BANTUMEN was launched in 2015 to promote the diversity and creativity of the artistic and cultural scene of the black Portuguese-speaking world in Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Brazil and the diaspora.

The name BANTUMEN comes from the blend of Bantu, a reference to theBantu languages (a group of some 500 languages, among others Swahili, spoken in most of Africa), and men as a synonym for the human being.

The outlet's goal is to be the platform that empowers the "icons of tomorrow" and helps them to become well-known to internet audiences. It also has a bookstore featuring black authors.

BANTUMEN "reflects the diversity of views and sensitivities of Afro-descendant populations who speak Portuguese, thus giving voice to a new group of talent and savoir-faire that still lives on the fringes of recognition".

Throughout the years, the outlet has suffered nine cyber-attacks, which have had negative consequences in terms of advertising and visibility. According to the team, these attacks have a racist intention.

Source: Oasis Europe

Last updated date: November 2025

Location:
Lisbon, Portugal
Year the organization started publishing:
2015
Languages:
English
Portuguese
Type of coverage:
International
Countries of coverage:
Other
Portugal
Other countries of coverage:
Angola, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Brazil

Content

Editorial coverage:
Generalist, focused on multiple topics
Type of content produced by theme:
Education
Environment
Politics
Technology
Sports
Economy and business
Lifestyle
Health and well-being
Entertainment and culture
Law and crime
Society and human rights
Entrepreneurship
Feminism
LGBTIQ+
Ethnic minorities
DEIA: Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility
Refugees
Migration
Journalism genres:
Reviews
Interviews and reporting
Opinion
Narrative journalism
Journalism coverage types and techniques:
Crowdsourcing
Solutions or constructive journalism
Engaged, community-driven or participatory journalism
Cross-border journalism
Collaborative journalism
Curated/aggregated content
Tech platforms and other mediums used:
Website
Newsletter
Messaging service
WhatsApp
Social media platforms
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Tiktok
LinkedIn
Twitch
Podcast
YouTube
Primary tech platform or medium used to publish content:
Website

Audience and reach

Social media audience

Facebook number of followers:
138,725
Twitter number of followers:
15,800
Instagram number of followers:
88,700
YouTube number of followers:
37,641
Tiktok number of followers:
1,478

Management and team

Founders

Female:
1
Male:
1
Founders:
Vanessa Sanches, Edwaldo Pegado
Directors:
Vanessa Sanches

Team

Full-time employees:
1
Part-time employees:
0
Freelancers or consultants:
3
Volunteers:
8

Business structure and revenue sources

Organization tax status:
For-profit
All revenue sources reported by media leaders:
Advertising
Consultancy services
Content services for others
Audience support / reader revenue
Other
Google Adsense
Branded content or native advertising
Local advertising sold by own team
National advertising sold by own team
Event sponsorships
YouTube channel income
Services for clients and other private corporations
Content development for other non-journalistic companies
Memberships
Crowdfunding campaigns
The primary source of revenue reported by media leaders:
Content services for others
The second most important revenue source reported:
Consultancy services
Others revenue sources:
Online store

Transparency

Doesn’t publish information about annual revenue
Doesn’t publish the names of donors
Doesn’t have an ethics policy / manual
Has a data privacy policy
Publishes a data privacy policy
Doesn’t have a whistleblower policy
Doesn’t have a complaints policy
Doesn’t have a sexual harassment or institutional violence policy
Is not signed up to a press regulator, trust initiative, or part of a press association
Publishes up to date information about its team

Why is this profile included?

This media outlet is part of our directory because it meets SembraMedia’s inclusion criteria: it produces original content, serves the public interest, and works with independence and transparency. This profile was developed using information provided directly by the media outlet, through surveys or interviews. We aim to keep the information current, but SembraMedia does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness, and recommends verifying any key details with the media organization.

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