COMPULSORY RELOCATION AND CONFLICTS IN MOZAMBIQUE:

SOME DIFFERENCES AND HISTORICAL PROXIMITIES

Abstract

In the last decade, Mozambique has become the place of large mining projects, cause of that one of the immediate social effects of which is the forced displacement of local communities. However, this is not a new phenomenon in the country's history. Both during the colonial period and in the post-independence period, population control and development programs contributed also to the massive forced displacement of populations from rural areas. Therefore, this article analyses some of these earlier forced displacement processes—the colonial settlement and communal village programs—exploring differences and similarities with current processes caused by mining projects. Based on a literature review and data analysis from field research conducted with populations displaced by a large mining project in Moatize-Tete, Province of the central region of Mozambique, it is concluded that despite some significant differences, some similarities persist between current and previous displacement processes, notably the use of persuasion and the prevalence of violence and intimidation. Authoritarianism, guardianship, and neglect of the life projects of affected families have marked the process of forced displacement imposed by mining projects, in an authentic re-edition for the present day of practices typical of colonial governmentality.
Keywords: Mozambique. Compulsory Relocations. Colonial Villages. Communal Villages. Large Mining Projects.