A história contada em silêncio: uma leitura do romance A Gloriosa Família de Pepetela

Abstract

The present study is dedicated to analyzing the novel A Gloriosa Família: o tempo dos flamengos (1999), authored by the Angolan writer Pepetela. The narrative revisits the seven years (1641–1648) during which Luanda was under Dutch domination. The narrative focus is on the family of Baltazar Van Dum, a Catholic Dutchman and slave trader who becomes embroiled in a series of conflicts to maintain his position during the war between the Portuguese and the Dutch. The entire plot is narrated by Baltazar’s personal slave. The complexity of a slave’s narrative voice telling the story of his master and the fictional devices employed bear witness to the master/slave relationship from a dual perspective. By filling in the silences and masking his own quiet defiance, the slave is incorporated into the power and language dynamics that shape colonial identities, allowing him to position himself as the subject of the discourse throughout the narrative.In this context, the study aims to explore how the novel fits into the framework of representing the past and reinterpreting historical events through the lens of the relationship between Literature and History, using key ideas from postcolonial theories. It also examines how the novel highlights the consequences of slavery on individuals. The study is grounded in the experience of colonization, identity self-questioning, and the processes of deconstruction and reinterpretation of deeply rooted notions in Western culture regarding literature, the constitution of the subject, and identity. The relevance of this study lies in documenting the symbolic mechanisms of racism that persist to this day. A Gloriosa Família is taken as both a literary and theoretical reference, enabling an exploration of the representations of slaveholding societies and enslaved individuals. This approach addresses broader questions posed by the study of African literatures, using the novel as a tool to understand postcolonial realities. Furthermore, the study seeks to align with Law 10.639/03, amended by Law 11.645/08, which mandates the teaching of Afro-Brazilian and African history and culture in all public and private schools, from elementary to high school. It aims to contribute to the formation of a generation more attuned to the enduring consequences of slavery in Brazilian society