Two Iconic African Women from the Lusophone World
In this course students will learn about two legendary figures from the Lusophone world: Queen Anna Nzinga (1583-1663) and Chica da Silva (1732-1796). Queen Anna Nzinga is arguably the most celebrated woman in pre-colonial African history, and is today a symbol of African resistance against European colonialism and the national heroine of Angola. Chica da Silva was a Brazilian slave who famously became the mistress of her owner, the Portuguese João Fernandes de Oliveira. Their public relationship brought attention to issues of race and gender that would have presumably remained taboo had this relationship not existed. We will examine these issues and those related to the mythologization of both women in popular culture. To this end, we will draw a parallel between the fictional (novels, movies, songs, soap operas) and historical (biographies, documentaries) portraits of Queen Anna Nzinga and Chica da Silva. This analysis will primarily aim to help students distinguish between myth and history. (PGSE 0215 or by approval) 3 hrs. lect.