Doing Our Homework on Mozambique

Finding books to read about Mozambique is not the same as finding books about, say, Kenya. I discovered that fairly quickly when I had to interlibrary loan all of the books we wanted to read. Our little library had one book about Mozambique, and that book was fiction. So, I went on Amazon, found about three titles and a travel guide, and ordered them through interlibrary loan.

If I’d been thinking, I would have spaced my requests out by about two weeks. As it was, all four of the books came in around the same time, and since then, I’ve been scrambling to read through them before they need to be mailed back to their respective libraries.

The guide I sent back pretty quickly. We’re going to be staying in Nampula, Mozambique, and the guide did have a few pages on the city, as well as a small map, but I decided that most of that kind of information I could obtain once we were there.

Then I read this book:

A good place to start. I learned just enough about Mozambique history and culture to whet my appetite for more.

Now I’m reading this book:

Beyond the Shadow is a missionary autobiography, written by Ellie Hein in 2000. Ellie and Rodney Hein are from Zimbabwe, but during the long war for independence, followed by the long civil war between Frelimo and Renamo forces (which I’ll mention a little later), Ellie and Rod braved the war zone to bring the gospel to many people in the Gorongosa Mountains. They were also instrumental in the process of negotiations for the General Peace Accord for Mozambique, which was finalized October 4, 1992.

Through Ellie Hein’s account of their travel throughout northern Mozambique, I got a taste for the spiritual climate in Mozambique, at least in the bush region, where there are fewer Western influences, as well as the suffering people endured on the long road to peace. Honestly, before I read this book, I didn’t even know that Mozambique had withstood such a violent and exhausting war.

This book is also helping me adjust my perspective before flying off to Moz. I am not going on a pleasure cruise, though I do expect to experience many wonderful things while in Africa. I must be prepared to be flexible, to interact when I expected to be asleep, to walk when I expected to eat, to share my home with tiny crawling guests when I expected to share it only with Mark. And much more! I must be ready for anything and open to letting God work through me, undistracted by trivial discomforts.

I’m also reading bits and pieces of this book:

Though it’s a bit drier of a read than Beyond the Shadow, this book is incredibly informative. I’m hoping I have a chance to read it all before I need to send it back!

I can’t report too much on it yet. I’m only into the second chapter. The first chapter covered the history of Mozambique (watch for an upcoming post with a brief outline of the history of Moz.) The second discusses in great detail the religion and worldview of the people of Mozambique.

So far in the second chapter, I’ve begun to get a picture of how, for the people of Moz, religion and daily life are much more interconnected than they are for us in the U.S. Even as Christians, we struggle to ‘make’ God part of our daily lives. Besides Christianity and Islam (both of which are present and active in Mozambique), traditional religions are alive and well for a majority of Mozambicans.

Traditional religion in Mozambique is not animism, like we normally picture when we think of traditional tribal religions. People believe in a Supreme Being, who communicates his thoughts and feelings through natural phenomenon. Ancestors are also highly regarded by people of Mozambique. They aren’t worshipped but are seen as mediators between the living and God. Ancestors are seen as good spirits, who try to help people who are alive on Earth. Bad spirits are those of people who died in bitterness or neglect, who committed suicide, or who were witch doctors in life.

I’ll leave you with that taste of Culture and Custom of Mozambique for right now. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to read more of the book and share more tidbits of information with you.

Interesting, yes? I’m trying to bear in mind as I read that no amount of reading about Mozambique will be able to substitute for the learning that we’ll do when we get there. Hopefully the sources I’m reading and sharing from are accurate, but I’ll make sure to correct any misconceptions when I get there and learn from Mozambique firsthand.

 I’m having fun learning about and beginning to love this country in which we’ll be spending some time!

--Hillary