We Killed Mangy Dog and Other Stories
Encyclopedia
We Killed Mangy Dog and Other Mozambique Stories (Nós Matámos o Cão-Tinhoso) is a collection of short stories
by Mozambican writer Luís Bernardo Honwana
. The book was originally published in Portuguese in 1964 and translated into English
in 1969.
The book consists of seven stories, including one with the same title as the book: "Nós Matámos o Cão-Tinhoso" [We Killed Mangy Dog], "Papa, Cobra, Eu" [Dad, Snake, and Me], "As Mãos dos Pretos" [The Hands of Blacks], "Inventário de Móveis e Jacentes" [Inventory of Furniture and Effects], "A Velhota" [The Old Woman], "Nhinguitimo," and "Dina" [Lunchtime]. The writer, who is also a documentary filmmaker and photographer, wrote the novel when he was twenty-two years old, while a political prisoner of PIDE
. According to Patrick Chabal, "Honwana greatly influenced the post-colonial generation of younger prose writers and has rightly been regarded as stylistically accomplished." The Mozambican world is at the center of analysis in each of his narratives.. Several of the stories are told from the point of view of children. The innocent and naive characters are used to expose "the inherent racism in the Portuguese colonial government." Honwana's stories were written for a greater purpose than entertainment and amusement. They "raise questions about social exploration, racial segregation
, and class and education distinctions." Each character in every story represents a different social position (white Portuguese man, the assimilated black, the indigenous black, and mixed race).
According to Pires Laranjeira, the story casts light on Mozambique's political situation of the time. He cites an interpretation (by Inocência Mata), according to which Mangy Dog represents a decadent colonial system that is in need of being destroyed in order to make way for a new pure society, free of discrimination and racism. Mata points out that Mangy Dog is shot to death with firearms, the same way that Mozambique
gained its independence through the use of military force.
Blue Eyes
In the story "We Killed Mangy Dog", the dog is said to have blue eyes. According to Niyi Afolabi in The Golden Cage: Regeneration in Lusophone African Literature and Culture, this characterization is ambiguous. It can simultaneously point to the black colonial subject or to the European colonizer. Cláudia Pazos Alonso adds to that interpretation by stating that the blue eyes of the dog could symbolize a black assimilado.
The Murder of the Animal
The murder of Mangy Dog could symbolize a process of initiation into manhood. Many critics, including Pires Laranjeira, have explored this possibility. He states that in "We Killed Mangy Dog" Ginho and the others go through an initiation rite, or a kind of apprenticeship, in order to find affective solidarity.
Gender, Race, and Violence
In Lusophone Studies 2, a volume in a series published by University of Bristol, Mark Sabine analyzes the aspects of gender, race, and violence found in Honwana's short stories.. According to Sabine, "Focusing almost exclusively on male protagonists and their humiliation and disenfranchisement, Honwana depicts colonial rule as the literal emasculation
of Africa
" (24).
Sabine describes the act of killing Mangy Dog as a "painful initiation into a grown-up social order" (24): "The killing constitutes a grotesque substitute for the elaborate rites marking a boy's passage to manhood in indigenous cultures" (34)."The aggressive effacement of the figure of the black patriarch
not only necessitates the valorization of violence as 'manly', but also marginalizes the values which Honwana ascribes to an indigenous paradigm of masculinity: bravery, endurance, dignity and deference to elders" (25). Sabine also states that "Ginho's gang prizes physical prowess, power, and aggression". The reasoning behind it is that "Ginho lacked a role model who stresses the ideals of courage, leadership, compassion, and the dedication of physical strength." This lack of proper role model in addition to the "corrosive impact on an indigenous social order" led to the atrocious murder of the dog.
In the stories, the institutional denial of equal human rights
to colonized Mozambicans is apparent and linked to the betrayal of an implicit promise based on shared masculine identity: "Men classified as assimilados or civilizados, who have assumed a Portuguese cultural identity on the promise of equal civil rights, might expect equal access to the patriarchal dividend" (29). Ginho is the victim of both racial and gendered discrimination when in the novel Quim and Gulamo call him "maricas" (sissy) and "Preto de merda" (you black shit) for not being able to kill Mangy Dog. In addition to being insulted with a racial epithet, he is emasculated by the other boys.
As Sabine also notes, "Honwana's women are most often not protagonists capable of acting and learning, but a social resource under the control of men" (42). There are three women in the story of Mangy Dog: Ginho's mother, his teacher, and his classmate Isaura. Ginho's mother attempts to discipline him but her protests are futile as he leaves the house with his father's rifle. Isaura attempts to stop the killing, but is yelled at by the boys' leader Quim and told to leave. Her values of compassion and pacifism are considered "feminine" by the boys and the colonial patriarchy they serve (Sabine 43).
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
by Mozambican writer Luís Bernardo Honwana
Luis Bernardo Honwana
-Biography:Luís Bernado Honwana was born Luís Augusto Bernardo Manuel in Lourenço Marques , Mozambique. His parents, Raúl Bernardo Manuel and Naly Jeremias Nhaca, belonged to the Ronga people from Moamba, a town about 55 km northwest of Maputo.He studied law in Portugal and worked for some...
. The book was originally published in Portuguese in 1964 and translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in 1969.
The book consists of seven stories, including one with the same title as the book: "Nós Matámos o Cão-Tinhoso" [We Killed Mangy Dog], "Papa, Cobra, Eu" [Dad, Snake, and Me], "As Mãos dos Pretos" [The Hands of Blacks], "Inventário de Móveis e Jacentes" [Inventory of Furniture and Effects], "A Velhota" [The Old Woman], "Nhinguitimo," and "Dina" [Lunchtime]. The writer, who is also a documentary filmmaker and photographer, wrote the novel when he was twenty-two years old, while a political prisoner of PIDE
PIDE
In 1969, Marcello Caetano changed the name PIDE to DGS . The death of Salazar and the subsequent ascension of Caetano brought some attempts at democratization, in order to avoid popular insurgency against censorship, the ongoing colonial war and the general restriction of civil rights...
. According to Patrick Chabal, "Honwana greatly influenced the post-colonial generation of younger prose writers and has rightly been regarded as stylistically accomplished." The Mozambican world is at the center of analysis in each of his narratives.. Several of the stories are told from the point of view of children. The innocent and naive characters are used to expose "the inherent racism in the Portuguese colonial government." Honwana's stories were written for a greater purpose than entertainment and amusement. They "raise questions about social exploration, racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
, and class and education distinctions." Each character in every story represents a different social position (white Portuguese man, the assimilated black, the indigenous black, and mixed race).
Plot Summary of "We Killed Mangy Dog"
This first and longest story in the volume is narrated by a young, black, assimilado boy named Ginho. He is marginalized and alienated by his peers in school and out of school. The other boys in the narrative all have different racial backgrounds: Quim is the white leader of the gang, Faruk is an Arab, Gulamo is Indian, and Xangai is Chinese. The story centers around Mangy-Dog (Cão-Tinhoso), a stray that is diseased, helpless, and dying. The narrator begins to identify with the dog, who is an outcast among other dogs, and develops compassion and sympathy for the mutt. One day, the narrator and the group of boys from his class are manipulated into killing the dog by Senhor Duarte. He presents the act as a kind of hunting game and appeals to them as a friend. Ginho is the one chosen to shoot the dog. Even though he is emotionally attached to the dog, he feels the pressure to eliminate the dog for the sake of being accepted. After many pleas with the other children, he is unsuccessful in trying to save the dog's life. The story ends as a guilty confession despite his reluctance to participate in the crime.Themes and Symbols
The Meaning of the Mangy DogAccording to Pires Laranjeira, the story casts light on Mozambique's political situation of the time. He cites an interpretation (by Inocência Mata), according to which Mangy Dog represents a decadent colonial system that is in need of being destroyed in order to make way for a new pure society, free of discrimination and racism. Mata points out that Mangy Dog is shot to death with firearms, the same way that Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
gained its independence through the use of military force.
Blue Eyes
In the story "We Killed Mangy Dog", the dog is said to have blue eyes. According to Niyi Afolabi in The Golden Cage: Regeneration in Lusophone African Literature and Culture, this characterization is ambiguous. It can simultaneously point to the black colonial subject or to the European colonizer. Cláudia Pazos Alonso adds to that interpretation by stating that the blue eyes of the dog could symbolize a black assimilado.
The Murder of the Animal
The murder of Mangy Dog could symbolize a process of initiation into manhood. Many critics, including Pires Laranjeira, have explored this possibility. He states that in "We Killed Mangy Dog" Ginho and the others go through an initiation rite, or a kind of apprenticeship, in order to find affective solidarity.
Gender, Race, and Violence
In Lusophone Studies 2, a volume in a series published by University of Bristol, Mark Sabine analyzes the aspects of gender, race, and violence found in Honwana's short stories.. According to Sabine, "Focusing almost exclusively on male protagonists and their humiliation and disenfranchisement, Honwana depicts colonial rule as the literal emasculation
Emasculation
Emasculation is the removal of the genitalia of a male, notably the penis and/or the testicles.By extension, the word has also come to mean to render a male less of a man, or to make a male feel less of a man by humiliation. This metaphorical usage of the word is much more common than the...
of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
" (24).
Sabine describes the act of killing Mangy Dog as a "painful initiation into a grown-up social order" (24): "The killing constitutes a grotesque substitute for the elaborate rites marking a boy's passage to manhood in indigenous cultures" (34)."The aggressive effacement of the figure of the black patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
not only necessitates the valorization of violence as 'manly', but also marginalizes the values which Honwana ascribes to an indigenous paradigm of masculinity: bravery, endurance, dignity and deference to elders" (25). Sabine also states that "Ginho's gang prizes physical prowess, power, and aggression". The reasoning behind it is that "Ginho lacked a role model who stresses the ideals of courage, leadership, compassion, and the dedication of physical strength." This lack of proper role model in addition to the "corrosive impact on an indigenous social order" led to the atrocious murder of the dog.
In the stories, the institutional denial of equal human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
to colonized Mozambicans is apparent and linked to the betrayal of an implicit promise based on shared masculine identity: "Men classified as assimilados or civilizados, who have assumed a Portuguese cultural identity on the promise of equal civil rights, might expect equal access to the patriarchal dividend" (29). Ginho is the victim of both racial and gendered discrimination when in the novel Quim and Gulamo call him "maricas" (sissy) and "Preto de merda" (you black shit) for not being able to kill Mangy Dog. In addition to being insulted with a racial epithet, he is emasculated by the other boys.
As Sabine also notes, "Honwana's women are most often not protagonists capable of acting and learning, but a social resource under the control of men" (42). There are three women in the story of Mangy Dog: Ginho's mother, his teacher, and his classmate Isaura. Ginho's mother attempts to discipline him but her protests are futile as he leaves the house with his father's rifle. Isaura attempts to stop the killing, but is yelled at by the boys' leader Quim and told to leave. Her values of compassion and pacifism are considered "feminine" by the boys and the colonial patriarchy they serve (Sabine 43).