In a historic milestone for Angolan literature, two works from the southern African nation have been named finalists for the 2025 Sankofa Book Awards, among the continent’s most esteemed literary honors. This marks the first time Angolan authors have reached this stage in the competition’s history, signaling a broader recognition of the country’s cultural contributions.
The shortlisted titles include Os Bantus na Visão de Mafrano – Volume II (The Bantu in Mafrano’s Vision – Volume II), a posthumous work by late historian Maurício Francisco Caetano, known by his pen name Mafrano, and O Recluso: O Princípio e o Fim de uma Injustiça (The Recluse: The Beginning and End of an Injustice), a novel by contemporary writer Nituecheni Africano. Both books emerged from a competitive field of over 33 entries submitted by authors affiliated with 20 African publishing houses. Organizers noted the selections underscore Angola’s rising prominence in shaping pan-African literary discourse.
News of the nominations has sparked widespread enthusiasm within Angola’s cultural community. A local arts advocate, speaking anonymously, described the achievement as the culmination of “decades of labor to amplify our stories, traditions, and collective memory through the written word.” The sentiment echoes broader efforts across Lusophone Africa to reclaim historical narratives often marginalized during colonial rule.
The winner of the Sankofa Book Awards will be unveiled on August 5, 2025, followed by a September 26 ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya. The event is expected to draw prominent authors, policymakers, and cultural leaders, reinforcing the awards’ role as a nexus for Africa’s intellectual and creative spheres. Alongside the symbolic Sankofa Trophy—a Ghanaian-inspired emblem representing the value of learning from the past—the laureate will receive an international merit certificate and gain access to global publishing networks for wider distribution of their work.
Established to honor literary excellence, the Sankofa Awards prioritize works that bridge ancestral wisdom with modern African experiences. Past winners have included authors exploring themes of identity, diaspora, and postcolonial resilience. This year’s focus on Angolan voices aligns with a resurgence of interest in the nation’s literature, particularly works examining its pre-independence heritage and post-war societal shifts.
As anticipation builds for the Nairobi ceremony, observers highlight the dual significance of the nominations: celebrating Mafrano’s enduring scholarly legacy and spotlighting Africano’s contemporary critique of systemic injustice. For Angola, long overshadowed in global literary conversations, the milestone offers a platform to assert its narrative agency—one page at a time.
