History of Mozambique
the history of Mozambique during its prehistoric time is badly known but the first inhabitants of the area were ancestors of the Bochiman S which were gradually driven out territory of the future Mozambique, between the 1st century and the 4th century, by waves of settlements of language Bantou, arriving by the valley of the Zambezi.
The new arrivals, contrary to the original Hunter-gatherer S, controlled the Agriculture and the work of the Fer and had contrary to Bochimans a hierarchical company. The system of formation were such as the parents learn their trade with the children, moreover the inhabitants tries to memorize an oral tradition. The presence of the road connecting the kingdom of the Zimbabwe to the Indian Ocean supported the establishment of many Comptoir S commercial by the Indian navigators , Arab S and Chinese. Those existed since several Siècle S, when Vasco de Gama, during its first forwarding in 1498, recognized the east coast of the Africa, establishing contacts with African after an unloading in bay of Delagoa, on the site of future the Lourenço Marques, and with the sultan Mussa Mbiki directing an small island with broad of Madagascar in bay of Mossuril.
It is name of this sultan, Musa Mbiki, which will give in Portuguese Moçambique , which will first of all be used to indicate the island, then all the African coast facing him.
Portuguese colonization
By the signature of the Treated of Tordesillas in 1494, all the Africa fell into the sphere of influence from the Portugal.
Colonization started at the beginning of the 16th century, by the capture of the small island of Moçambique in 1507, during the second forwarding of Vasco de Gama, and construction in 1510 of a square extremely and a city, São Sebastião de Moçambique, which were placed under the authority of the Vice-roi of the Indies resident to Goa.
Like their predecessors, Indians, the Portuguese devoted themselves to very juicy traffics, of Ivoire and developed the Traite blacks practiced then by the Arabs, with the assistance of African chiefs.
In 1544, Lourenço Marques explores the continental coasts, and other counters are created. But as from the period, of 1580 with 1640, during which the crowns Spanish Portuguese and are joined together, these establishments are more or less abandoned with themselves, the profit of those of India and the Far East, definitely more profitable, and of colonization Brésil ienne. In spite of the decline of the interest of the metropolis, the activity continues, in particular the sale of Esclave S bound for the Saudi Arabia and of the Ottoman Empire.
In 1752, the territory of Mozambique is equipped with a autonomous administration colonial compared to Portuguese India. But this colonial administration remained based on a structure of occupation military, deprived of systems of laws and given up with arbitrary of the representatives of the metropolis.
At the 19th century, a system of great land properties prazos starts to set up, that Europeans make cultivate by local peasants maintained in a state of Servage.
The British emit at the time of serious doubt about the reality of the local government and denounce the inconsistency of Portuguese colonization. These criticisms are all the more strong as in spite of the abolition of the draft in 1836, this one continues and is denounced by Livingstone.
Lisbon was not long in answering British criticisms and organized forwardings starting from 1845 to show its presence and to affirm its authority.
In 1877, the rush towards the Or with the Transvaal encouraged the few colonists to venture more towards the interior of the grounds. São Sebastião de Moçambique then loses its prevalence with the profit of Lourenço Marques, connected in 1890 to the Transvaal by the first railway of the territory. The wearing of Lourenço-Marks had indeed become the natural outlet for the export of the ores of the Witwatersrand. Mozambique then became an occult dependence of anglophone Africa.
In 1891, the Eastern border of Mozambique with the Zambézie of the South was fixed by treated. In the operation, the British recovered Manicaland.
The Portuguese government then decided to entrust the exploitation of the major part of the country for fifty years to three private companies which were seen allotting the capacities of a State on a territory and the monopoly of its exploitation in exchange of a Redevance versed to Portugal. These 3 companies were:
- Companhia de Moçambique, based with Beira, which controlled the districts of Manica and Sofala is 135.000 km ². Its capital was primarily French but also Portuguese, British and South-African.
- the Company of Zambézie, which controlled the districts of Tete and Quelimane is 155.000 km ². Its capital was primarily Portuguese, German, French, South-African and British.
- the Company of Niassa, finally, which was held by British capital and controlled all the north of the Mozambican territory.
In fact, only the company of Mozambique developed infrastructures, in particular the line of Railroad connecting Beira to Salisbury completed in 1900. It was also this company which developed the commercial culture of the Sucre which became principal the Exportation of Mozambique.
In 1929, at the end of the mandate of these companies, the territory of Mozambique still poor, not was developed and badly controlled.
Mozambique under the mode of Salazar
The come to power in Portugal of António de Oliveira Salazar marked the beginning of a more voluntarist policy to develop the colonies. It appeared in 3 different phases and by the innovative idea, by reports/ratios at the previous times, which had to be ensured the integration of the Mozambican territory and its metropolis. Thus, the legal framework and institutional of the territory was finally determined by the determination of the principle of the indivisibility of the State and the Nation, the colonial governments being an emanation of the centralizing capacity of the metropolis. In Mozambique, the representative bodies concern however only the colonists. No consultation or representation of the indigenous populations in the executive councils or legislatures was still envisaged. An indigenous statute is even written in order to regulate the circulation of African, their access to the public places, the territorial distribution and the access to employment.The policy of territorial integration of the colonies to the Portuguese national space carried out by the mode salazarist was also based on a policy favorable to the emigration and the establishment of the Portuguese in Angola and Mozambique. It was to be favoured by the development of the producing activities like the mine S and the Industrie. This policy of integration aimed at the Africans themselves, which by a policy of assimilation " with the mérite" , could integrate the Portuguese nation.
In 1930, the number of European colonists in Mozambique is only of 30.000 people. The policy of territorial integration will contribute to quickly make it increase to reach 200.000 people with beginning of the year 70 (3% of the population). Nevertheless, the importance of this Portuguese Immigration in Mozambique remained relatively insufficient and lower than what was awaited, the Portuguese candidates with the emigration preferring clearly, lasting this period, outward journey to be established with the Brésil.
After the Second world war, in 1951, Mozambique and the other African possessions become Portuguese provinces overseas. Generally, the absence of financial means sufficient for the development of the natural resources of the Mozambican territory obvious and is marked by a weak historical development of the infrastructures.
Nevertheless, of the efforts are accomplished on the level of the agricultural activities, developed around two great types of agriculture, a side the plantations of Canne to sugar, The, Coprah and Sisal and other side the Coton.
The principal realization of extent of the mode was the energy development, marked by the exploitation of layers coal niers and by the beginning of the construction of the Barrage of Cabora Bassa.
The war of independence
The June 25th 1962, with the Tanganyika, several groups anticoloniaux founded the Front of release of Mozambique (FRELIMO), a movement which preaches the rejection in entirety of the colonial system Capitaliste in a context of Class struggle and of revolutionary fight. The FRELIMO chose to place the insurrection armed in the center with the political struggle, in order to mobilize the rural populations, brought to constitute the social and political base movement. It took its first action of Guérilla as from September 1964 in spite of the internal dissensions which weakened the movement. The COREMO, supported by the Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda but also combined with UNITA Angola is and with the Congress African Side, was not able to be essential vis-a-vis the FRELIMO in the field of the Armed struggle against the Portuguese administration.In 1968, the first governor civil of Mozambique was named, the army having provided the majority of the colonial governors up to that point.
In spite of the assassination in 1969 of its historical leader Eduardo Mondlane, the FRELIMO became the only nationalist movement of guerilla to being able to fight against the colonial capacity.
The FRELIMO is finally recognized internationally like liberation movement main road. Its direction tricéphale was then made up of a Marxist, Samora Machel, of an intellectual, Marcelino back Santos, and of moderate, the reverend Uria Simango. After this last joins the COREMO, Samora Machel quickly took the ascending one on the movement whereas Dos Santos (a Métis) preferred to be erased in front of a black representing the Working class. Dos Santos remained nevertheless the ideologist as a chief of the FRELIMO.
In 1972, a " national movement of résistance" was created of all parts by the secret services of Rhodesia with for mission of attacking the base camps of the nationalist movements of Rhodesia.
In April 1974, the FRELIMO controlled the north of the country and the area of Head, is a third of the territory, as for Portugal, the Révolution of the eyelets put an end to the Dictature salazarist. The FRELIMO became the privileged interlocutor of the Portuguese although in a few weeks, about thirty political parties transfer the day in Mozambique. September 7th, 1974, an agreement was signed in Lusaka between Portugal and the FRELIMO fixing a calendar for a cease-fire, the establishment of a provisional government for the proclamation of the independence of Mozambique.
Part of the Portuguese colonists was then ulcerated announced abandonment of the colony. Some wanted to take model on the Rhodesia and following the example Ian Smith, to make declare independence unilaterally. An attempt at Coup d'etat badly prepared takes place then. Colonists seized the buildings of the national radio, occupied the telephone exchange and released the agents of PIDE, the secret police salazarist, stopped at the time of the Revolution of the eyelets. But the majority of the colonists resigned itself in fact on arrival of the FRELIMO to the capacity. A greater majority of them was resigned at the beginning and in a few months, the Portuguese population fell from 200.000 to 80.000 people, whereas independence had still not been proclaimed. The last sudden starts took place in October 1974. Some of the colonists burned their properties while leaving, the majority towards South Africa and Portugal.
The independence of Mozambique
The June 25th 1975, the independence of Mozambique was proclaimed and Samora Machel became the first president of the republic about it. According to the agreements made with the Portuguese government, of the pluralist elections were to be organized and a government of national union was to ensure the stability of the new country. In fact, the FRELIMO immediately monopolized the capacity which the Portuguese had given him, and on the Soviet Bloc was aligned politically, by setting up a State Socialiste. The pluralist elections did not take place. The new constitution proclaimed the establishment of a People's democracy, founded on a system of sole party and indirect elections.The economic and social state appeared deplorable then but the new government counted on the economic aid and political of the Soviet Union and Cuba then relaying those which were brought until there by Portugal and South Africa.
However, the country was going to be inserted in a Civil war poked by interests which exceeded those of Mozambique.
The Civil war
The FRELIMO, being based then on its legitimacy within the Mozambican population, was proclaimed like the sole party.Samora Machel then set up a socialist and dictatorial mode, nationalizing industries and the farms. It tried authoritatively to gather the villagers in Community villages, inspired of the villages Tanzania NS of Ujamaa, with an aim of supporting the access to the services and the education of the population but also to subrogate the old colonial plantations by farms of State.
On the international plan, Mozambique conformed to the international Sanction S economic against the Rhodesia and the South Africa in spite of its economic own interests what accentuated the economic, political and social disorganization of the country. The country also granted Asile to the nationalist movements in fight against the systems segregation nists of Rhodesia and South Africa. But in less than two years, following the massive departure of the Portuguese executives, the fast failure of the farms of State, the collapse of the harbor and railway traffic, logical consequence of the hostility of the Mozambican government in Rhodesia and South Africa, the country was ruined and at the edge of the Banqueroute. The systematic sabotage campaign carried out by the national Resistance of Mozambique (RENAMO), financed and supported initially by Rhodesia then by South Africa, ends up plunging the country in a civil war which was going to last 16 years.
In 1979, the FRELIMO thought of having overcome resistance when André Matzangaissa, the chief of the RENAMO, was killed but on the contrary, the Guérilla was maintained.
After the Independence of the Zimbabwe in 1980, South Africa took the changing of Rhodesia in the financial support and logistics with the RENAMO. The country was then cut into two. Renamo oscillated between being a movement of rebellion or a grouping gangster follower of the banditism and Sabotage. All the transportation routes were actually cut, the lines of transport of sabotaged energies and the rural developments destroyed. The port of Maputo sank in apathy whereas a dryness devastator fell down on the country causing famine and displacement of the population. Mozambique was going to become during about fifteen years one of the three poorest countries in the world and will be tributary of l´aide international in particular coming from the Scandinavian countries.
As of 1980, the FRELIMO had took note of the failure of its economic policy and social. Samora Machel had charged this failure to the ultra-gauchistes elements of the FRELIMO. Family agriculture was then rehabilitated and the reformed farms of State.
In 1983, the country turned the back on the Socialisme and adhered to the the IMF and the the World Bank. The Western capital, in particular Portuguese, started to return to Mozambique.
In 1984, a meeting at the top between Pieter Botha, president of South Africa, and Samora Machel led to the Agreements of Nkomati envisaging the stop of the assistance of Mozambique to the African National congress in exchange of the end of the South-African support for the RENAMO. But it was a failure, none the signatories not respecting his signature. At the same time the country adhered to the IMF and the World Bank and thus obtained a despays development assistance the EEC and the USA.
In 1986, the presidential plane in which Samora Machel was return of Zambia diverted and was crushed in South Africa, to 300 m of the Mozambican border. Last nine passengers were survivors of the remainders of the Tupolev controlled by a Soviet crew but president Samora Machel appeared among deaths. The international survey directed by South-African judge Cecil Margo, in which semi-officially the Soviets and the Mozambicans took part, concludes with a series from negligences from the crew.
After one short period of interim, Joaquim Chissano succeeded the father of Mozambican independence. He undertook a diplomatic rebalancing immediately and pacified his relations with the close Malawi, that Samora Machel had shown to give refuge to the RENAMO. He carried out an economic turn while proceeding to the first Privatization S in industry whereas the South-Africans themselves were encouraged to reinvest in the country.
In 1988, Chissano was diverted of the USSR which by twice had refused to grant the accession to him to the Comecon. If Chissano maintained nevertheless the treaty of friendship between the two countries, it turned only to Europeans and the the United States to obtain an financial aid. The September 13rd 1988, in Songo, Joaquim Chissano and Pieter Botha renewed the co-operation between their respective countries to save the dam Cahora Bassa. The bringing together between the two governments was facilitated by entregent Pik Botha, the South-African Minister for the foreign affairs who became one accustomed of Maputo.
In July 1989, the FRELIMO abjured the Marxisme. Little time afterwards, Chissano once again accommodated Pieter Botha on the site of the dam Cahora Bassa at the time of the completion of work of the tripartite commission (Portugal, Mozambique, South Africa) for the rehabilitation of the electric great project of development.
In 1990, whereas the Dictature S of Eastern Europe crumble the ones after the others (preceding that by the Soviet Union in 1991) and that Frederik de Klerk legalized the ANC in South Africa, the first peace talks took place between FréLiMo and the RENAMO, leading in November to a news Constitution, recognizing the Pluralisme Politique.
The October 4th 1992, with Rome, was signed an peace agreement under the aegis of the Communauté of Sant' Egidio and with the support of UNO, between Joaquim Chissano for the FRELIMO and Alfonso Dhlakama for the RENAMO. It took effect the October 15th.
A gripping force of peace, ONUMOZ, was then deployed in Mozambique. Its last quotas left the country in 1995.
The civil war had finally made a million victim, as many refugees in the adjoining countries and four million moved inside the country.
The democracy
In 1994, the elections gave victorious Frelimo de Joaquim Chissano and in spite of many testimonys of fraud, ReNaMo respected the result, being confined with the political opposition.
The return to peace caused the return of 1,7 million expatriates, as well as the return of four million moved inside the country. Economically, the country must then proceed to great reforms recommended by the great international institutions. Hundreds seem against-productive like the deregulation of the sector of the cashew nut which makes disappear 90% from the uses of this exporting industry.
In 1995, Mozambique adheres to the the Commonwealth, becoming the first member of this one not to have never made party of the British Empire. In December 1999 are held of new elections which still give the victory to Frelimo. Irregularities push Renamo to threaten a return to the civil war, but following its defeat before the supreme court, it ends up giving up it. At the end of the Nineties, Mozambique profited from the process of reduction of the debt of the poorest countries.
At the end of the Nineties and with the beginning of the year 2000, the country calls upon white farmers of South Africa and Zimbabwe to start again farms or redévelopper the cultures of Tabac, of Maïs, Soja, Piment, Tournesol…. The government concretely proposed to them grounds with the hiring for periods from 50 to 100 years, the goal being to support local employment.
In 2000, a Cyclone and the flood which follows it devastate the country, killing several hundreds of people.
In 2001, Joaquim Chissano indicates that it would not represent third once, and it is Armando Guebuza which succeeds to him the head of Frelimo, still gaining the elections of December 2004.
In 2005, several farms rented with the white farmers went bankrupt. Those reflect in question the policy of the Western governments directed towards the assistance with the reduction of poverty and not towards the development of the local resources and to in no case towards the long-term development of agriculture.
In 2006, the country counted 19 million Mozambicans including 1/3 alive in the cities, consequence of a fast Urbanisation intervened during the interminable civil war.
If it remains one of the poorest countries of the world, where the life expectancy is hardly 41 years, Mozambique knows since 1995 an exceptional annual growth which reaches 9% in 2005. The the World Bank thus quoted Mozambique like “a model of success. A success in terms of growth, and a model which shows with the other countries how to benefit the best from the international assistance”
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