Chinua Achebe and Ruy Duarte De Carvalho: a Comparative Study of Things Fall Apart and Vou Lá Visitar Pastores
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CHINUA ACHEBE AND RUY DUARTE DE CARVALHO: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THINGS FALL APART AND VOU LÁ VISITAR PASTORES GREGÓRIO DE JESUS TCHIKOLA DOCTORATE THESIS IN LANGUAGES, LITERATURES AND CULTURES, SPECIALIZATION IN LITERARY STUDIES NOVEMBER 2016 1 CHINUA ACHEBE AND RUY DUARTE DE CARVALHO: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THINGS FALL APART AND VOU LÁ VISITAR PASTORES GREGÓRIO DE JESUS TCHIKOLA DOCTORATE THESIS IN LANGUAGES, LITERATURES AND CULTURES, SPECIALIZATION IN LITERARY STUDIES NOVEMBER 2016 2 This Thesis is presented for the fulfilment of the necessary requirements to obtain the Doctorate Degree in Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Specialization in Literary Studies under the Academic Supervision of Professor Ana Maria Mão de Ferro Martinho Carver Gale. 3 DECLARAÇÕES Declaro que esta tese é o resultado da minha investigação pessoal e independente. O seu conteúdo é original e todas as fontes consultadas estão devidamente mencionadas no texto, nas notas e na bibliografia. O candidato, ____________________ Lisboa, .... de ............... de ............... Declaro que esta tese se encontra em condições de ser apreciada pelo júri a designar. O(A) orientador(a), ____________________ Lisboa, .... de ............... de .............. 4 Do not ignore the talk of the wise…, From them you will learn how to think, And the art of the timely answer (Ecclesiasticus 8, 8-12) 5 Abstract CHINUA ACHEBE AND RUY DUARTE DE CARVALHO: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THINGS FALL APART AND VOU LÁ VISITAR PASTORES The comparative study of African literatures in Portuguese and in English languages has not been the object of many research projects in Africa. My work is centred in this field of study and it aims at conducting a comparative analysis of the narratives produced by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe and Angolan author Ruy Duarte de Carvalho, observing the convergent and divergent aspects in aesthetics and ideology present in their works. The corpus under analysis includes Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Vou lá Visitar Pastores by Ruy Duarte de Carvalho. The authors converge ideologically in their works as they pay attention to issues such as land ownership and usage, peoples’ heritage and history. Besides the historical and cultural diversity, these texts also allow the discussion of other issues, notably particularities in aesthetic elaboration. Both novelists combine literary and anthropological topics. Thus, this thesis is a correlational, descriptive and analytical type of research, and is seeking cultural meaning and understanding through fiction. The main sources for my thesis were the two texts mentioned above, but also documents available on African literature, history, literary criticism, ethnography, politics and anthropology. Key words: Literature, Angola, Nigeria, Kuvale, Igbo, Ethnography and Representation. 6 Acknowledgments I owe this dissertation to the fabulous support of my family, friends, teachers and sponsoring institutions. Funding for this research came in the form of generous fellowship from the FCSH/NOVA (The New University of Lisbon), the Instituto Superior de Ciências da Educação (Agostinho Neto University and José Eduardo dos Santos University), and friends. I would also like to acknowledge the FCSH (The New University of Lisbon) for the significant institutional and academic support I received. Without it, this dissertation would simply be impossible under my conditions of foreign student and working in Angola. I have been the beneficiary of the best instruction a young scholar could hope to receive. In particular, I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Ana Maria Martinho, Professor Nuno Júdice, Professor Teresa Almeida, Professor Rui Zink, Professor Carlos Ceia, Professor Maria do Rosário Pimentel, Professor Gustavo Rubim who were my mentors in the Doctorate studies at FCSH (New University of Lisbon) and have given of their time and intellect. Professor Ana Maria Martinho’s wisdom and supervision, patient mentorship and intellectual capacity have been a constant blessing throughout my studies. The excellence of her scholarship is unparalleled and I am tremendously grateful to have been her student. Early conversations with Professor Nuno Júdice and Professor Rui Zink were also fundamental in setting me on the right track at the outset of my research. At the New University of Lisbon, the library’s collegiality and generosity helped me to turn that advice into the work that now forms the core of this dissertation. Throughout my studies, Professor Rui Zink has been a fountain of wisdom. As it has for so many other scholars, Professor Zink’s work has taught me how to read literature and scientific methodology and his scholarship represents a standard of excellence worth aspiring to. Without the support and intellectual challenges of Professor Arsénio Cruz, my skills and my career would be much diminished. I am tremendously thankful to count on him as a counsellor and a very close friend. My time at FCSH/NOVA (The New University of Lisbon) has been spent in the company of extraordinary friends and extraordinarily gifted classmates. In particular, I would like to thank Pralon Boonrussamee, Sara Laisse, Alexandre Sakukuma and Patricia Neves for their companionship, support and advice. 7 While at the Kimmage and Milltown Institutes in the Republic of Ireland from 2000 to 2005, I was lucky to have had a group of colleagues and teachers including Professor Thomas Whelan, Professor Martin Kelly, Professor Paddy Roe, Professor Tony Ghegan and Mary Barron (MSc). Mary also read my work carefully and provided important advice on how to write and translate my ideas correctly in the English language. Also, In particular, I would like to thank Professor Miranda Lopes Miguel and Professor Mário Rodrigues from the Instituto Superior de Ciências da Educação, who have been marvellous and generous directors, colleagues and friends. Without them, the financial support and encouragement for my trips and accommodations in Lisbon would not have been possible. My parents, Marcial Chicola and Albertina Natopi, my mother-in-law, Julia, my sisters-in-law, Dalia, Lalita and Chinha, and brothers-in-law, Sérgio and Dudu have all waited patiently to see this work come to its completion. I am glad, at last, to be able to share it with them. I am also thankful that its completion will afford me more time to spend with my brothers Horácio, Mingo, Dadi, and Didi, and my sisters Yana, Fifi and Bia. Particular thanks are owed to my wife Genoveva Tchikola, who came into my life two years before the beginning of this research and who has endured both my peregrinations and its slow progress. Gege has been a stimulus when I needed one, and has offered comfort and reassurance when I needed them. I am fortunate beyond measure to have her as a partner, and I am proud of the scholar she is becoming. One of the great pains of academic work is the way its persistent focus can keep us distant from those we love most. My wife Genoveva, my daughters Agnes and Isis, and my son Cristiano were very patient with me every time I had to travel to Lisbon for studies or research during those four years. This dissertation is also theirs. I love them all and I ask them for pardon for often being away from home for studies. I know they understand, and hope they have already forgiven me for that. During the war of 1993 in Huambo, Angola, my family lost our beloved sister Gizela, who was only seven years old. Everybody loved her so much. Her death touched us all. We still miss her terribly. This dissertation is dedicated to her memory. 8 Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................ 9 Chapter I: General Introduction .................................................................................................................... 12 Chapter II: Ethnography and Literature......................................................................................................... 18 2. 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 18 2. 2. General Theoretical Review about Key Concepts ................................................................................. 25 2. 2. 1. Literary Theory, Literature and Literary Criticism ............................................................................. 25 2. 2. 2. Ethnography and Fiction .................................................................................................................... 35 2. 2. 3. Social Construction and Representation ........................................................................................... 41 2. 3. Africa: Major African Literatures and Ethnographic works ................................................................... 46 2. 3. 1. Nigeria: Literary Writers .................................................................................................................... 72 2. 3. 2. Angola: Literary Writers and Ethnographers ..................................................................................... 78