Mozambican writer Mia Couto receives honorary degree in Brazil

Escritor moçambicano Mia Couto recebe honoris causa no Brasil

Mozambican writer and biologist Mia Couto will be awarded an honorary doctorate tomorrow by the Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), of Brazil.

The academic honor, the highest conferred by UNESP, is granted due to the notability of his literature, his contribution to the Portuguese language, and promotion of the Mozambican, in particular, and African regions and cultures.

However, according to Sandra Aparecida Ferreira, assistant professor of Portuguese literature at the Faculdade de Ciências e Letras da UNESP, quoted by the newspaper Notícias, Mia Couto's writing does not ignore the character of universality, which marks great creators.

This award joins honorary doctorate degrees conferred by Mozambique's Polytechnic University in 2015 and the University of Brasília in 2019. It is granted some time after winning the great José Craveirinha Literature Prize 2022, the largest and most important in the country, established by the Mozambican Writers Association (AEMO) and sponsored by the company Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB).

Born in Beira, capital of Sofala, he has published more than 30 books of different genres and themes, among them "Terra Sonâmbula" (elected as one of the best African books of the 20th century during the Zimbabwe Book Fair), "Raiz de Orvalho & Outros Poemas", "Vozes Anoitecidas" (Grande Prémio da Ficção Narrativa em 1990, ex aequo), and "Cronicando" (Prémio Nacional de Jornalismo Areosa Pena1989).

He is the holder of several national and international awards, among them the Camões, the most relevant in the Portuguese language. He also considered his path as journalist, having directed the Mozambique Information Agency (AIM), in 1976, and worked at the magazine "Tempo", 1979 to 1981, and at the newspaper "Notícias", 1981 to 1985.

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