A Short History of Mozambique

by Malyn D. Newitt

This comprehensive overview traces the evolution of modern Mozambique, from its early modern origins in the Indian Ocean trading system and the Portuguese maritime empire to the fifteen-year civil war that followed independence and its continued after-effects.


Though peace was achieved in 1992 through international mediation, Mozambique's remarkable recovery has shown signs of stalling. Malyn Newitt explores the historical roots of Mozambican disunity and hampered development, beginning with the divisive effects of the slave trade, the drawing of colonial frontiers in the 1890s and the lasting particularities of the north, centre and south, inherited from the compartmentalized approach of concession companies.

Following the nationalist guerrillas' victory against the Portuguese in 1975, these regional divisions resurfaced in a civil war pitting the south against the north and centre, over attempts at far-reaching socioeconomic change. The settlement of the early 1990s is now under threat from a revived insurgency, and the ghosts of the past remain. This book seeks to distill this complex history, and to understand why, twenty-five years after the Peace Accord, Mozambicans still remain among the poorest people in the world.

Genres: Africa, History, Mozambique

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2017

About the author

Malyn Newitt is a professor in the Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies at King's College London.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen resumen para tener una idea de la historia de Mozambique. Muy centrado en lo económico.

[Erik Champenois · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice review of Mozambique's history from the sixteenth century through 2016. Very concise - for example, I thought coverage of the civil war was quite minimal. I was especially interested in learning about the Mfecane and the impact of the Zulu kingdom's growth in the early to middle 19th century on the territory of southern Mozambique and Zimbabwe, leading to the migration of the Ngoni and the establishment of the Gaza kingdom. It was also interesting to learn about Mozambique being different from Angola in its lack of natural resources and lack of a widespread popular revolt against the Portuguese. The author explains how Mozambique lacks the express ethnic conflict and divisions found elsewhere in the continent, and is more divided by region (south, north, and Zambesi). Finally, the author concludes with some thoughts on Mozambique being one of the largest recipients of foreign aid and yet remaining one of the poorest countries in the world, with aid and the proliferation of NGOs having failed to lead to fundamental changes, and clientelist politics and corruption remaining a significant barrier to greater progress.

[Ritesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, compact read on the history of Mozambique. It was particularly interesting to learn about the "cosmopolitan" nature of Mozambique in the 1500s and 1600s, and relative peace between the different groups of people who inhabited this beautiful country.

[Tom King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid start to exploration of Mozambique. Could have done with a more engaging style and more cultural colour, but it's hard to pack the entire history of a country into a book this length, so overall I'm impressed.

[Igor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only read the chapter 2 - THE SIXTEENTH TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES.
So it is hard to grade the book. One thing was clear: Mozambique was completely different from Angola.

[Sophie Neiman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for work. It gave a helpful and concise view of the history, weaving decades of events into around 200 pages. While I'm impressed by the author's expert knowledge and her ability to quickly convey a great deal information, the human forces that shaped Mozambique are left out as result. Very rarely are the ways in which people contributed to historical movements considered. The breadth of the subject matter also means that there is little time for analysis. Not much is said about the legacies of colonial extraction or structural adjustment programs; even less about the horrific violence of the civil war. As a result, this book often reads like a list of facts and dates, rather than considering the country and its people with the necessary humanity and complexity to make it memorable.

[Ari Rickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is concise and readable. It offers a large, introductory sweep into Mozambican history. However, the writing could be tighter. Also, it does not go very in depth on most topics, there are references to people and places which aren't fully explained - likely because an explanation would have jeopardized the promised brevity. Fair enough, but there could have been more footnotes to substantiate and allow further exploration of each claim. To that end though, the bibliography looks like a useful guide for further reading.

[Hugo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly out of date and does not cover the recent conflict in northern Mozambique. But still a great place to start on Mozambican history. At times a bit lengthy and confusing order on the colonial history chapters that I thought could be more chronological. Nevertheless, I found it to be very informative and definitely has you understanding the country with greater clarity!

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it does deliver the modest goal of its title. It's a history of Mozambique. And it's short. But it's also dry and could have used another proofread.