Writers Seek to Form National Identity Through Literature for Guinea-Bissau

A poet and member of the Guinea-Bissau Writers Association, Rui Jorge Semedo, reads a passage from his book as he poses for a portrait, in Bissau, Guinea Bissau. (R. Shyrock/VOA)

The president of the Guinea-Bissau Writers Association, Abdulai Sila, says its community is small, but that its members work to support each other and create dialogue that can forge a unified national identity of self-reliance. Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Dec. 18, 2017. (R. Shyrock/VOA) 

A customer is seen at the Coimbra Bookshop in Bissau, one of the few places to buy books from local authors in the capital, in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Dec. 19, 2017. (R. Shyrock/VOA)

A worker is seen printing on outdated equipment at the National Printing Press, in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. (R. Shyrock/VOA)

Workers are seen at the National Printing Press in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Dec. 19, 2017. (R. Shyrock/VOA)

Edson Incobte, who works at a local development organization, says Kriol is the only language that is able to truly communicate the situation in Guinea-Bissau. Behind him, a quote in Portuguese reads: "We only exist on days when we do. On the days when we don't do, we simply endure." Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Dec. 18, 2017. (R. Shyrock/VOA) 

Customers are seen at the Coimbra Bookshop in Bissau, one of the few places to buy books from local authors in the capital, in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Dec. 19, 2017. (R. Shyrock/VOA)

Students watch a meeting of the Guinea-Bissau Writers Association, in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Dec. 19, 2017. (R. Shyrock/VOA)

Layout designers are seen at the National Printing Press, in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Dec. 19, 2017. (R. Shyrock/VOA)

A young woman opens the meeting of the Guinea-Bissau Writers Association with a poetry reading, in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Dec. 19, 2017. (R. Shyrock/VOA)

The Guinea-Bissau Writers Association meets monthly to conduct readings and share progress on their works. Of their 40 members, nearly half are poets, something association President Abdulai Sila says meshes well with a rich tradition of oral literature and storytelling. Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Dec. 19, 2017. (R. Shyrock/VOA)

Manuel da Costa is a major in Guinea-Bissau's army, but he's also a poet and a novelist who has written about the country's notorious drug-trafficking issues in his books. Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Dec. 18, 2017. (R. Shyrock/VOA)