“I hope this was a rich human experience for all of us” interview with Ondjaki

The project O que fazemos com isto? began in 2024 and followed a group of young people with ties to Braga or Portuguese-speaking countries who, alongside artists from different fields, thinkers, researchers, activists, and local people with different experiences, reflected on Portugal’s colonial past.

One of the artists invited to work on textual and artistic objects with this group of young people was the Angolan writer Ondjaki, who accompanied the process of constructing short stories through virtual sessions and even an intensive weekend session in Braga last year.

The short stories were developed for two moments in the presentations of the cycle O que fazemos com isto? (What do we do with this?) — in book form, entitled Tudo isto é futuro, and also for the performance Peça-Con(ser)to. The cycle starts on November 20 and runs until November 21, at gnration.

Braga 25 — You held several sessions (online and an intensive weekend) with the group of participants in the project O que fazemos com isto? What was your role with these young people?

Ondjaki — I believe we created a good dynamic for debate and creative exploration, to establish some connection between what affects us (in this topic) and what would become the literary result. That is, a collection of short stories based on that provocative phrase. My role was to instigate, provoke, and accompany.

Braga 25 — Without revealing too much about what we can expect from the short story collection, what aspects of the texts written by these participants would you highlight?

Ondjaki — The result is a book of short stories with a great deal of diversity, both in terms of content and length. Some stories lean more toward fiction and creativity, while others address more internal and unique issues. What we can expect is a collection of literary perspectives on an approach that oscillates between the historical and the personal.

Braga 25 — With the project in its final stages, what is your assessment of the testimonies you have heard and helped to compile?

Ondjaki — I believe that the most important thing was to witness an internal journey, where each person allowed themselves to analyze some of their own issues, but also historical ones, and discover that path, which is always very specific, where our lives, or the lives of others, can lead to a story that is essentially literary. More than just a literary experience, I hope it was a rich human experience for all of us. Sometimes the result is beyond what we see or read. I hope so.

The full program of O que fazemos com isto? is available through this link.