O Cão-Tinhoso: “é preciso que morra a tribo para que a nasça a nação” (Mondlane, 1962)

Abstract

Abstract

This article presents one of the possible readings for the enigma Cão-Tinhoso, from the narrative by Luís Bernardo Honwana, “We Kill the MangyDog”, present in his work of the same name. The narrative takes place in Lourenço Marques, currently Maputo, in the colonial period. It is a very surreal story, in which the characters are presented in a very similar way to people and their respective social roles, within the framework of the Portuguese colonial system. The plot revolves around the death of a dog - "old" and "falling apart". His death is aimed at by the adults in the narrative and on the part of the guys and children at the school, where Ginho and Isaura study. Here, I put on the agenda FRELIMO and the struggle for liberation, focusing on the discussion on nation projects and the different desires of Mozambicans, based on the figures of Ginho and Isaura. For this reflection, I count on the studies of José Luís Cabaço (2009) and Maria Paula Meneses (2016).

Keywords

MangyDog. FRELIMO. Nation. New man.