DDuring the speech, after having received the Camões 2021 prize, at a ceremony in Lisbon, Paulina Chiziane shared that there are “some specificities” in the Portuguese language that make it “sometimes” “frighten” her.
The writer gave examples of definitions she finds in Portuguese language dictionaries for some words, such as catinga, “which comes with the nauseating smell characteristic of the black race”.
“It makes me very sad when I look at it. Did we have time to look at these issues? he said.
Paulina Chiziane also named matriarchy, which appears defined as “African tribal custom”, in opposition to patriarchy, “heroic tradition of the patriarchs”.
“In Africa we have matriarchy, especially in the northern region of Mozambique. It’s a tribal custom, throw it away, it’s an African thing. But patriarchy already has value. What kind of machismo is this?”, he questioned.
The writer also shared “one last word, but there are many”: hut, “rustic housing characteristic of black people”.
“It has been proven that a hut is ecological housing. The Portuguese language, in order to be ours, needs treatment, cleaning, decolonization”, he defended.
Paulina Chiziane, who came “from nowhere” and who “learned to write in the sand on the ground” and wore “her first pair of shoes when she was 10 years old”, showed today “very happy” to receive the Camões Prize, “an award so important, exactly on World Portuguese Language Day”.
“For someone who comes from the ground up, being here in front of the Portuguese Government, the Brazilian Government, the diplomatic corps and various personalities is something that moves me deeply. I walked without knowing where I was going, but I got somewhere, which is this award” , he said.
Of the many thanks he made, the biggest was for his readers, “in Mozambique and in all Portuguese-speaking countries”.
Also Read: Mozambican writer Paulina Chiziane receives the 2021 Camões Prize today
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