Orlanda Amarilis

Orlanda Amarílis Lopes Rodrigues Fernandes Ferreira is the daughter of Armando Napoleão Rodrigues Fernandes and Alice Lopes da Silva Fernandes. In 1945, Amarilis marries the writer Manuel Ferreira with whom she had two children, Sérgio Manuel Napoleão Ferreira (born in Cape Verde) and Hernâni Donaldo Napoleão Ferreira (born in Goa). Amarilis belongs to a family of great literary figures, including Baltazar Lopes da Silva and her father, Armando Napoleão Rodrigues Fernandes, who published the first Creoleo-Portuguese language dictionary in Cape Verde.

In the city of Mindelo, Amarílis completes her primary studies and, in the same city, finishes her secondary studies at the Liceu Gil Eanes. Amarilis moves to Goa, and lives in the capital Pangim for six years where she finishes primary school. Years later, the writer completes two courses in Lisbon: the Pedagogical Sciences Course (Faculty of Letters), and the "Inspectors of Basic Education" course.

For professional literary reasons and also for reasons of cultural interventions, together with her husband, Amarílis travels to several countries. The writer travels all over the world and becomes a member of the Portuguese Movement Against Apartheid, the Portuguese Movement for Peace and the Portuguese Writers' Association (APE).