PLCS 10 (2003)
Articles/Artigos

(Lost) Love, Eros and Metaphor: Colonialism, Social Fragmentation and the "Burden" of Race in "Portagem" by Orlando Mendes

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  • Geoffrey S. Mitchell
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62791/sebszd24

Published 2017-03-13

Copyright (c) 2017 Portuguese Literary and Cultural Studies

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Abstract

Abstract. Orlando Mendes's 1965 novel Portagem traces the tragic life of the bi-racial protagonist, João Xilim. Using the metaphor of frustrated and empty human relationships, Mendes illustrates the socio-political fragmentation of colonial Mozambican society on the eve of the war for independence. Racial, economical and educational divisions introduced by Portuguese colonialism are the factors that contributed most significantly to Mozambique’s pre-independence state of affairs. The poor education of rural Mozambicans not only prevented their ability to articulate their grievances but also undermined the anti-colonialists’ attempts to unite the colonized against Portuguese hegemony.

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