Ondjaki

Ondjaki (1977, Angola) is a writer and filmmaker of Portuguese and Brazilian origin. He graduated in sociology from the University of Lisbon and earned his doctorate in African Studies in Italy in 2010. He has written five novels, four short-story collections, and many books of poems and stories for children. He has received various awards for his written works, including Grinzane Cavour Prize for Best Young Writer (2008), Jabuti Prize (2010), Prix Littérature-Monde from the St. Malo World Literature Festival (2016). He is a member of the Angola Writers Union and the Association for the Protection of the Snipes’ Anonymousness. He co-directed the documentary film Oxalá cresçam pitangas/Hope the Pitanga Cherries Grow (2007) with filmmaker Kiluanje Liberdade. He makes his debut as a filmmaker at IFFR 2022 with his short film The Kitchen.