Held on 6 December at Pátio da Galé, in Praça do Comércio, Lisbon, the Bantumen Powerlist 100 once again brought together influential voices of contemporary Black culture, establishing itself as a space for recognition, reflection and the building of narratives in the African and diaspora context.
The 2025 edition reinforced Bantumen’s role as a platform for critical thinking, in which culture emerges as a symbolic, creative and political territory. The programme was marked by the presence of prominent guests, moments of conversation and artistic performances, which helped create an atmosphere of conscious celebration, where cultural expression and thought went hand in hand.
In a global context, Mozambique stood out clearly. The tribute to a wide group of Mozambican figures reflected the vitality of a plural cultural ecosystem, made up of different generations, languages and forms of intervention. Those recognised were Alice Banze, Álvaro Fausto Taruma, Américo Bill, Annette Cassy, Cecília Rodjola, Eliana Nzualo, Fidélia Chemane Panguane, Gil Cambule, Guyzelh, Helena Buque, Katia Taela, Marco Mendonça, Melchior Ferreira, Nuno Maulide, Nuno Remane, Octávio Pudivir, Osca Monteiro, Pandi Jandena, Paula Cardoso, Plutónio, Reinata Sadimba, Ruben Barros and Twenty Fingers, names who, from different paths, have contributed to the affirmation of Mozambican culture at home and abroad.
More than individual honours, this recognition underlined Mozambique’s presence in a broader cultural dialogue, in which the country appears as an active producer of thought, aesthetics and discourse. The diversity of the profiles honoured shows a culture in motion, one that crosses tradition and contemporaneity, local and global, memory and future.
The ceremony also included the honouring of figures from other countries in the Lusophone world, reinforcing the transnational vocation of the event and its commitment to building bridges between geographies linked by shared histories and common challenges.
By asserting Black culture as a field of creation, reflection and influence, the Bantumen Powerlist 100 confirms itself as a relevant space on the contemporary cultural scene. A place where recognition serves as a starting point for new conversations, collaborations and possibilities.
