Beyond the human: narratives of matter in museu da revolução by João Paulo Borges Coelho

Abstract

Starting from museology studies and the theory of material ecocriticism coming directly from the perspective of the new materialism, we propose a reading of João Paulo Borges Coelho's most recent novel Museu da revolução (2021). The study observes the process of transforming the narrative into an interactive exhibition, or exhibition in motion, exploring the narrative capabilities of non-human elements and, at the same time, the process of limiting the agency of the human element (characters) and their transformation into malleable objects. It is assumed that this construction of discourse participates in the project of recovering the stories(s) of the Mozambican revolution, its political and historical origins and its consequences in the contemporary world, as well as the placement of the country within the context of world geopolitics.