As dinâmicas psicossociais do trabalho das zungueiras angolanas

Abstract

“Zungueiras” is the name given, in Angola, to women who work as street vendors, touring the
cities and offering different products. In order to understand the daily life and challenges of
the “zungueiras”, a research was carried out in the city of Lubango, Huíla province, using
ethnography as a methodological resource. Immersions were carried out in the zunga universe
by monitoring the work of six zungueiras. In this monitoring, observations and interviews
were carried out, recorded and registered in a field diary. It was possible to verify that the work of the zungueiras requires intense mobility and is carried out in an extremely informal
and precarious way, without any legal support and recognition by the municipal authorities or
larger spheres. In addition to the precariousness, the zungueiras are criminalized and
persecuted by municipal inspectors and they are object of prejudice and strong rejection for
being considered an undesirable presence in the city, an attempt against the aesthetics of a city
that pursues the ideals of modern urbanism.
Keywords: Angola; Zungueira; Informal Work.