Themes in Lusophone African Literature

Code:

EPL038

Acronym:

TLALP

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Portuguese Language Literature

Instance: 2021/2022 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Portuguese and Romance Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Portuguese Studies

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
EP	33	EP - Study Plan	1	-	6	52	162

Teaching language

Portuguese
Obs.: Português

Objectives

This programme aims to provide students with knowledge of the dominant themes in the writings of paradigmatic African authors of the five Portuguese-speaking countries, promoting, at the same time, a critical reflection on the modes of representation of African realities and the processes of self-representation in the standard Portuguese written language – or in “languages”, dialects and varieties resulting from a process of miscegenation with local “languages”.
Some of the selected authors: Alda Espírito Santo, Ana Paula Tavares, Baltasar Lopes, Conceição Lima, Corsino Fortes, David Mestre, Eduardo White, Francisco José Tenreiro, Jorge Barbosa, José Craveirinha, José Eduardo Agualusa, Luís Bernardo Honwana, Luis Carlos Patraquim, Luandino Vieira, Mia Couto, Noémia de Sousa, Ondjaki, Paulina Chiziane, Pepetela, Rui Knopfli, Viriato da Cruz.
Focusing on a synchronic and diachronic approach, we will seek to account for the specificities of literatures and cultures of each country (for e.g., the specific difference of Cape Verde) and of the various movements, magazines, newspapers, generations and currents that have characterized the literary history of those countries.
Whenever necessary, in this study we will bring the texts studied throughout the semester into a historical and cultural context.

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of the teaching of “Themes of African Literatures in Portuguese Language”, students are expected to have acquired a steady and critical knowledge of the major themes of the African literatures written in Portuguese language before decolonization –  of their close relationship with the historical and geographic peculiarities of each country (for instance, the significant differences between Cape Vert and Mozambique) – as well as a  more generic knowledge from a comparative and postcolonial perspective of the different ways followed by each country after independence, of the plurality of voices and experiments both in poetry and in prose. Therefore, there is a diachronic and synchronic approach of African Literatures in Portuguese Language so that one can understand better the development and consolidation of these literatures.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Framework

1. Terminology issues: critical reflection on “Themes in Lusophone African Literatures”;
2. Images of Africa (stereotypes, clichés, unilateral and plural visions);
3. Landmarks of Portuguese colonisation;
4. Colonial culture (and/or colonising) and native cultures;
5. The issue of language(s): Portuguese and local languages;
6. Orality (the voice) versus writing (the word).

II. Selected topics
1. Slavery;
2. War;
3. Identity and otherness;
4. Childhood and old age;
5. Memory and ancestral wisdom;
6. Miscegenation;
7. Migrations;
8. Myths;
9. Negritude;
10. The contract (the contracted);
11. Urbanity and rurality.

Comment: These topics will be based primarily on brief narratives (tales and novels) and poetry texts.
SELECTED ACTIVE LITERATURE
Anthologies of literary texts

Mandatory literature

AAVV.; Antologias de Poesia da Casa dos Estudantes do Império (1951-1963), ACEI, 1994
ANDRADE, Mário de; Antologia Temática de Poesia Africana 1 – Na noite grávida de punhais, Sá da Costa, 1975
ANDRADE, Mário de; Antologia Temática de Poesia Africana 2 – O canto armado, , Sá da Costa, 1979
FERREIRA, Manuel (org.),; No reino de Caliban: antologia panorâmica da poesia africana de expressão portuguesa, Plátano, 1988
FERREIRA, Manuel (org.), ; 50 Poetas Africanos: Angola, Moçambique, Guiné-Bissau, Cabo Verde, São Tomé e Príncipe, Plátano, 1989
HONWANA, Luís Bernando; Nós Matámos o Cão Tinhoso, Afrontamento, 1972
SAÚTE, Nelson; As Mãos dos Pretos: Antologia do conto moçambicano, Dom Quixote,, 2000
VIEIRA, Luandino; Luuanda (Estórias), Caminho, 2004

Complementary Bibliography

Ferreira, Manuel; O Discurso no Percurso Africano I, Pátano, 1989
Laranjeira, Pires; Negritude Africana de Língua Portuguesa, Angelus Novus, 2000
Laranjeira, Pires (coord.); Estudos Literários. Literaturas Africanas de Língua Portuguesa, nº 5, UC - Centro Literatura Portuguesa, 2015
Leite, Ana Mafalda; Literaturas Africanas e Formulações Pós-Coloniais, Colibri, 2003
Meneses, Maria Paula; Ribeiro, Margarida Calafate;; Moçambique. Das palavras escritas, Afrontamento, 2008
Padilha, Laura Cavalcante; Entre voz e letra, Pallas, 2007
Reis, Margarida Gil; Textos & Pretextos. ANGOLA. Poesia e Prosa, nº 19, , Húmus; CECFLUL, 2015

Comments from the literature

The works of theoretical orientation and the more specific bibliography for each topic will be indicated in the course documents.
Minimum bibliography will be available in the same space, in pdf format.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Expository theoretical classes on the programme contents. In some cases, these classes may be theory-practical.

Practical classes, with literary reviews and comments and critical texts on the topics taught in theory classes, which can take the form of discussions or work done individually or in groups.

Tutorials, in which work done by students will be constantly supervised on a personal basis, provided that the number of students enrolled allows this type of supervision.

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Software

powerpoint

keywords

Humanities > Literature > African literature

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Trabalho escrito	30,00
Exame	70,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	54,00
Frequência das aulas	54,00
Trabalho de investigação	54,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Mandatory attendance of at least 75% of estimated classes, according to Assessment Regulations, Article 9.

Calculation formula of final grade

Written essay (30%) with final exam (70%).

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not applicable

Internship work/project

Not applicable.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Not applicable

Classification improvement

According to the Assessment Regulations