The Camões — Portuguese Cultural Center in Maputo marked the 30th anniversary of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) today with the launch of the anthology “As casas ainda respiram” (“The Houses Still Breathe”), bringing together 15 authors from across the nine member states to celebrate literary diversity.
The publication features poems, short stories, and novel excerpts by writers from Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor, aiming to strengthen literary and cultural dialogue across the community.
“We are celebrating 30 years of the CPLP, which was created 30 years ago with a strategic vision. We understand that the core foundation is the Portuguese language. The CPLP must be valued, maintained, and deepened,” said the director of Camões in Maputo, José Manuel Amaral, speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the book launch.
According to Amaral, the collection aims to demonstrate how the Portuguese language is continuously enriched by the distinct realities and identities of the nations that share it while preserving the community’s cultural diversity. He emphasized that the language possesses various expressions and colors, describing it as a dynamic, evolving medium that belongs to everyone who speaks it.
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Comprising 170 pages, “As casas ainda respiram” was produced through a partnership between the Camões Institute in Maputo and the literary platform Catalogus. The book compiles predominantly previously published texts by invited authors to commemorate three decades of the CPLP.
Catalogus co-founder Mélio Tinga explained that the initiative sought to bring writers from different Lusophone nations closer together and build a shared space for literary circulation. He noted that despite sharing a language, initiatives connecting these countries remain relatively rare, making the anthology a meaningful starting point for amplifying diverse voices.
Mozambican writer Virgília Ferrão, one of the authors featured in the volume, highlighted that the publication helps readers discover writers from across the community in a context where cross-border book distribution often remains a challenge. She noted that the anthology provides valuable access to authors who might otherwise be difficult to encounter under normal circumstances.
The Community of Portuguese Language Countries celebrated its 30th anniversary on July 17, marking its official establishment in Lisbon in 1996. The intergovernmental organization currently comprises Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor.
