“Monangamba” and “Poema da Alienação” in the Realization of Mensagem’s Ideals

Abstract

A common idea on the magazine Mensagem (Luanda, 1951- 1952) is that it represented a convergence of desires to affirm a new Angolan culture. It is in this context that António Ja­cinto’s poems “Monangamba” and “Poema da Alienação” can be situated since they express Angolan cultural and literary identity through their attempt to represent Blackness , their militancy in defense of the Angolan working class and their denunciation of colonialism. The fact that ‘Monangamba’ and ‘Poema da alienação’ are still widely read in educational con­texts in Angola leads us to believe that they can be used to promote discussions about the values of Mensagem.