Mozambican writers Mélio Tinga and Léo Cote are the winners of the 2025 edition of the Mia Couto Literary Prize, sponsored by the Kulemba Association in partnership with Cornelder Moçambique. The prize annually recognizes the best literary works published in the country.
Mélio Tinga was awarded in the prose category for his book "Névoa na Sala" (Fog in the Room), while "A Instalação do Corpo" (The Installation of the Body), by Léo Cote, won in the poetry category.
The winners were announced this Friday afternoon during the Beira Book Fair. The award jury was composed of Nataniel Ngomane (president), Teresa Noronha, Vanessa Riambau Pinheiro, Joaquim Arena, and Marcelo Panguana.
Each award-winning author will receive 400,000 meticais in recognition of their work.
"Névoa na Sala" is a work that delves into the tensions of daily life in Mozambique, addressing evil—both in the context of war and interpersonal relationships—and love as an opposing force. The narrative is marked by dense passages and descriptions that are sometimes harsh and violent.
"The Installation of the Body," published by Gala-Gala Editions, presents an introspective style of writing, composed of medium- and long-length texts that explore themes such as the body, passion, poetry, and the "Island" (Muhipiti). The work is influenced by major names in Mozambican literature, such as Rui Knopfli, Luís Carlos Patraquim, Virgílio de Lemos, and Sangare Okapi.
Mélio Tinga is the author of ten fiction books published in Mozambique, Portugal, and Brazil. His works have been adapted for theater and he works as a curator, editor, and cultural manager, focusing on projects that encourage reading, writing, and the dissemination of Mozambican literature.
Léo Sidónio de Jesus Cote, born in 1981 in Maputo, studied Linguistics and Literature at Eduardo Mondlane University. He was a primary and secondary school teacher and currently works as a language editor. Between 2003 and 2004, he was part of the JOAC (Young People and Friends of Culture) project and, in 2004, co-founded the Arrabenta Xithokozelo group, which hosted poetry and music evenings at Modaskavalu, in the Avenida Theater.
(By MozaVibe)
