Biography
Alda Neves da Graça do Espírito Santo was born in 1926 in São Tomé e Príncipe. In 1948, she began studying in Lisbon to become a primary school teacher. During her studies, she met students from other Portuguese colonies and joined a student association called the Casa dos Estudantes do Império. She went on to found ‘Centro de Estudos Africanos’ with other students interested in nationalism, many of whom would be prominent proponents of independence in their various countries. Upon her return to São Tomé e Príncipe, she worked as a teacher. In 1965, she was arrested and imprisoned for several months by the Portuguese authorities as a result of her identification with the African liberation movement. After independence, she held several high offices in the government, including as Minister of Education and Culture, Minister of Information and Culture, President of the National Assembly, and General Secretary of the National Union of Writers and Artists of São Tomé and Príncipe. She is the author of several books of Portuguese poetry. She died in Luanda, Angola in 2010.
Sources
"Alda Neves da Graça do Espírito Santo." 17 May 2022. Accessed 8 July 2022. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alda_Neves_da_Gra%C3%A7a_do_Esp%C3%ADrito_Santo>.
"Alda do Espírito Santo." African Studies Center Leiden. Accessed 8 July 2022. <https://www-ascleiden-nl.translate.goog/content/library-weekly/alda-do-espirito-santo?_x_tr_sl=pl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc>
Guadalupe, Elton Fabio. "Alda Espírito Santo – the poetess of the wonderful islands." Contador Digital. December 2016. Accessed 8 July 2022. <https://zuntaclocon-com.translate.goog/la-no-agua-grande/?_x_tr_sl=pt&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc>.
