Luanda- A novel entitled "Memórias de uma Kulave" (Memories of a Kulave), by Angolan writer Aníbal Simões, will be launched on Tuesday at the Jean Piaget University in Viana, Luanda.
Published by Mayamba Editora, the novel tells the story of Maria da Conceição das Neves, who lives modestly with her family and leads a peaceful life, between cattle and domestic chores.
When she is sent to the municipality of Moçâmedes, Namibe Province to study, her life changes forever. The colonial school, on the one hand, and the customary practices of her Kuvale people, on the other, transformed her completely.
Married at a young age, and with difficulties in having children, she becomes a heavy burden on the community, especially in the eyes of her husband. Dozens of years pass before one day, together with some friends, she chooses to migrate to the country's capital.
Awarded the Sacred Hope Prize 2022, the story is a vivid portrait of the impact of negative customary practices, the dryness of the soil, the lack of water and the death of cattle breeding on the women who live in the Namibe desert, but it is also a first-person account of the suffering of these women and their ability to withstand the most adverse situations.
About the author
Aníbal João Ribeiro Simões has a PhD in Psychology from the University of Minho, Portugal.
He is a member of the Union of Angolan Writers (UEA), using the pseudonym Cikakata Mbalundu.
The writer has published other books, including Cipembúwa, O Feitiço da Rama de Abóbora, Entre a Morte e a Luz, Clave da Insatisfação and O Feitiço da Rama de Abóbora.
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