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Kummwangalela Guebuza : The Mozambican General Elections of 2004 In Muidumbe and the Roots of the Loyalty of Makonde People to Frelimo

2006; Brill; Volume: 13; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1163/176830806778698150

1768-3084

Paolo Israel,

Language, Linguistics, Cultural Analysis

For strategic reasons, Makonde people were the backbone of the Frelimo army during the Mozambican war of independence. Since then, Makonde people are almost fanatically devoted to Frelimo. During the Mozambican general elections of December 2004, the people of the district of Muidumbe enthusiastically supported the candidature of Armando Emilio Guebuza throughout a massive electoral campaign, during which members of the other parties were often threatened and harassed. The elder women of Muidumbe organised a special ceremony to propitiate Guebuza’s candidature, as if he were a boy undergoing initiation (likumbi). This shows how politics and ritual are deeply intertwined in Makonde society. This paper addresses the issue of Makonde “ethnic” loyalty to Frelimo, through a description of the 2004 elections in Muidumbe, and historical analysis. It will try to show how Frelimo became a cornerstone of Makonde identity because of the processes of radical transformation that the Makonde society underwent during the war of liberation and in its aftermath.