A temática da guerra civil em Terra Sonâmbula, de Mia Couto, e Ventos do Apocalipse, de Paulina Chiziane

Nemet, Ana. (2014). A temática da guerra civil em Terra Sonâmbula, de Mia Couto, e Ventos do Apocalipse, de Paulina Chiziane. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Roman Languages and Literature. [mentor Talan, Nikica].

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Abstract

The hypothesis of this master's thesis lies in the assertion that literature can and should serve researchers as one of the sources for their scholarly work. Alongside the historiographical insight, a valuable insight into the creation of a modern nation can also be gained in this way. Writers, as the intellectual capital of the community in which they live and work, testify through their works to the current events and changes in the society. On the other hand, their literary freedom (though often limited by censorship) allows them to express their thoughts and criticism. When talking about the issue of global conflicts, the civil war in Mozambique is seen as one of the bloodiest conflicts in the last half of the 20 century. Several Mozambican writers covered this topic; however, in the process of choosing the material for the analysis, two literary works from this period came at the fore. These are the “Sleepwalking land”(Terra Sonâmbula) by Mia Couto and “Winds of the Apocalypse”(Ventos do Apocalipse) by Paulina Chiziane. Using the images of unseen horrors and expressing themselves in a very direct way, both of them want to point out the absurd of the fratricidal war caused by the dissatisfaction of the impoverished nation and encouraged by the international community in order to gain a strategic advantage in the Cold War context. The focus of this master’s thesis lies in analysis which is divided into several crucial issues that stand out in the narrative. For each of these issues a corresponding episode from both novels was selected. In this selection we tried to cover the most important elements, thus avoiding the retelling of the events. The issues tackled in this paper have to do with the general understanding of the War, disappointment in the guerrilla movement, which once it came to power turned the country into a one-party system, civilian casualties, racial intolerance and tribal superstitions and customs.

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