This research is dedicated to investigating the conditions of Mozambican women and the
impacts of colonialism on their lives from reading the works Terra sonâmbula (1992) and A
confissão da leoa (2012), by Mia Couto. It is the result of a bibliographic study that covers
the areas of literature, social sciences, gender studies and history that embrace the condition
of women in Mozambique. It seeks to reflect, based on Mia Couto’s novels, on the historical-
social processes of Mozambique, as well as the silencing and subordination of women who
suffer from various types of violence in that country. The exploitation of Mozambican
territory by the Portuguese caused a crisis in culture, tradition, religiosity and social
organization. It is in this context of crisis that the subordinate space reserved for the female
subject is perceived. The women in Mia Couto’s work reflect on the historical processes of
their conditions of extreme vulnerability. Colonialism with its patriarchalism, in addition to
the social dynamics of post-colonialism, with disputes over local and national powers,
reserves a place for exploration for the female subject, a situation that is denounced by Mia
Couto’s novels. The works of this study deal with some discussions about colonization, the
war for independence and the post-colonial period, aiming to understand current issues that
interfere in the Mozambican women’s lives. The characters Farida, from Terra sonâmbula
(1992) and Mariamar, from A confissão da leoa (2012) will represent, here, how colonial
practices are reproduced and how they persist in the country’s social life even after
independence.
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