You Can’t Kill a Kianda: A Reading of Pepetela’s “Magias do Mar”

Anita De Melo

doi:10.21471/jls.v5i2.355

Abstract

In the present essay, I analyze “Magias do Mar,” a short story published in 2017 by Angolan writer Pepetela. Drawing from the Angolan myth of Kianda, a mythological creature believed to be the goddess of the ocean, Pepetela’s narrative evokes animism in a manner that parallels Harry Garuba’s observations on contemporary African thought. I reflect on Garuba’s work and examine how animism in “Magias do Mar” works to challenge colonial and modern Western epistemologies and practices. Of particular interest is the narrative’s reflection on the extermination of African wildlife through hunting. I conclude by arguing that Pepetela’s use of animism in “Magias do Mar” has significant implications for postcolonial ecocritical analysis.

Highlights

In the present essay, I analyze “Magias do Mar,” a short story published in 2017 by Angolan writer Pepetela
Drawing from the precolonial Angolan myth of Kianda, a creature believed to be the goddess of the ocean, Pepetela’s “Magias do Mar” engages with animism in a manner that parallels Harry Garuba’s own observations on contemporary African thought
According to Tylor, indigenous people do not necessarily have organized forms of religion; rather, they believe in spiritual beings, and they believe that natural phenomena—such as plants, animals, rocks, and thunder—have spirits that influence human events [284]

Summary

Introduction

I analyze “Magias do Mar,” a short story published in 2017 by Angolan writer Pepetela. Drawing from the precolonial Angolan myth of Kianda, a creature believed to be the goddess of the ocean, Pepetela’s “Magias do Mar” engages with animism in a manner that parallels Harry Garuba’s own observations on contemporary African thought. Animism in Pepetela’s “Magias do Mar” involves reclaiming a traditional Angolan myth with the goal of using it to disrupt colonial and modern Western thinking that promotes the destruction of colonized environments.

Results

Conclusion