Recording of the Seminar “The Island of Mozambique and the Indian Ocean: Between fragments and borders” now available on CEsA’s YouTube channel

The seminar The Island of Mozambique and the Indian Ocean: Between fragments and borders took place on November 14, 2024 at 4:30 PM in the Novo Banco Room of ISEG. It was presented by Tarik Almeida, a PhD candidate in Literary Theory and History at the Institute of Language Studies – Unicamp (IEL/Unicamp – CAPES/Brazil). The lecture was recorded and is now available on CEsA’s YouTube channel. This session was part of Almeida’s research internship at CEsA – Centre for African and Development Studies, under the supervision of research fellow Jessica Falconi, and supported by the CAPES International PhD Exchange Programme (PDSE/CAPES).

The Island of Mozambique was presented as a paradigmatic site due to its geography, topography, and historiography, sparking some rich and innovative reflections:

• An African trading post of historical importance for Portuguese colonialism on Africa’s eastern coast;
• An identity and paradigmatic fragment of the Nation, deconstructing the idea of a single national identity;
• A space defined by fluid, humid, and maritime landscapes, intertwining the human and the non-human.

Through the lens of ecocriticism, Almeida explored the Indian Ocean not only as a border zone and a transnational space but also as a critical analytical framework, promoting an oceanic perspective that transcends national boundaries. The researcher also examined poetic works by Rui Knopfli, Luís Carlos Patraquim, Ana Mafalda Leite, and Sangare Okapi, which inspired reflections on the Indian Ocean as a poetic network and a cartography of reclaimed spaces.

Watch the recording (only in Portuguese)