Unit 5

History of Mozambique
Story
It is assumed that, from the 3rd century onwards, the first peoples who penetrated the
Mozambican territory, through the river valleys that come from the interior of the continent,
were called Bantu, and came to introduce agricultural and livestock activities, spreading, at
the same time, iron metallurgy technology.

By the end of the first millennium, several cities were flourishing along the entire East
African coast, where the Bantu traded with other parts of Africa, the Middle East and India.
From this fusion of the Bantu and Arab communities, the Swahili culture was born, which
includes the coast of Kenya, Tanzania and Northern Mozambique.

Since the 9th century there has been an important trade in ivory and perhaps gold in the
region south of the mouth of the Zambezi River where the Arabs later created the port of
Sofala. The Maravi kingdoms, between Lake Niassa (Malawi) and the Zambezi River, appear
to have been a confederation of small tribes with hereditary dynasties.

The country was already prosperous when the Portuguese arrived, at the end of the 15th
century (1498), and settled on the coast of Mozambique. Their arrival coincides with the
expansion of the Muenemutapas, who expanded from the Zimbabwe plateau and came to
occupy a vast territory that stretched across most of southern Africa from coast to coast.

The Portuguese penetration in Mozambique began in the 16th century. Only in 1885 — with
the partition of Africa by the European powers during the Berlin Conference — did it become
a military occupation, with the total submission of the existing states, leading, at the
beginning of the 20th century, to a true colonial administration. After a war of liberation,
which lasted about 10 years, Mozambique achieved its independence on June 25, 1975.
 continuation

After independence, renamed the People's Republic of Mozambique, the country followed a
socialist policy, which it had to abandon in 1987, when agreements were signed with the
World Bank and the IMF. This change was, in part, a result of the civil war, which the
country suffered between 1976 and 1992. Following the General Peace Agreement, the
country assumed a multi-party system, having held the first elections with the participation of
several parties in 1994.
Currently, Mozambique is a presidential republic, where the government is appointed by the
political party with a parliamentary majority. Elections are held every five years.
Stay in!

Bantu or Bantu is a term used to refer to a linguistic branch, that is, it is a language that
gave rise to several other languages in central and southern Brazil.African continent. The
term ended up being used to refer to the set of 300 to 600 different ethnic groups that
populate the same area. It is a classification based on linguistic similarity, and therefore,
the word Bantu does not refer to a people, or even to an ethnic group.

The term was originally used by WHI Bleek (1827-1875) with the meaning of people, as is
reflected in many of the languages. Most use the word "ntu" or a derivation with reference
to a human being. "Ba" is a common prefix in many of the languages, which indicates the
plural. The Bantu languages form a family of about 1500 different languages.
What you should know about:

The National Flag

The color green -represents the wealth of the soil.

The color red– represents secular resistance to colonialism, the armed struggle for national
liberation and the defense of sovereignty.
The black color – represents the African continent.
The colorgolden yellow– represents the riches of the subsoil.
 The Emblem of the Republic of Mozambique

The emblem of the Republic of Mozambique contains as central elements a book, a weapon,
and a hoe, arranged on top of the map of Mozambique, and representing respectively:
education, defense, surveillance, peasantry and agricultural production.
Below the map is the ocean.
In the center, the rising sun, symbol of new life under construction.
Delimiting this set is a cogwheel symbolizing the workers and the industry.
Surrounding the gear wheel, on the right and left, respectively, are a corn and cob plant and a
sugar cane symbolizing agricultural wealth.
At the top, in the centre, a star symbolizes the spirit of international solidarity of the
Mozambican people. At the bottom, there is a red band with the inscription “República de
Moçambique”.
 continuation

Exercises

1) Fill in the gaps.

a) The first peoples who penetrated the Mozambican territory, through the river
valleys that came from the interior of the continent, were called .................
b) From the fusion of Bantu and Arab communities, the culture was
born............which includes the coast of Kenya, Tanzania and Northern
Mozambique.
c) Since the 9th century there has been an important trade in ...................and
perhaps ............., in the region south of mouth of the Zambezi River, where
the Arabs later created the port of.................
d) The country was already prosperous when the Portuguese arrived, at the end
of the 15th century (1498), and settled on the coast of......... Their arrival
coincides with the expansion of the .........................., who expanded from the
plateau of Zimbabwe and came to occupy a vast territory that it stretched
across most of southern Africa from coast to coast.
e) Portuguese penetration in Mozambique began in the ……th century.
f) At the beginning of the century......, Mozambique becomes a true colonial
administration. After a war of liberation, which lasted about.....years,
Mozambique achieved its independence on June 25,......
g) After independence, with the name of Republica................... de Mozambique,
the country followed a policy............. , which it had to abandon in 1987, when
agreements were signed with the World Bank and the IMF. This change was,
in part, a result of the war that the country suffered between 1976 and 1992.

2) At home, with the help of your guardian, research the following terms, and bring in
your notebook the definition of each one of them.

 Bantu  Millenniu  Muenemut

m apas
  war of  Civil war  multipartyi
liberation  General sm
 Independe peace
nce agreement

Unit 6

The Culture of Mozambique

Culture
It is the set of social and religious habits, intellectual and artistic manifestations, that
characterize a society.

Mozambican visual artists, sculptors and painters (including fabric – batik technique) project
the country through their works.

Mozambican vocal music also impresses visitors. THE timbila beer, a traditional musical
instrument, was even considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Mozambican rhythms
are one of the most important manifestations of this country's culture. Traditional music has
characteristicsbantuand also Arab influence, mainly in the north zone. It is usually created to
accompany social ceremonies, mainly for dance demonstrations.
Commercial music draws inspiration from traditional music, but often using rhythms and
technologies imported from other cultures. One of the best-known types of commercial music
is marrabenta, originally from the south of the country, which is not just dance music, but
often has lyrics with great social content.

Timbila (musical instrument)

continuation
languages

the languages ofMozambiqueare all of originbantu, with the exception ofPortuguese,what is

theofficial language, since the country became independent, inJune 25thin1975. In
Mozambique there are 43 languages, of which 41 are Bantu languages, called “national
languages” in the Constitution, and the rest are Portuguese and sign language.

According to the census of2007,50.4% ofMozambicansspeak Portuguese (urban context:

80.8%; rural context: 36.3%); 12.8% mostly speak Portuguese at home and 10.7% of the
country's total population considers Portuguese their mother tongue, with this percentage in
Maputo reaches 25%.

Exercises

1) What do you understand by culture?

2) Draw in your notebook the musical instrument of Mozambican origin, “timbila”.
3) What is the official language of Mozambique?
4) In Mozambique we have 41 languages of Bantu origin. Have you ever had contact
with any of them, through a speaker?
5) In Maputo, the language of Bantu origin that has more expression is “Changana”. If
you know a word of this language, share it with the class.

Mozambican literature is generally written in Portuguese, although only about 50.4% of

Mozambicans master this language – commonly mixed with Mozambican expressions – by
Mozambican authors. Despite being a recent type of literature, it already has distinguished
representatives such as José Craveirinha, Paulina Chiziane and Mia Couto, which allowed it
to gain a relevant space in the demanding Lusophone Literature.
In the painting, the name of Malangatana Ngwenya, or simply Malangatana, stands out, one
of the exponents of modern African painting, responsible for typical themes, using bright,
highlighted colors and abusing curved shapes and the amount of human figures.

Name of the work “Disturbance in the forest”.

 continuation

Sculpture

It is an artistic expression that is based on the creation of three-dimensional objects.

Extending the aesthetic field of painting, which has a visual character. Traditional sculpture
in Mozambique is made with the following materials: clay, stone, wood, iron and wire.

The Makonde sculpture has the human body as its main motif, depicting aspects of everyday
life and its culture in general. We have a strong Makonde representative, the sculptor Reinata
Sadimba.

Exercises

1) In the classroom, three poems by different writers will be read. The teacher will select
the poems and the students to practice this activity.

2) With the help of the teacher, the class will make paintings and drawings that portray
the works of Mozambican painters and their respective characteristics.

3) Bring a piece of Mozambican sculpture to the classroom for demonstration. It can be

wire, wood, stone or ceramic. Consult your guardian. He will help you.
Mozambican cuisine

A culinária moçambicana é uma rica união de sabores, história e diferentes culturas da

África, Oriente e Europa. Moçambique oferece uma forte união de valores culturais que
dão sabor especial a uma cozinha mestiça e curiosa. Entre seus produtos de destaque
estão a mandioca, batata-doce, mapira, amendoim, castanha de caju, mangas, papaias e
Discover some typical dishes:

 Matapa – is made with crushed cassava leaves, papaya, coconut, tomato, onion and
dried shrimp. It is a typical dish from the province of Zambézia.

 Cacana – is made with peanuts, coconut and cacana itself. This recipe is typical of
southern Mozambique.
 Grilled Shrimp – Prepared with fresh shrimp. It can be accompanied with salads or
fries. It is a typical dish from the provinces of Maputo, Gaza and Cabo Delgado.

 Frango à Zambeziana – is a dish prepared with chicken and coconut milk. It is a

typical dish from the province of Zambézia.

 Xiginya *( xiguinha ) – dish made with mashed manioc or sweet potato and cacana
leaves. It is a typical dish from the province of Inhambane.
 

continuation

Religions in Mozambique
Half of the population is distributed among different traditional beliefs, followed by
Christianity (39%), Islam (10.2%) and other religions (0.2%), while people with no religion
or atheists represent 0.6 %.
Stay in

In addition to Portuguese influence, Mozambique is closely linked to India and the Middle
East. For example, it is believed that the name "Mozambique" is the Portuguese form
Musa al Bik, the name of an ancient Arab sheikh who lived in the north, on the Island of
Mozambique. At the end of the first millennium, the local Bantu peoples were already
trading with thepersians, Arabs and Somalis, and the northern region is still linked to the
Swahili culture and language zone (a combination of East African and Arab hues), sharing
similar traits withKenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The city of Sofala, for example, was
founded around the year 700 by Somali sailors and merchants, and was frequented by
Arabs and Persians. In addition, Mozambique is currently home to an important Indian
community.

Traditional Mozambican Dances

Xigubo dance
Xigubo is a traditional Mozambican dance that represents the country's colonial resistance,
especially in the southern region. Mostly practiced in the interior regions of Gaza and
Maputo, the dance has few practitioners at the city level.
Mapiku dance

It is a dance originating from the Makonde community, and is undoubtedly the best known
and most popular dance in the entire province of Cabo Delgado, and its diffusion goes
beyond national borders.

Marrabenta dance

According to many researches, this dance was born and developed in Lourenço Marques,
currently Maputo in the 50s.

During colonial times, traditional music and dance groups only had the opportunity to
demonstrate their dances, instruments and music and variants of their cultures in the annual
carnival parades.
Nyau dance

Nyau Dance was certified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) in November 2005 as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible
heritage of humanity.

Traditional games
Do you know all the traditional games of Mozambique? Maybe not. But possibly you should
know for sure, some games from this list:
MATACUZANA
«Matacuzana» is an individual game, for female children, between 9 and 13 years old.
Between 2 to 4 players can participate.

Material

Pebbles or cashew nuts.

The game takes place outdoors, making a small hole in the ground, or drawing a circle. The
players sit around the pit or circle, each with a stone in hand, Mugungo or Xicungo (Maputo).
In the pit are placed several pebbles.

game unfold

The game consists of several phases of handling the stones, following previously stipulated
rules and sequences.

1 – Throw the xicungo into the air with one hand, remove the stones from the pit and catch
the xicungo again without letting it fall. Then cast the xicungo again and place the stones in
the hole leaving only one. This process is repeated until all the stones are out.

2 – The same procedure, but instead of leaving a stone, put 2 to 2 at a time, then 3, 4 and 5
finally all.

3 – Carry out the same procedures but removing the stones from the pit with both hands.

4 – When throwing the xicungo, in addition to the identical placement of the stones, you hit
the ground with your hand.

5- Whenever the xicungo is thrown, a stone is placed on the head before placing the rest.

Each time a player fails, the turn passes to the other.

The game ends when one player completes all the stages.

NECA
«Neca» is an individual or pair game for girls between 8 and 12 years old. There is no limit to
the number of participants.

Material

A small stone (preferably smooth) and a drawing of 8 squares on the floor, according to the
drawing on the side.

The game takes place outdoors and can be played either on land or in a concrete enclosure.

Neca's game
Game unfold
Each player must complete two distinct phases:

1st Phase – The stone is thrown to square 1 (if it lands on one of the lines that delimits the
square, the player loses her turn to play) and the player jumps, on a limp, to square 2 and then
to square 3. Then place each foot on the 4th and 5th frets. Jump on the coxinho foot to the 6th
fret and again place each foot on the 7th and 8th frets. Here it turns in the air so that it faces
the “neca ” and then starts the return journey. At no time can you step on the line or put your
foot on the ground (or both feet in the same box). On the way back, pick up the stone and
jump out of the «neca». She restarts the game, now casting the stone to square 2, the game
progression being the same as described above. If you lose, restart the game, when your turn
comes, in the same square where you were when you lost.

2nd Phase – The player will now go through all the houses, in the same way as described in
the 1st phase, but blindfolded. In case of not being able to complete the entire route, the
player will take the next turn, starting from the beginning of this phase. The game ends when
one player manages to complete this phase in one go.

LAND-SEA
«Terra-Mar» is a game for children of both sexes, between 6 and 12 years old. There is no
limit to the number of participants.

No material is needed for this game, it takes place outdoors and just a line drawn on the floor
is needed. Players line up along this line, without stepping on it.

game unfold

At the beginning of the game, one side of the dash is defined as «Sea» and the other side is
«Land». A player is chosen to give the command voice, which will be «MAR» or «TERRA».
In this order, players will jump to the corresponding side. The command voice does not
follow any sequence, which means that the command «Sea», p. e.g., can be given repeatedly.
On the other hand, players can be deceived by the game's "commander", when he executes a
movement to the opposite side of the order he gave.
Whenever a player makes a mistake, jumping to the wrong side, or staying on the same side,
instead of jumping, he leaves the game.

The game ends when only one participant remains, who will be the winner.

Clothing in Mozambique

Mozambique has a wide variety of customs and religions that influence attire. There are also
body paintings, fabrics and adornments that are marks of the identity of each group. The
peoples of the African continent usually use costumes, body painting, fabrics and
adornments, according to the identities of their respective groups. Usually the paintings are
used in ceremonies, to adorn the body or to show off the style of your tribe, all the paintings
have a different meaning. Traditional African clothing is the clothing used by the native
peoples of the continent, sometimes replaced by western clothing introduced by European
colonizers and with globalization, our clothing undergoes constant changes, according to the
influence of international fashion. is largely based on in cloths or sarongs that wrap around
the body such as dresses, sarongs, capulanas, etc. They are beautiful fabrics whose pattern
and finish is recognized worldwide.
A dress made with capulana capulanas

Exercises
1) You learned a little about Mozambican cuisine. Which of these dishes is your
favourite?
2) The teacher will make a small demonstration of the dances you have learned, with the
help of videos. Next, the class will be divided into 4 groups, and each one will
represent a dance style.
3) In three recreational classes, the teacher will work with the class, in the school yard,
the games that were presented in the manual.
Have fun!
4) Draw in your notebook, garments of Mozambican culture.
 Unit 7

National holidays

Date Comments
January, 1st
February 3 Mozambican Heroes Day In honor of Eduardo Mondlane
April 7th Mozambican Women's Day In honor of Josina Machel
May 1st International Workers' Day
June 25th National Independence Day
7th of September victory day In honor of the signing of the
Lusaka Accords
25th of September Armed Forces Day In honor of the beginning of the
Armed Struggle for National
Liberation
October 4th Day of Peace and Reconciliation In honor of the General Peace
Agreement
December 25th Family Day

Exercises
1) The teacher will give detailed explanations of each national holiday.

Unit 8

Mozambican geography

Certainly, the word geography is new to you student. Let's go to the definition, so that the
subject that we will study in this unit is easy to understand.

Geography is the science that deals with the description of the Earth and the physical,
biological and human phenomena that occur on it, their causes and relationships.
Mozambique is a country on the eastern coast of southern Africa, which is bordered by: to the
north, Tanzania; to the northwest, Malawi and Zambia; to the west, Zimbabwe, South Africa
and

continuation

Swaziland; to the south, South Africa; to the east, the section of the Indian Ocean called the
Mozambique Channel.

In the Mozambique Channel, neighbors are Madagascar and the Comoros (including the
French possession of Mayotte). In the Indian Ocean, to the east of the large island of
Madagascar, are the dependencies of Réunion, Juan de Nova and Europa Island. In the
Mozambique Channel, roughly halfway between the mainland and Madagascar, the atoll of
Bassas da India, also a French possession.

The capital of Mozambique is Maputo (it was called by Lourenço Marques during Portuguese
domination).

The northern half (north of the Zambezi River) is a large plateau, with a small coastal plain
bordered by coral reefs, bordering inland with mountain massifs belonging to the Great Rift
Valley system. The southern half is characterized by a wide coastal alluvial plain, covered by
savannas and cut by the valleys of several rivers, the most important of which is the Limpopo
River.
(Mozambique's geographical position on the globe)

continuation
(The map of Mozambique with its border delimitations)
 continuation

Geographical distribution of the country

In terms of geographical distribution, Mozambique is divided into three distinct zones which
are: north, center and south; coastal and inland areas that populations are differentiated by
geo-local ethnicity.

Province capital Region

Cabo Delgado pemba North
niassa Lichinga North
nampula nampula North
Tete Tete center
Zambezia quelimane center
Manica chimoio center
sofa Border center
inhambane inhambane South
gaza Xai - Xai South
Maputo Maputo South

Population
It has a population that, in 2015, was estimated at 25,313,113 inhabitants. The fees
birth and mortality rates are 38.58% and 12.1%, respectively. The average life expectancy is
52.94 years.

Main Land Borders of the Country (from North to South)

-Quionga and Negomano-Mandimba.-Zóbuè -Cassicatiza-Manica-Ressano Garcia-

Namaacha.-Ponta do Ouro

continuation
interactive exercises
1) Look at the Mozambique map image, and see that it is listed. Each province is
represented by a number. Fill in the image with the respective names of the provinces
and their capitals.

2) With the help of the map, the teacher will explain the meaning of the word “border”
and will give an example and a note.

continuation
Physico-geographical features of Mozambique

The Rivers and Lakes of Mozambique

A river is a natural course of water that usually starts in the mountains and ends up in the sea,
a lake or another river, or sometimes sinks into the earth.

Most of Mozambique's rivers are born in the neighboring countries to the west, in plateau
areas. And, because the relief of Mozambique looks like a ladder that descends from West to
East, when the rivers enter our country they flow towards the Indian Ocean, where they flow.

The main rivers are: Rovuma, Lúrio, Zambeze, Púnguè, Búzi, Save, Limpopo, Incomati and
Maputo.

Limpopo River

the lakes

A lake is an expanse of water surrounded by land, which can be natural, such as Lake Niassa,
or artificial, such as Lake Cahora Bassa.

continuation
Natural lakes exist without human intervention and artificial lakes are the result of human
action on a river.

The main lakes are:

Natural: Niassa, Chiúta, Chirua and Amaramba.

Artificial: Cahora-Bassa, Massingir, Chicamba Real, Pequenos Libombos and Corrumane.

Lake Niassa (natural lake)

Cahora Bassa (artificial lake)

Exercise
1) Fill in the gaps:
 a) Most of the rivers in Mozambique are born in neighboring countries to............., in
areas of................... And, because the relief of Mozambique looks like a ladder
that descends from West to East, when the rivers enter our country they flow
towards the ................, where they flow.
b) The main rivers are: Rovuma, Lúrio,............., Púnguè, Búzi,.........,
Limpopo,.......... ......... and Maputo.
c) A............. is an expanse of water surrounded by land, which can be natural, as in
the case of Lake Niassa, or artificial, as in Lake Cahora Bassa.

continuation

soils
What is soil?
It is the surface layer of the earth where many plants fix their roots and get the food they need
to live.
It is the place where plants and animals live.
Soil is made up of rock fragments resulting from decomposition caused by the wind, changes
in temperature and the action of living beings.

soil characteristics
The differences that the soil presents are related to the rocks that give rise to it. There are
soils that bring together the mixture of almost all rocks. These are the lands that Man
cultivates: arable land
There are also very hard terrains that do not allow water to penetrate easily; these soils are
difficult to work and practically uncultivated: non-arable soil

Different type of soil

The soil consists mainly of small grains of sand, very fine particles of clay, limestone and
small remains of dead animals and rotting plants, known as humus.
According to the greater or lesser amount of particles that constitute it, we can distinguish
four types of soil:
 Sandy soils – the sands are its main element. These soils are easily permeable and
therefore cannot be used for crops.

continuation

 Clay soils – are soils formed essentially by clay. They are poorly permeable and
therefore very humid. When they dry, they become hard and crack. They are also not
very suitable for cultures.
 Limestone soils – These are dry and poor soils that are of little interest to crops.

 Mixed soils – These are fertile soils, where sand, clay, limestone and animal and plant
remains mix and where cultures develop without difficulty.
 continuation

Exercises
1) Answer:
What is soil?

2) Soils have two characteristics:

a) arable land –
b) non-arable land –

3) Correlate:
a) mixed soils ( ) these soils are easily permeable and,
therefore, cannot be used for crops.
b) clay soils ( ) are dry and poor soils, which have
little interest for crops.
c) calcareous soils ( ) are fertile lands, where sand, clay,
limestone and the remains of animals
and plants mix and where cultures
develop without difficulty.
d) sandy soils ( ) are lands essentially formed by clay.
They are poorly permeable and therefore
very humid. When they dry, they
become hard and crack. They are also
not very suitable for cultures.

4) Get two small cans and, with a nail, make a hole in the bottom. Fill one can with
sand and another with clay, until just over half full. Pour the same amount of
water in one and the other.
- What happens?
 Unit 9

What is environment?

The Environment is the sum total of what is around something or someone. It includes living
beings and natural forces. The environment provides conditions for the development and
growth of living beings, as they simply do not exist in their environment. Organisms change
in response to conditions in their environment, which is made up of interactions between
plants, animals, soil, water, temperature, light, etc.
The word environment is used to talk about many things. People in different areas of
knowledge (such as history, geography or biology) use the word differently. In biology and
ecology, the environment encompasses everything in nature and living things, including
sunlight. This is also called the natural environment, plants, animals, soil, water, temperature,
light, etc.
The word environment is used to talk about many things. People in different areas of
knowledge (such as history, geography or biology) use the word differently. In biology and
ecology, the environment encompasses everything in nature and living things, including
sunlight. This is also called the natural environment.
 continuation

The Importance of Preservation of the Environment

It is very important that every individual in this world understands that a clean environment is
very important for the health of all human beings. Any kind of pollution causes damage to the
environment, and this is very bad for the entire humanity. Today, various types of serious
health problems such as cancer are rapidly increasing all over the world and the main reason
behind the increase in these diseases is the greater amount of pollution in the environment.
In the current context, we see a greater awareness of society about the levels of pollution and,
therefore, we are observing some actions to change attitudes. However, there is still a lot of
work to be done by all of us, so that we actually have a clean and healthy environment. The
first step towards this change is to make people aware of the importance of a clean
environment, and how it can help us stay healthy.

How to help preserve the environment

Our planet is changing and we need to help change it for the better. There are several things
that affect our planet in a negative way, but the good news is that everyone can help to do
their part and help preserve the environment.
Below is a list of important topics and what you can do to help with each one.

saveElectricity:THEelectricityit is produced through the use of natural resources, so the

more you use, the more they are spent. You can help with small energy-saving gestures, such
as: turning on lamps only at night, shortening bath time, etc.
Pollution:Pollution is another serious problem, it can happen in rivers, seas, soil, air, etc. To
help, start by reducing how often you use your car, disposing of toxic waste the way
youcorrect,not throwing garbage on the floor, etc.
Save water:Water is a fundamental natural resource for the life of animals, plants and, of
course, human beings. Try to save water and reuse it whenever possible.

Exercises
The exercises below will be done in the classroom, with the help of the teacher (a).