L’amitié comme lien culturel et transnational dans Terra Sonâmbula de Mia Couto

Abstract

Friendship as a family, social and national link, has a central role in Terra Sonâmbula because it clarifies the meaning of travel and vagrancy on African tradition and, particularly, in the context of war. This paper offers a reading of Mia Couto’s novel according to three main perspectives: the analysis of movement as a narrative procedure visible through the travel and the vagrancy of characters, but also in their own story telling. This interception of lives and narrative lines creates emotional links between characters but also magical moments that alleviate suffering and abandoned feelings; secondly, this reading show how friendship becomes a transnational link that gives a special life and narrative movement to death in the context of war; finally, this paper analyses Mia Couto’s awareness and political commitment to Mozambique through an affective vigilance towards the acceptance of cultural difference. Terra Sonâmbula invites the reader to explore plural linguistic, cultural and ethnical perspectives on African territory.

Terra Sonâmbula, do escritor moçambicano Mia Couto, ilustra e prefigura, de uma forma exemplar, as dinâmicas históricas e sociais que se articularam no espaço literário hípercontemporâneo em língua portuguesa. Os laços familiares, comunitários e transnacionais têm um papel importante nesta narrativa pois mostram as tensões e violências provocadas pelas mutações do espaço africano. A amizade surge como uma forma de re-territorializar esse espaço fazendo dialogar múltiplas perspetivas de caminhos e histórias de vida que entrelaçam o destino das personagens. Por essa razão, o movimento desse espaço e o da própria narrativa esclarecem a vigilância do escritor Mia Couto e a sua proposta para um território onde a pluralidade linguística, cultural e étnica vêm celebrar o espaço africano.

Le roman Terra Sonâmbula de l’écrivain mozambicain Mia Couto illustre et préfigure, d’une manière exemplaire, les dynamiques historiques et sociales qui seront articulées dans l’espace littéraire hypercontemporain en langue portugaise. Les liens familiaux, sociaux, communautaires et transnationaux y sont questionnés et jouent un rôle important dans l’errance liée à la guerre, car celle-ci met le personnage à l’épreuve face aux violences identitaires et nationalistes. L’amitié est, néanmoins, le lien qui permet de quitter un territoire connu et s’aventurer dans celui de l’autre en faisant coexister de multiples perspectives sur le chemin et les histoires de vie des personnages. Ce lien est donc placé au centre de la narration et installe une vigilance qui est directement liée au regard sur l’inconnu, l’étrange et le différent. Finalement, dans Terra Sonâmbula, l’amitié éclaire l’engagement de Mia Couto envers le Mozambique et invite à une pluralité linguistique, culturelle et ethnique envers le territoire africain.