Musician António Manuel Ribeiro will make his debut as a television presenter hosting the eighth season of Língua Mãe, broadcasting on CMTV from September 6.
The cultural programme airs on Sunday mornings and is produced through a continuing partnership between the Portuguese Society of Authors and Portuguese television channel CMTV.
Ribeiro, known as the lead vocalist of Portuguese rock group UHF, said he accepted the invitation after being approached by José Jorge Letria, president of the Portuguese Society of Authors, following a board meeting a few months ago.
The singer explained that Letria summoned him for the project and that he accepted immediately before reflecting on whether he possessed the necessary skills. He added that he would give his utmost as a learner to support national culture.
Television debut and cultural identity
Ribeiro stated that national culture and national identity begin in the spoken word, whether chanted, declaimed, shouted, spoken or cried. He emphasized the value of the collaboration between the authors society and CMTV, noting that Língua Mãe provides vital exposure to artists whose creative work often takes place away from the public spotlight.
Ribeiro is best recognized for founding UHF in Almada in 1978. The band became one of the pioneering groups of the Portuguese rock movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s, gaining national fame with tracks such as Cavalos de Corrida.
The Society of Authors, known as SPA, represents songwriters, writers, and visual artists across Portugal, while CMTV is a major Portuguese basic cable news and general entertainment channel operated by Media Livre.
Artistic process and heavy metal interview
The eighth season of Língua Mãe maintains its mission of highlighting Portuguese artistic creation. The programme gives authors and performers a platform to discuss their completed works alongside their creative processes and underlying artistic concerns.
The opening episode of the new series will feature an interview with Fernando Ribeiro, the frontman of Moonspell, recognized as the most prominent heavy metal band in Portugal.
Moonspell, formed in Brandoa in 1992, achieved international acclaim in gothic metal, while earlier series of Língua Mãe featured host duties by musician Luís Represas, a prominent Portuguese singer and former member of the group Trovante.
Annual Língua Mãe Award
In addition to the television broadcast, the joint initiative between SPA and CMTV includes the annual presentation of the Prémio Língua Mãe. Established in 2021, the award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to Portuguese culture and language.
Musician José Cid received the award this year, honoring a multi-decade career in song writing and musical performance across Portugal.
José Cid is one of Portugal's most enduring pop and rock musicians, having represented the country at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980 with the song Um Grande, Grande Amor.
Previous recipients of the Prémio Língua Mãe include Paulo de Carvalho in 2021, Jorge Palma in 2023, Sérgio Godinho in 2024, and Tozé Brito in 2025.
Paulo de Carvalho represented Portugal at Eurovision in 1974 with E Depois do Adeus, the song famously used as the first radio signal for the Carnation Revolution, while Jorge Palma, Sérgio Godinho and Tozé Brito remain celebrated central figures of Portuguese popular music.
