João Gonçalves Henriques

João Gonçalves Henriques was born in Lisbon in 1952. He is a civil engineer, graduated from IST - Instituto Superior Técnico, and from an early age felt an interest in literature. From a family linked to literature and politics, he joined the student movements that fought the dictatorship, having been an association leader at IST. Arrested in 1973, he was expelled from the university and went into political exile in Switzerland in 1973-74. Between 1988 and 1991, by choice, he was stationed in Angola during a turbulent period of civil war. He returned to Africa in 2006, directing projects in Ghana and Equatorial Guinea, having led mining ventures in Guinea-Conakry (2010-16). He continues as a consultant on infrastructure development projects in Africa. In 2020, he wrote the children's book... The Islamic Treasure, dedicated to her grandchildren. The second literary adventure is a fictionalized autobiographical narrative, a journey into the imaginary world of her memory. She has four children and six grandchildren.