Angolan poet, many of whose works, written in Portuguese, portray in a subtle manner the struggle of his people for independence as well as the essential harmony between man and nature.

From 1965 to 1969 Barbeitos studied in West Germany. He returned home to teach at several bases of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola during Angola's struggle for independence. He later returned to Europe for treatment of tuberculosis and continued his graduate studies in ethnology at the University of West Berlin.

Barbeitos' poetry includes Angola Angolê Angolema (1976), Nzoji (1979; “Dream”), O rio: estórias de regresso (1985; “The River: Tales of Return”), and Fiapos de sonho (1992; “Threads of Dream”). His poems are noted for their concentration and density of thought, tenderness of tone, and ultimate simplicity of style.