Biography
Joaquim Arena was born on the island of São Vicente in Cape Verde in 1964 and moved with his family to Portugal aged 6. After studying Law, he worked as a journalist, first in Portugal, then in Cape Verde. He has written four books: the novella Um Farol no Deserto [A Lighthouse in the Desert] (2000), the novels A Verdade de Chindo Luz [The Truth About Chindo Luz] (2006) and Para Onde Voam as Tartarugas [Where Turtles Fly] (2010) and the non-fiction Debaixo da Nossa Pele – Uma Viagem [Under Our Skin – A Journey] (2017). He is currently the Culture and Communications Advisor to the President of Cape Verde.