The reasons for a murder. Local cultural conceptualizations of the martyrdom of Gonçalo da Silveira in 1561

Gai Roufe

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

The martyrdom of the Jesuit father Gonçalo da Silveira is considered both in early Portuguese documentation and in modern scholarship as a very significant event which had substantial implications on the course of the history of the Portuguese presence in southeastern Africa. The present article provides a new interpretation of this event by reconstructing and unfolding its local meanings using contemporary and subsequent Portuguese historical and ethnographic written documentation and oral traditions of the population of the region. By doing this, this article challenges orthodox historical narratives of a region relatively rich in written historical documents by demonstrating our ability to understand the manner in which historical events were interpreted from an indigenous point of view.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)467-487
Number of pages21
JournalCahiers d'Etudes Africaines
Volume219
Issue number3
StatePublished - 28 Sep 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Gonçalo da Silveira
  • Monomotapa
  • Monomotapa
  • Mwene Mutapa
  • Mwene Mutapa/Gonçalo da Silveira

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • History
  • Development

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