Atlantic echoes: the cultural journey of Queen Nzinga Mbandi

Atlantic echoes: the cultural journey of Queen Nzinga Mbandi

Authors

Keywords:

Angola, Queen, Representations, Memory

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the historical representations constructed around the image of the Angolan sovereign Nzinga Mbandi. Beyond the portrayals from her time, the goal is to understand Nzinga’s legacy, which transcended the borders of Angola and expanded across subsequent centuries, resonating both in Europe and the Americas, with significant echoes in Brazilian culture. Known as Queen Ginga, she ruled the kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba for much of the 17th century and was described and represented in multiple and heterogeneous ways—a reflection of the cultural tensions arising from the fact that her gender and positions of power diverged from the paradigms of white European culture. We conclude that her image, re-signified over time, constitutes a symbol of African female strength and leadership, articulating diverse historical contexts. At the intersection between Angola and Brazil, Nzinga’s image emerges as a point of convergence between past and present, where strategies for preserving cultural codes and diaspora languages become evident.

Keywords: Angolan context. Representations. Memory. Atlantic. Diaspora.

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Author Biographies

  • Higo Braga , Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE)

    Pós-graduando em Diversidades Étnicas do Nordeste Brasileiro: Histórias, Culturas e suas Tecnologias pela Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE).

  • Maria Giseuda Machado , Universidade de Pernambuco (UPE)

    Doutora Honoris Causa pela Universidade de Pernambuco (UPE); professora adjunto do Curso de História da Universidade de Pernambuco/Campus Garanhuns.

Published

2025-07-28

How to Cite

Atlantic echoes: the cultural journey of Queen Nzinga Mbandi: Atlantic echoes: the cultural journey of Queen Nzinga Mbandi. (2025). REVHIST - Revista De História Da UEG, 14(1), e412516. //www.revista.ueg.br/index.php/revistahistoria/article/view/16319

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