Between October 16 and 18, 2025, Cape Verde became the meeting point where the past, present, and future of the Portuguese language intersected. The city of Praia hosted the XIII Meeting of Portuguese Language Writers, a symbolic space for reflection on common literary identity and the challenges of the digital world.

Organized by the Union of Portuguese-Speaking Capital Cities (UCCLA) and the Praia City Council, the event brought together writers and thinkers from Angola, Brazil, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Galicia and Macau, in a plural celebration that made the written word the true link between peoples and generations.

The general theme — "Independence, Literature and Artificial Intelligence" — revealed a twofold concern: looking at the history of the independence of former Portuguese colonies, which are celebrating half a century of sovereignty, and reflecting on the new digital revolution that challenges the human essence of literary creation.

The presence of figures such as Israel Campos (Angola), Emílio Tavares Lima (Guinea-Bissau), Silvino Lopes Évora (Cape Verde), Sérgio Raimundo (Mozambique) and Luís Campos Ferreira, secretary-general of UCCLA, gave density and plurality to the meeting.

It was a debate across generations and geographies, where it was recognized that artificial intelligence — far from being an enemy — can become a support tool, as long as humans continue to be at the heart of the written word.

Literature at the Table with AI

More than twenty Portuguese-speaking writers participated in the sessions spread over three days, covering topics ranging from the 50th anniversary of African independence to the 50th centenary of Camões.

The opening ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic of Cape Verde, José Maria Neves, and included the unveiling of a bust of Camões in the National Library—a symbol of our shared literary heritage. Amidst conferences, readings, and debates, distinct voices emerged, highlighting both the challenges and potential of the digital age.

Angolan Israel Campos, one of the youngest present, brought a provocation to the table: he asked an artificial intelligence to write a text about literature and symbolically placed an empty chair for it—a gesture that drew laughter and reflection.

“Artificial intelligence reproduces imperialism, divide and conquer.”

“How do you expel a settler who has already decided to stay?”, said Israel Campos.

From Cape Verde, Silvino Lopes Évora observed that “who reads humans recognizes machines”, arguing that creative writing continues to be an exercise of the soul. Guinean Emílio Tavares Lima described literature as “the algorithm of humanity”, calling for resistance against the automation of thought. For him, writing continues to be “an act of love and insubordination".

Mozambican Sérgio Raimundo, meanwhile, brought humor and irony, recounting a childhood episode that blended fiction and memory, demonstrating that laughter is also a form of cultural resistance. The diversity of approaches demonstrated that, despite the differences, the Portuguese language remains a meeting ground.

Word and Machine

The high point of the debate in Cape Verde arose when the role of artificial intelligence in literary creation was discussed. Most authors acknowledged the usefulness of new tools for technical tasks, but insisted that human emotion and pain are irreplaceable. UCCLA Secretary General Luís Campos Ferreira summarized:

“Artificial intelligence still has no pains, still has no loves.”

“Writing is emotion, it is empathy, it is suffering.”

“Only those who write know how much it hurts to write”.

His words sounded like a manifesto defending literary sensitivity in the face of algorithmic coldness. However, the debate didn't end in nostalgic romanticism. Some emphasized that Africa cannot be left out of this revolution.

As Tavares Lima stated, “it is necessary to reduce asymmetries” and empower African countries to be not just consumers, but creators of technology and critical thinking.

The table that brought together literature and machines became a metaphor for the encounter itself: an attempt at dialogue between the human and the digital, between feeling and calculation. Writers, who have always been guardians of language, found themselves challenged to reinvent the very notion of authorship—without giving in to the homogenization of machines, but also without closing doors to innovation.

Language and Independence

Another key theme of the meeting held in Cape Verde was African independence. Throughout the presentations, it was recalled that literature was, and continues to be, an instrument of emancipation and memory. The 50th anniversary of the liberation of the former Portuguese colonies was seen not only as a cause for celebration, but also as an opportunity to take stock.

Campos Ferreira warned that “independence should not be seen as a museum”, but as a living process, open to debate and self-criticism and added:

“There is now enough historical distance for us to look at these moments with maturity, without any unsettling of scores”.

The writers shared the same understanding: literature is a bridge and a mirror, not a weapon of separation. The Portuguese language, spoken by more than 260 million people, is, according to the UCCLA secretary-general, "the common ground that unites all those who dream and create on it".

The session dedicated to Camões, the “great adjuster of the Portuguese language," reinforced this dimension. The bust unveiled at the National Library was presented as a symbol of a language in motion, alive, mixed, and increasingly African.

The Praia debates were not mere academic exercises. They were, rather, acts of cultural resistance. In a world where algorithms write novels and artificial intelligence paints pictures, Lusophone writers reaffirmed literature as humanity's final frontier.

“It’s not about rejecting technology, but about ensuring that the soul remains in command”, explained Silvino Évora.

The idea that writing should preserve human emotion dominated the meeting, but it was accompanied by a pragmatic awareness: new tools should be used to empower African writers and readers, not to replace them.

This balance between tradition and modernity—between resistance and adaptation—was the true axis of the meeting. In the end, the message was clear: Lusophone literature, permeated by centuries of history and pain, is ready to engage with the future without relinquishing its essence.

Conclusion

The 13th Meeting of Portuguese Language Writers in Praia left a profound mark: it demonstrated that language is a living organism, capable of reinventing itself without losing its human pulse. While artificial intelligence threatens to standardize writing, it also offers new tools to expand creativity—as long as they are guided by ethical awareness and sensitivity.

For a few days, Cape Verde became the heart of the Lusophone dialogue on the future of literature. The meeting served to reaffirm that, as long as there are those who write with soul, the machine will never completely dominate the art of expressing the world.

Literature, as one participant explained, "is humanity's last stronghold." And perhaps that's the greatest lesson: in an age of algorithms, words continue to be the place where humans find themselves—vulnerable, creative, and infinitely free.