“Uma encruzilhada de civilizações e culturas”: as múltiplas subjetividades que constroem Angola em “Abel e Caim” e “Ngola Kiluanje”, de João Melo

Abstract

It was after their independence, during the 1970s, that the literary systems of the Portuguese-speaking African countries began to develop. Before that, the narratives about these countries were written by writers from the countries that colonized them, which often marked a perspective that erased the multiplicity of the African people. This paper examines the short stories "Abel and Cain" and "Ngola Kiluanje" from the book Filhos da Pátria (2008), by João Melo. We understand that these texts reflect the construction of Angolan identity, highlighting the cultural diversity and subjectivities of the country. The analysis demonstrates how Angolan literature reaffirms its national identity by celebrating multiculturalism and rescuing aspects of a pre-colonial culture. Through the theoretical contributions of authors such as Francisco Noa (2019), Fanon (2008), Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (2012), and Rita Chaves (2005), the paper discusses the heterogeneity of Angolan literature and its role in the elaboration of a past marked by colonialism.