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THE DEVELOPMENT  OP NATIONALISM
IN MO/gAMBlQUE
•
Mozambican nationalism, like practically all African nationalism, was born out of direct European colonialism.  Mozambique's
most specific source of national unity is the common experience
(in suffering) of the people during the last one hundred years of
Portuguese colonialist control.  In order to understand the development of Mozambique nationalism, we have to study the main stages of
development of Portuguese colonialism in our country and note the
reaction of the people to these.
Before I outline these stages of the development of Portuguese
colonialism and their relationship to the rise of nationalism, I
wish to present a definition of nationalism.  By nationalism I mean
"a consciousness on the part of individuals or groups of membership
in a nation or of a desire to develop the strength, liberty or
prosperity of that nation.n  (The ChathaiLHouse RepWt, Royal
Institute^of^ International Affairs, 1939)•  The above definition
applies to nationalism in all circumstances or stages of development
of any people.  For instance, it might apply to European nationalism
as a continental phenomenon, or French, American, Russian, Chinese,
Brazilian, etc. nationalisms as expressions of the aspirations of
given ethnic or national entities.  The African context in which
Mozambican nationalism finds expression might require further
refinement of the definition offered above.  In view of the recent
historical circumstances which affected the lives of the various
people within the continent of Africa, it is necessary to add that
African nationalism is also characterised by the development of
attitudes, activities and more or less structured programmes aimed
at the mobilisation of forces for the attainment of self-government
and independence.  In the specific case of Mozambique, shared by all
Portuguese colonies in Africa and possibly by all other remaining
peoples yet to be free, these attitudes, activities and structured
programmes have to include the establishment of military or paramilitary schemes for the final showdown before the actual attainment
of independence can be assured.
If you could bear with me for a few more seconds in connexion
with these preliminary remarks, I should like to sum up the definition of nationalism offered above in the following manner:
a) a consciousness on the part of individuals or groups
of membership in a nation - in our case, Mozambique