Bio notes

Aida Gomes was born in Angola, studied sociology and obtained a master's degree in social and political sciences in the Netherlands in 1996. In 2011, she published her first novel, Os Pretos de Pousaflores, D. Quixote/Leya; re-edited in Brazil by Funilaria in 2023. In 2024, she published short stories and chronicles, Borboletas que bebem lágrima de crocodilos, Visgarolho. Previously, she published The Mozambican Press: a political analysis and a Historical overview, 1854-1994, Occasional Papers Series, Randboud University of Nijmegen, 1996. Gomes has also written for journals and newspapers: Buala, Portugal; Development Workshop, Luanda, Angola; Occasional Papers Series, University of Nijmegen, Netherlands; Revue Noire, Paris, France; DEMOS Journal, Maputo, Mozambique; Furies Thema, Nijmegen, Netherlands. Between 1997 and 2017, she worked in Africa, Asia, Central Europe and South America, usually on peace missions for the United Nations. She attended a PhD course in literary history at the University of Rio Grande, Brazil.

Celeste Fortes is Cape Verdean, born in 1981. She holds a PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Feminist and social and cultural activist. She is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Cape Verde. She is a fighter on several fronts for the democratisation and polyphony of female voices. She creates projects that promote dialogue between academia and social, cultural and artistic intervention in order to produce endogenous agendas for research and activism. She co-coordinated the project Memórias para o futuro: projetar a independência no feminino (Memories for the future: designing independence in the feminine). She is co-director of the documentary Bidon: nação ilhéu, 2019, funded by the CPLP Audiovisual - DOCTV III programme

Karyna Gomes is a singer, songwriter and journalist. She began her musical career in a gospel choir in Brazil in 1997. In 2001, she returned to Bissau, where she worked as a journalist and developed her musical career. In 2007, she joined the band “Super Mama Djombo” and participated in the recording of their latest album in Iceland. In 2011, she moved to Portugal and released her first solo album, released in 2014 by the label “Get Records”. The album “Mindjer”, which translates to woman in Portuguese, was highly acclaimed by critics. She founded and coordinates a Creole journalism project in the newspaper “Mensagem de Lisboa” in partnership with Lisboa Criola. Karyna dedicates her career to the cause of women. In 2021, she released her second album, “N'na”, which means “mother” in several African languages. She lives in Portugal and has participated in several projects with Portuguese and international artists, sharing the stage with Jorge Palma, Lura, Sara Tavares, Dino D'Santiago, Selma Uamusse, Fafá de Belém, Boss Ac, among others. The singer performs in several countries, including Poland, Latvia, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Cape Verde, and Guinea-Bissau. She supports the new generation of Guinean artists and acts as curator of the 1st Bissau Biennial of Art and Culture. Since the beginning of her solo career, she has received several awards, both in her home country and internationally. In 2019, in the United States, she was recognised by the African Entertainment Awards as the best singer from Portuguese-speaking African countries. Karyna has an outstanding track record in developing live projects in Portugal. Among them are “Acordeões da Lusofonia”, presented at the “Acordeões do Mundo” Festival in the city of Torres Vedras, and “Cantar Para Melhor Agir”, a tribute to Amílcar Cabral, at the Luísa Todi Forum in Setúbal. “Grandes Canções da Guiné” is her new project. She is a regular guest on television and was the presenter of a programme on cultural diversity in Lisbon, “Canto da Casa”.

Isabel Casimiro | Scholar and feminist activist, lecturer at UEM at the Centre for African Studies (CEA) between 1980 and March 2025, when she retired, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the same university. PhD, 2008; and master's degree, 1999; lecturer in Sociology, Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra. Degree in History, Faculty of Arts, UEM, 1986. Founder and coordinator of the Women's Studies Centre, 1988-1990, and the Department of Women's and Gender Studies between 1990 and 2014. Coordinator of the Department of Development and Gender Studies between 2015 and 2021. Co-founder and member of several women's organisations in Mozambique. Co-founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of Fórum Mulher (Women's Forum) – a network of feminist and women's organisations – between 1993-2000 and between 2006 and 2015. Co-founder of Women and Law in Southern Africa Research and Education Trust, WLSA; 1988; speaker and WLSA Mozambique; 1990. Chair of the Board of WLSA Mozambique between 2015 and 2022. Participation in various academic research networks in Mozambique, Africa and other countries. Member of Parliament for the Frelimo party in the first multiparty legislature, between 1995-99, for the Electoral Circuit of Maputo city. Author and co-author of several researches and publications.

Paula Cardoso is the founder of the Afrolink digital community and author of the children's book series Força Africana, projects developed to promote greater representation from the black community. With the same purpose, she co-created O Tal Podcast, presents the TV programme Rumos, and is a columnist for Brasil Já magazine, to which she adds an opinion column in Gerador. She is also a member of the Citizens' Forum, which contributes to reinvigorating Portuguese democracy, and is an Ambassador for the European Climate Pact, a commitment to combat climate change. Born in Mozambique, she graduated in International Relations and worked as a journalist for about 20 years, starting her career at Visão magazine. In 2023, she was named by the business magazine Success Pitchers as one of the “10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders in Social Entrepreneurship”.

Paula Machava | Degree in Linguistics and Literature from Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique. Master's degree in Education/Teaching Portuguese from the Pedagogical University, Mozambique. She is currently a PhD candidate in Feminist Studies at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. She is a university assistant at Lúrio University (UniLúrio) in Mozambique. She teaches literature courses, especially African literature in Portuguese, as well as Portuguese language Expression Techniques. She is a supervisor for the cross-cutting themes “Education for Gender Equality” and “Gender and Sexuality”. She is interested in initiation rites, gender and education; gender, community literacy; gender and local development; feminist economics and care.

Solange Salvaterra Pinto
Restless, revolutionary and sometimes disconcerting. Born in 1974, months before the independence of São Tomé and Príncipe. She was vice-president of Men Non- Associação das Mulheres de São Tomé em Portugal (Association of Women from São Tomé in Portugal), one of the 27 founders of Inmune, Instituto da Mulher Negra em Portugal (Institute of Black Women in Portugal). She is a member of the Installation Committee of the FDSTP - Forum of the Diaspora of São Tomé and Príncipe. She is an anti-racist, feminist and intersectional activist and social entrepreneur. She is the host of the podcast ‘Perguntas Incómodas’ (Uncomfortable Questions). She is a candidate for Member of Parliament for the European Constituency in the 2022 Legislative Elections. In 2023, she was one of the women leaders invited to participate in the Forbes Women's Summit in Lisbon. In 2023, she was one of the 100 Most Influential Black Personalities in the Lusophone World in Bantumen's Powerlist 100. Commentator and political analyst. Vice-President of APPDH - Portuguese Association of Parents and Patients with Haemoglobinopathies. A regular presence in various public debate forums on feminism and racism, she is the embodiment of the minority: a black, proud, woman, and an impeccable single mother. She is the mother of a 17-year-old boy who is her love from Rua 11, as in the poems of Aires Almeida Santos.

Terezinha da Silva | Mozambican activist and researcher dedicated to defending women's human rights and promoting gender equality. She holds a Master's degree in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries from LSE, London, and has lectured and conducted research at Harvard. She works in the areas of health, gender, human rights and social policy. She was national coordinator of the feminist think tank Women and Law in Southern Africa – Mozambique for 13 years. She is a member of the National Reference Group of the Spotlight Initiative programme, contributing to policies to combat violence against women and girls. Her career is marked by a commitment to a more just future, where women's voices shape decisions and transform realities.