Ana Paula Ribeiro Tavares was born in 1952 in Lubango, in the province of Huíla in the south of Angola. After primary and secondary school, she studied history at the local college and later completed her studies in Lisbon. In 1966, she earned a degree in African History and Literature, and subsequently her doctorate.
At present, she works at the Portuguese State Secretariat of Culture, while also lecturing at the Catholic University of Lisbon. She is an active member of various cultural and museum institutions in Portugal and Angola. Her poetry has been published in daily newspapers and periodicals in Angola, Portugal, Brazil and Cabo Verde.
