engaged romanticism, with a rare satirical and lyrical brilliance in literature.”
The Prémio Literário Guerra Junqueiro was established to honor writers from the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) and has been awarded since 2017. It aims to strengthen cultural connections among Portuguese-speaking nations and promote the Portuguese language as a tool for citizenship and development. The award has evolved to include a broader range of Lusophone writers, celebrating their contributions to literature and culture.
Sónia Sultuane’s recognition is significant as it underscores the role of literature in addressing social issues and promoting cultural identity. Her work is noted for its engagement with themes of memory, spirituality, and belonging, reflecting the
