The Story of Mozambique （Vol.１） Miho Yokota

This is Miho Yokota of Global Bridge Network (GBN). I would like to talk about a very attractive country, Mozambique where I lived for 9 years from 2009 to 2018.

 

At Bondoia village, Moamba district in 2010

＜About Mozambique＞

Mozambique is a country located in Southern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east. The land area of Mozambique is about twice of Japan, and its population is 29,490 thousand (2018, World Bank). Same as Japan, Mozambique is a long country that extends north to south, and the culture, language, climate are different from North to South.

Red circles are Uganda and Mozambique

＜History＞

In 1498, Vasco da Gama (Portuguese) arrived at Mozambique, and the Portuguese colonized Mozambique for more than 300 years. Thus, the official language of Mozambique is Portuguese. In 1962, Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (FRELIMO) was established, and Mozambique achieved independence in June 25, 1975. However, Mozambique was suffered from the fires of the civil war, which was the proxy war between the Soviet Union and the U.S. during 17 years (1975-1992).

 

　An unexploded bomb found at Chinhanguanine in 2009

On October 4, 1992 General Peace Agreement for Mozambique was signed. Japan dispatched Self-Defense Forces units and other personnel to the United Nations Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ) from 1993 to 1995 to serve as staff officers, movement control units, and election observers.

After the civil war, postwar reconstruction and economic and social development have progressed under a relatively stable political situation. However, a lot of weapons from the Soviet Union, the U.S. and other countries were left in the hands of the citizens.

Conflicts between FRELIMO and the opposition party RENAMO have continued even after the civil war. On August 1, 2019, President Filipe Nyusi and RENAMO leader signed a peace agreement bringing an end to the six year conflict. However new threats to peace arose in October 2017.

＜Relationship between Japan and Mozambique＞

In the 16th century, a tall African man arrived in Japan and served missionary of the Society of Jesus who propagated Christianity in Japan. Oda Nobunaga was interested in his black skin and asked to wash his body to see if the black color declines. Oda Nobunaga liked him, and he became the first foreign-born man to achieve the status of a samurai named Yasuke. Yasuke was considered as a Mozambican. His checkered life story is the subject of a film being produced by Hollywood.

Nanban Byobu of the 16th century

＜Peace Building Activities in Mozambique＞

Japan contributed to building peace in Mozambique after the civil war (1975-1992) in another way. During the civil war, many weapons were brought from the U.S., Soviet Union and many other countries. Discharged soldiers personally obtained weapons, thus many weapons left in their hands. More than 6 million AK47 (Soviet assault rifle) existed in Mozambique and many flew into South Africa (as weapons in the Mozambican black market were much cheaper than that of South Africa).  

 A rusted gun collected in Chinhanguanine village, Moamba district 

 

The Mozambique government supported TAE (Transforming Arms into Plowshares）project to maintain public peace and illegal flow of weapons to neighboring countries. 

◆About TAE project

A Mozambican Anglican priest, Denis S. Sengulane advocated the project, and a NGO CCM (Christian Council of Mozambique) conducted jointly with the police and he military. This project is disarmament initiative that exchanges weapons for development tools (such as bicycles, pedal sewing machines, construction materials, cement and zinc sheets etc.)

Japanese citizens’ organizations including Ehime Global Network (EGN) supported TAE project by sending relief supplies such as abandoned bicycles. Since 2000, EGN has sent 760 abandoned bicycles provided by Matsuyama city without counter value and other relief supplies including donated school materials in order to support TAE project. Bicycles were used to exchange with weapons and as a means of transportation for students of Bondoia 
elementary school in Malengane area, Moamba district.  

Bicycles sent from Matsuyama city and students of Bondoia elementary school

Weapons in good conditions can be sold for several hundred US dollar in black markets in Mozambique. It would be precious income for poor citizens. Also it would be a risk for citizens who experienced civil war to relinquish arms. Therefore CCM conducted peace education = disarmament of the mind as well as improvement of living standard of communities based on peace. For example CCM constructed water wells, local clinics, or elementary schools in the communities which cooperated to collect weapons.

Guns collected in Northern provinces

 Between 1995 and 2012, CCM collected more than 2 million weapons (including small arms, landmines, hand grenade, rocket bomb etc.) and those weapons were destroyed so that they can never be used again. The collected weapons might be a mere part of the total. However, the fact that a NGO and citizens continually tackled to build peace must be important.

It is quoted from a speech on October 4^th 2012, at the 20^th anniversary of peace ceremony in Maputo. “Peace cannot be maintained without effort. Citizen’s constant efforts brought about current peace in Mozambique. Mozambicans have to make further effort to achieve peace.”

I appreciate your reading my story all the way through.

 （Continue to Vol.2）

 

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