The Movement for Freedom in Mozambique
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Mozambique is one of the remnants of an old Portuguese
empire, which v/as carved out during the 17th, 18th and 19th
centuries in Asia, South America and Africa.  In Africa the
remnants of this empire include Angola, Mozambique, Guinea
(called Portuguese), the Cape Verde Islands and S. Tome*  The
largest of these colonies is Angola, although Mozambique is the
v most populated of them all with a little over seven million
people.
The Portuguese claim that they have controlled Mozambique
for over 450 years;  but in matter of fact, Portuguese control
of what is now called Mozambique dates from the middle of the
19th century, when, after the Berlin Conference of 1884-85,
European powers scrambled to occupy and hold some parts of
Africa.  Before then the Portuguese had been satisfied with
controlling a small portion of the northern area of the country
I and some isolated points along the coast, v/hich had remained
after they had been dislodged from most of East Africa, first
by the Arabs, then by the British and the Germans.  At the
Berlin Conference, the Portuguese claimed the right of possession
over the whole of the East African coast and part of its hinterland down to Natal;  but the British did not let them get away
with it.  A series of litigations followed which ended with
Portugal being allowed to control the present territory of
Mozambique.
Soon after the Berlin Treaty, Portugal proceeded to nego-
ciate with the various Mozambican rulers v/ho controlled the
various parts of the country.  Where negociations did not result
in a satisfactory surrender by our traditional rulers, Portugal
.threatened, and often attacked with the purpose of conquest.
The last wars of conquest ended__in 1897 with the defeat of_
_Greneral Maguiguane,_who v/as the most indomitable of Emperor
Ngungunyane's military leaders„  This brave son of Africa was
so determined to resist Portuguese control of our country that
the Portuguese had to kill him before they could capture him,
after defeating his army and arresting Emperor Ngungunyane.
The defeat of Maguiguane's army was followed by a ruthless
campaign of what the Portuguese cynically call "pacification of
the native populations", characterized by mass arrests of able-
bodied men, sending them to various Portuguese and foreign
economic projects in and outside of Mozambique, leaving their
v/ives and children at home*  Those who survived were returned