The city of Penafiel will be the epicenter of literature from October 20th to 25th with the 19th edition of Escritaria – Literary Festival. The event aims to transform the municipality into a space dedicated to culture, integrating books, music, theater, cinema, visual arts, and debates. East Timorese writer Luís Cardoso is the central figure of this edition, with Ponto C – Cultura e Criatividade serving as the main venue, extending to schools and other cultural sites.
Over six days, the festival will gather a wide range of authors, researchers, artists, and public figures, including names such as Ondjaki, D. Américo Aguiar, Adelino Gomes, Ana Gomes, Pedro Bacelar de Vasconcelos, Ana Sousa Dias, Dulce Pontes, Sérgio Godinho, João Gil, Mona Miari, and Shahd Wadi. Themes of memory, identity, exile, freedom, and resistance will be central, connecting the history of East Timor with other cultural and political realities.
The opening on October 20th will feature the presentation of the commemorative edition of Escritaria 2025, dedicated to Maria do Rosário Pedreira, and the performance Desver by Joana Craveiro/Teatro do Vestido, focusing on the resistance memories of Palestine. On October 21st, the exhibitions ABUT LA HARE – Raízes Invisíveis by Catarino Bere and TIMOR 1964-1966 | Lugares do Sol Nascente, featuring photographic and video material from the painter Manuel Casal Aguiar's estate, will be inaugurated. The program also includes the premiere of Alinhamentos by Zia Soares, concerning the historical appropriation of East Timorese skulls in 1882, and performances by groups from the Timorese community.
October 22nd will be dedicated to cinema at Cinemax, with the screening of the documentary O Voo do Crocodilo – O Timor de Ruy Cinatti by Fernando Vendrell, followed by a debate with the director, Lúcio Sousa, and Mário Augusto. The performance Quebra-Cabeças by Cláudia Nóvoa, the staged visits Lafaek, a lenda do crocodilo by Teatro GRIOT, and the audiovisual installation Escavações by the company Circolando – Central Elétrica will complete the program.
Three round tables will bring together personalities from various fields. On October 22nd, D. Américo Aguiar and Pedro Bacelar de Vasconcelos will participate in the conversation Nas montanhas não chega o vento que sopra do mar. On the 23rd, Adelino Gomes and Ana Gomes will debate the democratic transition and the struggle for East Timorese independence, moderated by Luís Ricardo Duarte. On October 24th, Daniel Braga, Mona Miari, Shahd Wadi, Anabela Leal de Barros, and Lucília Pinho will reflect on magical realism and the creative bridges between Timor and Palestine. On the final day, Ana da Cunha, Catherine Dumas, Isabel Lucas, Rui Couceiro, and Teresa Cunha will discuss East Timorese literature, while Teresa Andresen and Joaquim Magalhães will address the architecture of East Timor.
October 23rd marks the inauguration of Luís Cardoso's bust in the Jardim do Sameiro, accompanied by a dramatized tour by Saaraci Coletivo Teatral. The Municipal Library will host the collective exhibition Takas: a literatura extraordinária de um viajante timorense, followed by the presentation of the re-edition of Olhos de Coruja Olhos de Gato Bravo, with Adélia Carvalho, Luís Cardoso, and Ondjaki. The evening will conclude with a concert by Dulce Pontes at Ponto C.
On Saturday, Ana Sousa Dias will conduct a life interview with Luís Cardoso, preceding the tribute Luís Represas, uma voz por Timor. Curated by Manuel Faria and featuring João Gil, Mona Miari, Cícero Lee, Flávio Serpa, Irene Lima, and João Nuno Represas, this conversation-concert will revisit Timor, a song by Trovante. The evening continues with the café-concert Luís Cardoso & O Quarteto da Travessia.
The musical closing on Sunday will be by Sérgio Godinho, accompanied by pianist Filipe Raposo. The final day will also feature ethnographic demonstrations by the Grupo de Estudantes Timorenses no Porto and a tasting menu of East Timorese cuisine.
Luís Cardoso, born in Kailako in 1958, arrived in Portugal in 1975, following the Indonesian invasion of East Timor. He played an active role in representing the National Council of Maubere Resistance in Portugal. He is the author of works such as Crónica de Uma Travessia, Requiem para o Navegador Solitário, Para Onde Vão os Gatos Quando Morrem?, O Plantador de Abóboras, and Hotel Timor, having received the Prémio Oceanos in 2021 and the Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste in 2023.
Established in 2008, Escritaria annually honors a living Portuguese-language writer, fostering the encounter between literature and the community through cultural initiatives, inscribed phrases in the city, and permanent public art. Over 19 editions, the festival has become a cultural benchmark, promoting the Portuguese language and intercultural dialogue.
