TANTO NA TERRA QUANTO NO MAR: HOMENS E DEUSES ESTRANGEIROS DE OS LUSÍADAS NO CONTO “ESTRANHO PÁSSARO DE ASAS ABERTAS”

Abstract

This article examines the presence of Canto V, from Os Lusíadas, in the short story "Estranho pássaro de asas abertas" by the Angolan writer Pepetela. In Canto V, we see the episode of Veloso, one of the men in Vasco da Gama's fleet, landing in the region of São Helena Bay. We also learn the story of the giant Adamastor who, transformed into the Cape of Storms, tries to prevent the Portuguese from entering the east coast of Africa. Pepetela's story tells the same stories from the perspective of the African inhabitants. By refraining from conflict at these moments, the camonian epic affirms the heroism of the Portuguese, who overcame all obstacles, from the most anecdotal to the most supernatural, on their journey to the Indies. Pepetela, on the other hand, chooses conflict as the central point for thinking about the arrival of the Portuguese. Also noteworthy is his penchant for denouncing the exploitative practices of the female body during colonization.To establish our reading, we used decolonial thinking (MALDONATO-TORRES, 2019), which is responsible for understanding colonialism as a set of devices for exploiting territories, subjects, knowledge, and power.