Angola Janga: Kingdom of Runaway Slaves

by Marcelo D'Salete

Overview

An acclaimed cartoonist tells the harrowing, life-affirming history of a Brazilian slave state.

An independent kingdom of runaway slaves founded in the late 16th century, Angola Janga was a beacon of freedom in a land plagued with oppression. In stark black ink and chiaroscuro panel compositions, D’Salete brings history to life; the painful stories of fugitive slaves on the run, the brutal raids by Portuguese colonists, and the tense power struggles within this precarious kingdom. At turns heartbreaking and empowering, Angola Janga sheds light on a long-overlooked moment of resistance against oppression.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683961918
Publisher:	Fantagraphics Books
Publication date:	06/11/2019
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	994,078
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.80(d)
Age Range:	16 Years

About the Author

Brazilian cartoonist Marcelo D’Salete is a graduate of the University of Sao Paulo with a degree in fine arts. He is an acclaimed illustrator, teacher, and historical author who lives in Italy.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/20/2019

The final decades of struggle against Portuguese colonialism in Brazil are retold in this sweeping, monumental graphic novel, which follows slaves who have escaped sugar plantations as they form thriving villages deep in the unfriendly jungle. Eisner winner D’Salete focuses on several characters—particularly Zumbi, the leader of Macaco, a large village in a region known as Angola Janga—with key scenes widening the narrative scope, such as a blockbuster-worthy battle between ruthless bounty hunters and fugitives. Backstories reveal the depths of inherited dehumanization: Zumbi runs from a relatively safe position, after white boys taunt him with a manacle and he maims one of them; while warrior Soares attacks the heir to the plantation he works after being denied promised emancipation, and then flees. As the communities establish self-governance, broken promises lead to repeated dashed hopes, as when Zona, adviser to Zumbi, turns informant, believing a shifty governor’s peace offer. Subplots about colonizers and colonized alike bring to life history rife with messy contradictions, such as a scene where the motherly Curiva tries to stamp out the optimism clung to by the young Dara, only to be dumbfounded when it leads to freedom. The stark, handsome art is rendered in heavily shaded linework, which recalls woodcuts, with wordless sections reminiscent of Flood! by Eric Drooker. D’Salate’s bold, often bloody, action-filled scenes combine to form a magnificent history of resistance. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"A powerful work, and absolutely beautiful to boot."

Gosh Comics

"In striking black-and-white illustrations using a variety of pens and brushes, [D'Salete] tells deeply unsettling stories about the institution [of slavery]'s brutality in his country."

NPR

"The energy of D'Salete's images—the angled perspectives, the chiseled details, the abrupt close-ups, the streaked strokes of his shading—are a match for his equally powerful subject matter."

PopMatters

"D'Salete fleshes out an important episode of Black resistance to slavery in the heart of the Amazon in this galloping 424-page graphic novel."

The Daily Star

"An awe-inspiring history ... masterfully drawn."

LA Times

11/01/2019

Brazil's east coast, 1600–1740. Portugal establishes sugarcane plantations and buys millions of enslaved Africans as labor. But during the temporary Dutch occupation, many escape to hidden fugitive communities known as mocambos. Angola Janga, also called Palmares, is a group of mocambos that the Portuguese aim to destroy despite heroic escapee resistance. With moody, heavily shaded black linework, D'Salete dramatizes the harrowing struggle by focusing on individual Africans and Portuguese, some characters based on real people.

Library Journal