Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Lusophone African Short Stories and Poetry after Independence: Decolonial Destinies ed. by Lamonte Aidoo, and Daniel F. Silva

2022; American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese; Volume: 105; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/hpn.2022.0095

2153-6414

Steven Byrd,

Literature, Culture, and Criticism

Reviewed by: Lusophone African Short Stories and Poetry after Independence: Decolonial Destinies ed. by Lamonte Aidoo, and Daniel F. Silva Steven Eric Byrd Aidoo, Lamonte, and Daniel F. Silva, editors. Lusophone African Short Stories and Poetry after Independence: Decolonial Destinies. Anthem Press, 2021. Pp. 286. ISBN 978-1-78527-619-4. The present volume of Lusophone short stories and poetry in English translation is a welcome addition for diversity and inclusion studies generally, and for Lusophone literary studies specifically. That is, outside of a select list of authors—from Portugal and Brazil, generally-speaking—, Lusophone literature is the “lesser known” and “lesser studied” of the two national languages of the Iberian Peninsula. Moreover, from the standpoint of Lusophone African literature, there is probably even less familiarity. In this vein, the present volume is an important work for its general exposé of literary voices from Lusophone Africa. The editors’ introductory essay addresses the Portuguese colonial project in Africa, especially regarding the history of European expansionism and the extraction of resources there. In the case of the Portuguese Empire in Africa, it was particularly focused on the extraction of peoples as commodities well into the nineteenth century. Portuguese colonial societies were structured around white supremacy, patriarchal dominance, and coupled with a general contempt—if not outright dehumanization—of the indigenous peoples, their cultures, and their societies. In fact, the editors provide an interesting rebuttal to renowned Brazilian sociologist Gilberto Freyre’s theory of Lusotropicalism, which argued for a more humane racial relational system in the Portuguese colonies. However, as the editors note, the de facto power structure in the Lusophone Africa was one of white supremacy and dominance well into the twentieth century. It wasn’t until during—and especially after the collapse of––António Salazar’s Estado Novo that independence and decolonization struggles began in full force throughout Lusophone Africa. Such efforts ultimately proved tempestuous and violent and have continued into the present. These efforts have been further exacerbated by interventions from foreign powers during the Cold War, neoliberal corporate capitalism, and local (sometimes violent) power struggles. With this introduction in mind, the authors of this volume add words and imagery to these struggles. [End Page 615] Part 1 features Angolan writers Boaventura Cardoso, Ana Paula Tavares, Ana de Santana, Amélia da Lomba, and Ondjaki. Their writings address themes such as imperialism, violence and the independence wars, Marxism versus capitalism, poverty, racism, and an overall bewilderment in making sense of it all. Part 2, on Cabo Verdean writers, has selections from Onésimo Silveira, Vera Duarte, Rosendo Évora Brito, Orlanda Amarilis, and Silvino Lopes Évora. This section is arguably the most “Lusotropical” of the book, offering much more of a Creole and/or hybrid Portuguese-African, or even a more “international flavor,” in its literary expression. Part 3, on Guinea-Bissau, has selections of poetry by Domingas Samy, Agnello Regalla, Félix Sigá, Tony Tcheka, Odete Semedo. As with the Angolan writers, these authors address the legacy of Portuguese colonialism, anticolonial struggles, postcolonial challenges in terms of economics and identity. Odete Semedo captures some particularly vivid and technically-interesting poetry: “Day goes/day comes/rain leaves/drought enters/and comes another rain/the techno and its logy/the demo and its crazy/more wedded than ever/forced other paths/other people emerged/with other ideas/with other ideals” (178–79). Part 4, on Mozambican writers, offers selections from some of the most well-known writers of the entire volume: José Craveirinha and Mia Couto, both winners of the prestigious Camões Prize. Paulina Chiziane, Tânia Tomé, and Nelson Saúte complete the list. Mia Couto, as a son of colonialist parents, and writing in a tradition reminiscent of Brazilian João Guimarães Rosa’s neologismos, provides some interesting contrasts and perspective on the nature of Lusophone African languages, politics, and identity. Likewise, Paulina Chiziane and Tânia Tomé—one of the volume’s youngest literary voices—, provide powerful perspectives on feminism, the Black female body, and patriarchal traditions in Mozambique. Part 5, the final section, covers São Tomé e Príncipe: Alda Espírito Santo, Tomás Medeiros, Olinda Beja, Conceição Lima, and Albertino Bragan...