The list of the "100 Most Influential Black Personalities in the Portuguese-Speaking World in 2024" was announced at a ceremony in Lisbon, according to the digital platform Bantumen. This was the fourth edition of the 'Power List Bantumen 100', an initiative that celebrates the achievements and accomplishments of 100 personalities from Portuguese-speaking countries.
The list of 100 personalities includes boxer David Pina and musician Nelson Freitas (Cape Verde); social entrepreneur Maria Paulina "Vó Tutu" and filmmaker Viviane Ferreira (Brazil).
Guinea-Bissau includes names such as researcher and activist Sumaila Jaló and medical researcher Isaquel Silva; Mozambique includes Mozambican dancer and choreographer Idio Chichava and model Miss Bacar; Portugal includes athlete Liliana Cá and actress Cláudia Semedo; and from São Tomé and Príncipe, the athlete Gorete Semedo and the teacher, essayist and researcher Inocência Mata, among others.
In total, 13 percent of the names on the list are from Angola, 22 percent from Brazil, 19 percent from Cape Verde, 11 percent from Guinea-Bissau, 15 percent from Mozambique, 11 percent from São Tomé and Príncipe, and 19 percent have dual nationality (Portuguese and from an African country with Portuguese as an official language).
The list is drawn up in collaboration with several Portuguese-speaking media outlets and aims to highlight "the importance of the presence and voice of Afro-descendants in different social spheres", from science to culture, communication, entrepreneurship, sport and activism.
In a statement, Bantumen stresses that, in addition to individual recognition, the initiative aims to promote sharing and reflection on cultural diversity and in the context of the final year of the International Decade for People of African Descent, established by the UN.
"This celebration is an opportunity to reinforce the importance of recognizing the rights of Afro-descendants and the fight against historical inequalities," the same information states.
