...the hippopotamus of the Zambesi

Currency: Metical of Mozambique, although common currency is USD. 1€uro is around 23.850 Metical and around 24.250 Metical for one USD.
Economics: mainly agriculture, although only a very small percentage of the land is grown.
Industries: food, chemical, oil products, textile, cement, glass and tobacco.
Rate of growth of industrial products: 39% (1997 estimate)
Export: 295 million Dollars (1998 estimate)
Exported Products: crawfish, anacard, cotton, sugar, copra (coconut paste), citrus fruits
Export partner: Spain (17%) South Africa (16%), Portugal (12%), USA (10%), Japan, Malawi, India and Zimbabwe.
Import: 965 million Dollars.
Imported products: food, clothes, hardware for the industry and oil.
Import partner: South Africa (55%), Zimbabwe (7%), Saudi Arabia (5%), Portugal (4%), USA, Japan, India.

Most probably, the first habitats of Mozambique were nomads and lived hunting and gathering the products of the land. From 300AD the Bantu tribe coming from the south tought them how to grow vegetables and work iron. Since about 600, Mozambique was the land of seldom visits of Arabs, Persians, Cinese and Indonesian looking for gold, ivory amber, skins and rhinos’ horns.

In 1498 Portuguese reached the costs and, thanks to Vasco de Gama, they found a relatively developed country with its own boats with the tools for navigation and stock houses. At the beginning, Portuguese just trade and make bargains with Mozambiquese, the “Monantapa Empire”, but starting in 1962, military forces imposed the feudal system, like in Europe, with a few landlords whose imposed taxes to locals.
The formal declaration of Portuguese colony was given in 1752 and since then the slavery started  until it reached, in 1820, the 85% of the total country export goods!!!
This shameful trade lasted almost one century, untile 1912, and at the end of it, 2 millions people were taken as slaves in the sugar plantations in Brazil and Cuba.

Britain and Germany were glimpsing at the Portuguese colony and agreed on its partition. Actually, in 1891, one third of the country was under the control of British commercial companies. In 1926 the destiny of Mozambique as colony was once again reaffirmed by the fascist dictator Antonio Salazar. A relatively quite and politically stable time started since then and the number of European grew constantly (27,000 people in 1940, 97,000 people in 1960).

This stability, ho 1950. The anger exploded with violence anticipating the following search for independence: the 16 June 1960 an exasperated crowd strike in front of the Govern of the County against hard labour and the reply was that soldiers shot on the crowd causing the death of 600 people (Mueda’s massacre).

In 1962 the FRELIMO (Frente de Libertacao de Mocambique) started his action in Dar as Salaam headed by Eduardo Mondlane. FRELIMO begun as a socialist association with the aim of organizing villages at the Soviet Union way.

From a peaceful association, very soon FRELIMO became an armed movement. In 1964 the first war action against Portuguese colonial laws and the Portuguese government replied increasing the number of anti rebellion policemen (PIDE) of 35,000 soldiers.

In 1969 PIDE murdered Modlane thus obtaining an unexpected reaction, since FRELIMO was trusting now also on the population support, so that in 1972 Portuguese in the Country were a few in a little number of places.

1974 was a crucial and tragic year in the history of Mozambique: on the 25^th of April the Portuguese army headed by Officers started a “coup d’etat” called “the gillyflower revolution” that resigned the govern of Marcello Caetano, since Officers were fed up of fighting; the army was a four years service and the Govern could not anymore handle the huge amount of money for the war. The new military government born from the revolution stopped immediately the war in Mozambique, Angola and Guinea Bassau.

During the following September, the leadership of the Country was peacefully given to Frelimo headed by Joaquim Chissano in order to obtain the freedom from Portugal. Joaquim Chissano will be the second president of Mozambique

On the 25^th June 1975 Mozambique proclaimed his independency

FRELIMO headed by Samore Moises Machel, who became the first president of Mozambique, will steer the Country since 25 June 1975. Due to his Marxist Leninist culture he prohibited the missionaries activity made the missionary acting like teachers in the schools or employing them in various activities. Many missionaries were expelled from the Country and other decided to leave the Country before the repression guided by Frelimo against the Church murdered them.

Frelimo was characterised by a strong Marxist attitude, the “cold war” is still on and the divisions between the two blocks, east and west are very clear. This is why one of the first public actions of the new government was to take the land and the properties of the Church for the State. It was really difficult to be a missionary at that time.

In March 1976 Mozambique closed its borders with Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in order to support the war of independence. The White govern of Yan Smith replied the following year supported the action of RENAMO (Resistencia National Mocambicana) with special troops trained in South Africa. The war action of Renamo was primarily against barracks, streets, schools and hospitals. It’s civil war again, that will last until 1992 with death, murderers and destroying the Country.

Thousands of Mozambiquese became refugees and fugitives of the near Zambia, Malawi and after the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980, also in this country, to escape from death on both sides: Frelimo and Renamo.

It is now 1980, when also Zimbabwe is an independent Country, while South Africa is still the bigger supporter of Renamo. From 1980 for 10 the following years Mozambique will live the dark “time of the instability”. The war between the parts get worse and worse: South Africa supports totally Renamo and Zimbabwe take part of it sending troops to defend the territory of Beira (1982).

In 1983 the violence that reigns in the Country is growing once again and finally the government decided to ask for the international help. President Samora Machel accepted the imposition of Portoria and expelled ANC (African National Congress, an association of south African activists which was declared out of law due to its actions against apartheid, Mandela being one of them) as guarantee that helps to Renamo were cut off. President of South Africa, Botha, did not honour the agreement and continued to support Renamo.

In 1986 Samora Machel died in a plane accident in obscure circumstances. Joaqium Chissano was the next president.

In 1989, during an official congress, Frelimo abandoned the Marxist Leninist teaching.

In 1990 the true peace is becoming a reality: during July the first meeting between the Government and Renamo, during November Mozambique has a new Costitution (different parties, periodic elections…).

Finally, it is the 4th October 1992, with the strong support of the S. Egid Community, who has been carrying out several years of political mediation and President Chissano and the leader of Renamo, Alfonso Dhalkama signed a peace treaty and on the 15th October the war is over.

Since 1992 Mozambique started a slow process of economical growth thanks to the new political stability.

For the year 2000 it was forecasted the greater economic growth (10%), but unfortunately the Nature put his negative effect with a violent hurricane that destroyed villages, cultures and many people died.

Today, year 2002, Mozambique is looking for the balance in the economics. The government imposed strong cut to social costs to balance the economics and fall within the constraints given by the globe economical organisations. If these constraints will be honoured the Country will be able to trust on worldwide founds and international loans. Who is really bearing this economical effort is the poor social classes. Unfortunately the law “who was poor is now even more poor and the rich richer” is applicable, with no ways of escape.

Sanitary assistance is to be paid. If you have the money to buy medicines you can heel yourself, you can go to the Pharmacies of the richest places in the bigger town and buy whatever you want. If you do not have the money, you have to queue in the outskirts of the main towns and have to hope that when it will be you go, you will have enough money to buy the medicine you need.

The Government sold the societies for public services: water, electricity and gas. Rates are now very high, so the medium classes are again poor since the bills to pay are too high and cannot store food bought in the store shops (lower prices) since they cannot afford to keep the fridge turned on. They have to buy small quantity of food in the small markets in the villages that are more expensive. And this is only one side: the price of water is increasing every day.
In Maputo people have enough money to buy mobile phones… globalisation is here, too… Also in Mozambique the communication is business.

The economics of Mozambique is very similar to that of other countries and it is based mainly on agriculture (about the 30% of the gross internal product). The evaluation of the land started only a few decades ago and is rather slow since there are no investors and because of the lack of means of communications.
Breeding is not developed and anyway diseases are very common. Diseases cannot be heeled since there is no money to spend on it.

Mineral excavations are still scarcely exploited although the land is quite rich.

Industry is mainly based on manufactured products.

The result is that Mozambique is really depending upon importation of goods. It is therefore necessary to spend a lot of money to import basic goods, thus unbalancing the costs, being almost three times the small gross internal product.

Mozambique News Agency - AIM Report - Mondo dell'Informazione - Mozambico