Os interditos da história e da ficção angolana no romance rainha ginga, de agualusa

Abstract

Literature and History are branches of knowledge that seek to narrate the past, to evoke myths and personalities. In this sense, this dissertation aimed at analyzing how Ginga Mbandi, the queen of Ndongo and Matamba, is represented through literary and historical discourses. In this perspective, the following specific objectives were taken into account: to highlight the rise of Ginga Mbandi to the throne of Ndongo and Matamba, even in a patriarchal society; demonstrate the resistance of the Angolan noblewoman against the forces of the Portuguese Crown; discuss about the strategies and alliances articulated by her in order to face the growing Portuguese domination. The selected novel, A Rainha Ginga e de Como os Africanos Inventaram o Mundo, was written by José Eduardo Agualusa, a work published in 2004. The particular aspect traced in this narrative aims to explain how the resistance of the Angolan leader occurred. Ginga Mbandi was an excellent diplomat. In the face of advancement and domination of the Portuguese Crown in Ndongo and Matamba territory, she made alliances with the Dutch, who were considered enemies of the Portuguese. Furthermore, it also happens the alliance with Caza Cangola, the jagas leader. These people were considered fierce and they dominated the art of war. There were several myths, including cannibalistic cultural practices, about them. In order to investigate the facts and objectives mentioned, this bibliographical research considered primary and secondary sources available on the internet and in the printed version. It was selected theorists and researchers from the perspective of cultural studies. As the research deals with the history of Angola, it was taken into account details regarding the historic novel genre provided by Literary Theory. For this purpose, it is considered the theoretical assumptions concerning this literary genre stated by Lucáks (2011), Bakhtin (1988), Jamenson (2007), Hutcheon (1991), Burke (1992), White (1995), Bhabha (2013), Bonnici (2011), Gilroy (2014), Leite (2012), Pinto (2015), Agualusa (2015), Leite (2012), Pinto (2015), Agualusa (2015), Bonnici Adorno (2003), Anderson(1999) Chaves (1999), Fannon (2008), Fonseca (2011), Halbwachs (2004), Hall (2005), Kandjimbo(2001), Laranjeira (1999), Mata (2012), Spivak (2010). Based on these theories, the results point out that Ginga Mbandi represents an avant-garde heroine in the history of Angola. Even though Ginga lived in a society considered patriarchal, she performed activities in the public and private domains. Queen Ginga broke with the social statutes that prevented the female ascendancy to power. The monarch led armies, being victorious in some battles. In addition, the alliance with the Dutch and the Jagas were strategies of resistances used by her. This made her stand out to the Portuguese. This way, for many years she avoided the slave trade and territorial invasions.