Contemporary Angolan Literature: Memory, Place and Storytelling with Israel Campos

Drawing on his latest book Baloiço de Memória (Swing of Memory), a collection of short stories published in the year marking the 50th anniversary of Angola’s independence, Campos reflects on the connections between personal memories and the collective history of a nation. Moving between childhood recollections, family stories and the streets of Luanda, his writing explores how the past continues to shape the present, bringing together nostalgia, imagination and the complexities of Angola’s social and historical landscape.
Through readings in Portuguese from his work and a conversation led by Dr Inês Cordeiro Dias, this event invites audiences to discover contemporary Angolan literature and reflect on the power of storytelling to preserve memories, connect generations and give voice to experiences often left untold.

The session will conclude with an audience Q&A, offering an opportunity to engage directly with the author. 
The event and Q&A will be held in English, with literary readings in Portuguese.

Israel Campos (Luanda, 2000) is an award-winning Angolan writer and journalist whose work explores memory, history, childhood and social change in Angola. He is the author of E o Céu Mudou de Cor (Kacimbo, 2023) and Baloiço de Memória (2026), winner of the 2024 INCM Literary Prize. He co-edited Construir Amanhã com Barro de Dentro (Catalogus, 2025), an anthology of 19 stories from Portuguese-speaking African countries. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Media and Communication at the University of Leeds.

This is a Leeds City of Languages Festival event. Check the full programme at leedscityoflanguages.leeds.ac.uk