"About 12 years ago, Portugal decided to make amends with the Jews who were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula over 500 years ago. The amends were to give a Portuguese passport to anyone who wanted one and who could prove that they were descended from those Sephardic Jewish families. At the time, no one protested", said José Eduardo Agualusa, in an interview with Lusa, in Maputo.

"If the Portuguese accept making amends with the Jews who were expelled, why wouldn't they accept making amends with the Africans, who were kidnapped and enslaved, which is much worse than being expelled", he added.

The issue at hand is the statements made by the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in which he acknowledged Portugal's responsibility for the crimes committed during the colonial era, suggesting the payment of reparations for past mistakes.

"We have to pay the costs. Are there actions that have not been punished and those responsible have not been arrested? Are there goods that have been looted and have not been returned? Let's see how we can fix this", said Marcelo, at a dinner with foreign correspondents in Portugal, quoted by the Reuters agency.

For the Angolan writer, the free movement of people between Portugal and African countries is among the options that can be adopted within the scope of this idea of "historical reparation".

"For many years, there has been talk of creating a Lusophone passport. It is time for all of us to look into this and try to create such a passport. That is the best reparation that can be made: facilitating the movement of people in these territories", he said.

José Eduardo Agualusa also advocates the need for reflection on other ways of narrating the colonial war, considering that in the former colonies there are other versions that should also be heard.

"There is a version in Portugal about the colonial process. But the Angolans have other versions. The Mozambicans have other versions. The Brazilians have other versions. So, the history books themselves should be written together. A history book about this colonial process should include Portuguese historians, but also African and Brazilian historians. And these different versions of history should be available in schools", he added.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa's statements, which preceded the 50th anniversary celebrations of April 25, sparked a debate in Portugal, with Chega requesting the scheduling of an urgent debate in parliament for the Government to clarify whether the allocation of possible "compensation to former colonies" is being considered.

The political party led by André Ventura accused the head of state of betraying the Portuguese and asked Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to retract these statements.

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