Ana Paula Ribeiro Tavares

Ana Paula Ribeiro Tavares (Lubango, province of Huíla, Angola, 30 October 1952) is a poet who began her undergraduate degree in History at the University of Lubango (ISCED- Institute of Sciences and Education - Lubango, eventually moving to Lisbon where, in 1996, she completed a Masters in African Literature. Currently living in Portugal, she is a Ph.D. candidate in literature and teaches at the Catholic University of Lisbon.

Ana Paula Tavares is the only contemporary Angolan poet of the post- independence period. Previously, she conducted historical research in the Angolan national archives. She has concentrated her work in the areas of culture, museums, archeology and ethnology, cultural patrimony, entertainment and cultural education.

The poet has participated in symposiums, conferences, and study groups as well as in the development of numerous projects in the cultural field. She has coordinated cultural events in Cuanza Norte Province province,and has also worked at the National Center for Documentation and Historical Research (now the National Historical Archive), and the Institute of Cultural Heritage. From 1988 to 1990, Tavares was a member of the Board for the National Award for Literature in Angola, and was also head of the Research Office of the National Center for Documentation and Historical Research in Luanda from 1983 to 1985. The poet is also a member of several cultural organizations, including the Committee of the Angolan International Council of Museums (ICOM), Committee of the Angolan International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and the Committee on Angola for UNESCO. Both Ana Paula Tavares's poetry and prose have presented in several anthologies in Portugal, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden. Tavares often travels to Brazil, where her work is also well known.

Works

• Ritos de Passagem (1985)
• O Sangue da Buganvília (1998)
• O Lago da Lua (1999)
• Dizes-me coisas amargas como os frutos (2001)
• A cabeça de Salomé(2004)
• Os olhos do homem que chorava no rio (2005)- (co- autor: Manuel Jorge Marmelo)
• Manual para amantes desesperados(2007)