Past and Present Together here in Moz

When you think of Africa in general, what’s the first thing that pops into your head?

Notice that I said Africa and not Mozambique or any other country that lives on this continent. Because we as Americans generalize Africa in a way that we don’t for other regions of the world. And whether you admit it or not, if someone were to say “I’m taking a trip to Africa”, you would likely have a knee-jerk response…maybe something like this:

“Take a picture of an elephant!”

“Is it safe there?…I heard it’s not safe there.”

“What are you going to eat?”

“Do they speak English?”

“Will you see any white people?”

“It’s going to be sooo hot! Will there be A/C?”

But likely the majority of the American population wouldn’t ask “where in Africa?” because to most of us, Africa is one giant country, and all of its residents share the same beliefs, religion, values system, and culture. Why else would we generalize “Africa” that way that we do? 

Then, when you think about it a little harder and realize that there are 54 countries in Africa, the generalizations can perhaps lessen, making room for the exploration of different cultures. 

Since living in Mozambique, I have learned a lot about the culture here, and that Mozambican culture is different from not only American culture (which is to be expected), but also very different from its neighbors such as Swaziland, South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia. 

The image that Cady from Mean Girls shows us about what it was like “living in Africa” is NOT the way it actually is. 

So, naturally because I’m quite spunky, I found myself getting irritated when people asked me questions such as, “do they wear actual clothes?” and “do they do African dances”?  It’s like, no, the African Jungle Warriors that you see in the movies are NOT my neighbors. My neighbors in fact wear jeans and button-down shirts, cardigans and Converses. They really like to listen to Chris Brown and Britney Spears. They bump and grind and sometimes I feel awkward when I see my students do it. Gabriel, my 11th grader who is really good at English, likes to break dance. People walk around with smart(ish) phones and ear buds and sing out loud to American songs. There are computers and call phones and tablets. And I do believe that Mozambique is doing a pretty darn good job of “staying in the know” about fashion, technology and art, even though there is a lot of work to be done before it is considered ‘developed’. I felt as though part of my job as a volunteer was to share with Americans this type of information. 

Even though Mozambique is a developing country, some things about people are true no matter where you are. They want to look good. They want to express themselves. They want to do better than just survive. Of course, that looks different here in Moz than it does in the States, but our goals as human beings are the same. My community is not made up of barbarians who find and kill lions with their bare hands to feed their families. 

And really, I don’t think my defensiveness about all this is a bad thing. The general population has some growing to do in terms of understanding the culture and ways of life that countries in Africa practice. But then, this past week I gained a different perspective that further opened my mind about Mozambican culture.

Last Thursday, we had Dia da Escola, which was our school’s giant birthday party. In the morning we drank tea and then played soccer. For lunch, groups of students prepared traditional Mozambican dishes to sell. After lunch, the cultural performances started. There was singing and dancing of all different types. Professors dressed in the same capulana to sing the national anthem. A group of students went back to their roots with spears and arrows and painted faces, and presented themselves proudly. There were theater performances, slow, sexy dancing, pretty awesome break dancing, Mozambique’s version of “pop dance” (think Usher), dramatic poetry reading and rope skipping. I could tell the students worked really hard to prepare their pieces, and they were really proud to perform in front of professors and peers. It was a really wonderful blend of remembering pre-colonialism Mozambican culture, current South Africa-inspired culture, and American Pop Culture. 

Students selling traditional Mozambican dishes for lunch

Teachers in matching capulana singing the national anthem. The dude is the school director.

Students performing a hip-hop dance routine with chairs as props.

Students performing pop dance together.

A student being cheeky during a dance performance.

A student proudly presenting his roots.

My best Mozambican friend, Mana Marta, singing and dancing for all the students. (She has an album out!)

So then, when the “Back to our Roots” act started to present, I couldn’t help but realize that students and teachers were proudly presenting this aspect of their history, but that for some reason I feel like it’s my job to convince Americans that “that’s not what Africa is like”. How can it be true at the same time that Mozambique tries to adapt American culture (they want to go to America, they want to listen to American music and wear American clothing brands and watch American actors on TV), while also hanging onto the beautiful, early traditions of Mozambicans from years and years and years ago? So I started thinking, and realized it’s not that weird.

By the time Portugal arrived in Mozambique for the first time in 1498, Bantu-speaking tribes had already been living on the land that is now considered Mozambique for 12 centuries…TWELVE HUNDRED YEARS. That is a LOT of time to make traditions and pass them onto multiple generations. Portugal began aggressively setting up shop in Mozambique during the 15th century, and by the 18th century, Mozambique becomes a major slave-trade center. The slave trade is banned in the early part of the 19th century, but Portuguese companies continue to use Mozambicans for free or cheap labor for many years after (which, let’s be honest…still sounds a lot like slavery to me). In 1932 Portugal officially declares that they have direct rule of Mozambique as a colony of Portugal and for the next 32 years, Portugal [continues] to run the show. 

So, for roughly 5 centuries, Portugal essentially tried to silence the culture of Bantu tribes to make room for a thriving economy and the zillions of Portuguese settlers that came with it. In 1964, a war for Independence starts, which lasts for 9 years, 11 months and 2 weeks. That is a really freaking long time to be fighting to win back your own land (and rights, and culture and freedom). Eventually they did it and in 1974, 250,000 Portuguese settlers left Mozambique, and Moz became an independent country. 

If this brief history of Moz was too long, and you didn’t read it, I’ll sum it up with this: The Portuguese moved in and for about 500 years stomped out much of the culture that had incubated in Mozambique to make room for Portuguese culture, economy and success. And after a very long time, Mozambicans decided to fight back and eventually won. Colonists tried to take away the traditions, values, belief systems, and ways of expression that at one time guided the lives of many Bantu-speaking tribes. But in 1974, the Mozambicans won and once again regained the freedom to express themselves in a way that represents their history, their grandparents, and their grandparents’ grandparents. 

So, today, even though teenagers and adults alike think its totally cool to listen to American music and wear business casual clothes to work, and be able to converse in English, they also take great pride in where they came from and who Mozambique is culturally. I cannot go to a party without seeing women wearing capulanas and head wraps, without eating traditional Mozambican dishes, or without hearing beautiful music sung in the local (Bantu) language. 

Last week, at Dia da Escola, I learned that just like Mozambicans, it’s important that I not only share the modern side of Mozambican Culture with my friends and family in the States, but the traditional side as well. Yes, Africa isn’t all loin cloths and bows and arrows, but there is some really rich history here that shouldn’t be forgotten.