Throughout 2026, LabCLIP/CICANT continued to promote spaces for dialogue, research and knowledge exchange around Portuguese-speaking cultures, African Studies and critical perspectives on colonial legacies.
The year began with the third edition of the Entre Culturas: Artes, Artistas e Intelectuais entre Portugal e África cycle, held between 17 January and 16 May at Livraria Gato Vadio, in Porto. The programme included five sessions around the work of poet Ana Paula Tavares, presented by Francisco Soares and Francisco Topa (CITCEM/FLUP); filmmaker Yara Costa, analysed by Vanessa Ribeiro-Rodrigues (CICANT/Lusófona University); and visual artist Ângela Ferreira, discussed by Lurdes Macedo (CICANT/Lusófona University). The cycle also included conversations with writer Aida Gomes and visual artists Ruben Zacarias and Titos Pelembe, who shared their creative experiences and trajectories.
On 8 and 9 May, Lusófona University – Porto University Centre hosted the International Conference on Studies of Portuguese-Speaking Cultures, under the theme "(De)colonialidades: perspectivas críticas". Organised by Lurdes Macedo (LabCLIP/CICANT/Lusófona University), Luca Fazzini (CeComp/FLUL) and Susana Pimenta (CICANT/UTAD), the conference brought together researchers from Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, Switzerland and England to discuss decolonial approaches and contemporary challenges in the study of Portuguese-speaking cultures. The programme also included a panel dedicated to researchers in training, where students from the host university presented their ongoing research projects.
From 29 June to 3 July, LabCLIP/CICANT organised the Second Summer School on African Studies in Portuguese, dedicated to "Afrodescendências e Africanidades em Democracias Pós-Coloniais". Coordinated by Sheila Khan and Lurdes Macedo (CICANT/Lusófona University), together with Margarida Rendeiro (CHAM), and supported by Grupo DST, the initiative brought together researchers, postgraduate students and members of local and international communities for a week of reflection on Afro-descendant identities, memory, colonial legacies and contemporary societies.
Together, these initiatives highlight LabCLIP/CICANT’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary research, artistic dialogue and knowledge exchange, strengthening connections between academia, cultural practices and wider communities.