The Loulé Municipal Library hosted, last Saturday afternoon, the presentation of the latest book by Manuel Neto dos Santos, entitled “Arbonaida or Al-Kadar”. After being officially presented in Morocco and Seville, as part of an international cultural event, this was the first time that the work was released in the national territory, arousing the curiosity of countless readers and enthusiasts of the Algarve literature.
The presentation ceremony was in charge of José Mendes Bota, former parliamentarian and diplomat of the European Union, who stressed the relevance of bringing this work to the Algarve, the author’s Christmas region. Manuel Neto dos Santos, recognized poet and writer, has been standing out for the literary production that often addresses topics related to the cultural and historical roots of southern Portugal. In the case of “arbonaida or al-kadar”, the author proposes a reflection on Arab inheritance in the Iberian Peninsula, exploring bridges between cultures and traditions, in a text that combines poetry, history and a deep respect for the common ibero-marsh heritage.
In the chronicle signed by Mendes Bota in the present edition of the Algarve postcard, the former parliamentarian warns of what he calls “a kind of inverted xenophobia”, regretting that the University of Algarve does not properly value the regional authors. Specifically referring to Manuel Neto dos Santos, he points out that the poet “is an Alcantarhense by Birth, Inheritance Algarve, Arabic in the soul and poet by vocation” and underlines the fact that he is in the universities of Seville and Cadiz that he has found greater Academic reception. For Mendes Bota, the author represents “a mestizo of interculturalism, a bridge builder between the banks of Al-Andaluz and North Africa”.
The work “Arbonaida or Al-Kadar” arises in bilingual editions and trilingual editions, reinforcing the universal character of the poetry of Manuel Neto dos Santos. According to the writer himself, quoted by Mendes Bota, the book is “compilation of worlds, dreams, hopes, and despair” that conflict in a geocultural space marked by the Arab-Andalusa inheritance and the algarve identity. The title combines the term Andalusian “arbonaida”-“small homeland”, as Blass Infante said-with “al-kadar”, translated as “divine will” or “fado”.
The event, which was attended by local readers, researchers and others interested in the theme, aimed to foster the dialogue around the importance of preserving the shared memory between Portugal, Morocco and the region of Andalusia, highlighting the mutual influences they shaped the cultural identity of these peoples.
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