A Brazilian academic has been translating Nigerian poet Femi Morgan’s collection Renegade into Portuguese, with the full edition tentatively scheduled for publication in 2027.
Samuel Delgado, a researcher, literary translator and language lecturer at the Instituto Federal do Espírito Santo in Guarapari, Brazil, has been working on the project since 2020.
Published in 2019 by Baron’s Cafe, an imprint of Fairchild Media, now Fairchild & Brave, Renegade explores themes of identity, society and the human experience.
Some of the poems already translated include This Reincarnate Country, rendered in Portuguese as Este país reencarnado; This Is a Voice, translated as Esta é a voz; and Dakar, dedicated to Nigerian poet Tade Ipadeola.
The project has experienced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Delgado’s academic commitments and a planned Nigeria-Brazil exchange programme that did not take place in 2023.
The proposed Portuguese edition, expected to present the translated poems alongside their English originals, could further expand the reach of contemporary Nigerian poetry among Portuguese-speaking readers.
Delgado’s academic interests include Afro-Brazilian and Mozambican literature, which have influenced Nigerian literary culture. He holds a degree in Social Communication and Journalism from Cruzeiro do Sul University and a teaching degree in Portuguese and Spanish from CLARETIANOS/UNIUBE.
He also specialised in literature at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, earned a master’s degree in Letters from the Federal University of São Paulo and obtained a PhD in English Linguistic and Literary Studies from the University of São Paulo, where he received a CAPES scholarship.
His current research examines the relationship between East and West in Brazilian, Latin American and Afro-American literature. He is also working on an annotated translation of haikus by American poet Sonia Sanchez.
In 2020, Delgado published his poetry collection Álbum, which was nominated for the National Library Prize.
Morgan, a Nigerian journalist, publisher and cultural organiser, has authored six poetry collections, including The Year of Fire, which was shortlisted for the Glenna Luschei Prize, Renegade and Whispers, co-written with Tokunbo Dada.
He is the curatorial and programming director of Griots and Bards and the founder of Artmosphere Nigeria. The two platforms have hosted more than 200 writers, poets, musicians, actors and thinkers, including Niyi Osundare, Tanure Ojaide, Victor Ehikhamenor, Chuma Nwokolo, Remi Raji, Tolu Oloruntoba, Jumoke Verissimo, Iquo Diana Abasi, Abubakar Sidi, Tunde Adegbola, Kanayo Kanayo, Beautiful Nubia and Taiwo Ajayi-Lycett.
Nigeria and Brazil share longstanding historical, cultural and diplomatic ties, with Nigerian literature finding an audience in Brazil.
Brazil’s Law 10.639/2003 requires schools to teach African history and Afro-Brazilian culture. Portuguese editions of works by Nigerian authors, including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Amos Tutuola, Flora Nwapa, Buchi Emecheta, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, Akwaeke Emezi and Chigozie Obioma, are available in the country.
Book clubs and literary festivals also engage with African writing, while D.O. Fagunwa’s Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmole is available in both Portuguese and Yoruba.
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