Gabriel Sérgio Mithá Ribeiro (born 23 August 1965 in Mozambique) is a Mozambican-born Portuguese professor, historian, author, journalist and politician.
Gabriel Mitha Ribeiro | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Assembly of the Republic | |
| Assumed office March 29, 2022 | |
| Constituency | Leiria |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gabriel Sérgio Mithá Ribeiro 23 September 1965 Lourenço Marques (now Maputo), Mozambique |
| Citizenship |
|
| Political party | Chega (since 2019) |
| Other political affiliations | Social Democratic Party (2004–2019) |
| Alma mater | University of Lisbon ISCTE-IUL |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Historian, author, journalist |
Since 2022 he has been a deputy in the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal for the Chega party and representing the Leiria constituency. He was also a vice-president of Chega.
Biography
editEarly life and education
editMitha Ribeiro was born in 1965 in the colony of Mozambique which at the time was governed by Portugal. His father was a Catholic and his mother came from a Muslim background. He is primarily of African descent with some Indian and Syrian ancestry on his mother's side.[1] Mitha Ribeiro emigrated to Portugal in 1980 following the independence of Mozambique and settled in Pombal. He is married to a Portuguese national with whom he has a son. Mitha Ribeiro studied a history degree at the University of Lisbon followed by a master's degree and a PhD in African studies at ISCTE-IUL.[2][3]
Professional career
editHe worked as a teacher of history and Africanist studies before becoming a columnist for Observador.[4] Mitha Ribeiro has also written a number of books and academic articles discussing Portuguese, Mozambican and African colonial history.[5] He has also commented on Portuguese current affairs in essays and articles. In his writing, he has argued that racism as a concept makes no sense in the twenty first century and that racial prejudice mostly disappeared following the end of colonialism.[1] He instead advocates that the terms Racial Relations and Interracial Relations be used instead.[6] He also argues that Portuguese schools should change the way they teach about colonialism and show pupils positive examples from chapters of European colonialism in Africa.[3]
Political activity
editMithá Ribeiro was a member of the Social Democratic Party for fifteen years before joining Chega in 2019.[3] He has been noted by the media as a prominent ethnic minority member of the party and for his rapid rise within Chega, having become a parliamentary deputy, the author of the party's program ahead of the 2022 Portuguese legislative election and being appointed a vice-chairman of the party.[7]
During the 2022 legislative election, he stood in the Leiria constituency and was elected to the Assembly of the Republic. [8] After his election, he was nominated as Chega's candidate to stand for vice-president of the Assembly of the Republic, with Chega becoming eligible to nominate a candidate due to being the third largest parliamentary group, and after the Assembly rejected Diogo Pacheco de Amorim's candidacy. However, the other parties also rejected Mithá Ribeiro for the position.[9] At a press conference following the decision, Mithá Ribeiro stated "If a person is black and is on the left, he is treated with dignity or at least with some dignity. If a person is black and is politically neutral tends to be erased from institutions. If a person is black and is on the right, they are treated, excuse the force of expression, as blacks are treated"[10]
In the Assembly, Mithá Ribeiro sits on the committees for education, schools, energy and the environment.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b "Ventura mais 11: quem é quem no novo grupo parlamentar do Chega". Expresso (in European Portuguese). 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ Redação (30 January 2022). "Chega elege Gabriel Mithá Ribeiro, vice-presidente do partido, em Leiria". Região de Leiria (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Guerreiro, Catarina; Claudino, Henrique Magalhães (31 January 2022). "Só há uma mulher nos deputados do Chega. E é antifeminista". CNN Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ Observador. "Gabriel Mithá Ribeiro". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ "Gabriel Mithá Ribeiro, CEI-IUL". Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^ Quem é Gabriel Mithá Ribeiro? Ex-PSD e Vice Presidente do Chega, Chegano, 14 de Abril de 2021
- ^ Contra "conspirações", Ventura lança Pacheco de Amorim para "vice" da AR, por Maria Lopes, Público, 3 de Fevereiro de 202
- ^ "Ao minuto: direção do PSD apanhada de surpresa pelos resultados, PS ainda sonha com a maioria". CNN Portugal (in Portuguese). 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ "Cotrim Figueiredo e dois candidatos do Chega chumbados para vice-presidentes da Assembleia da República". Observador (in European Portuguese). 31 March 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "Rejeitar-me é de alguma forma a rejeição de um moçambicano que assumiu a identidade portuguesa". A reação de Gabriel Mithá Ribeiro (in Portuguese), retrieved 12 April 2022
- ^ Redação (16 April 2022). "PSD, PS e Chega questionam Governo sobre Hospital das Caldas". Gazeta das Caldas (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 23 April 2022.