Societal Odds and Sods

My Local Primary School

St. John Baptist Catholic Church

FRELIMO HQ, Xai Xai

In this edition I’ll share some information (and quasi-information, otherwise known as ”my opinions”) on a variety of topics. Hope this gives you a context for Mozambican society and daily life…it’s not all about health and HIV, for heaven’s sake!

Education

Moz officials and society give strong support to education. Programs generally follow those with which we are familiar in the states – primary school, secondary school and college. Instruction is very structured, however, without much of the give, take and participation we find in American classrooms.

Others features include the pressure for social promotion to higher grades. And, a sizable number of  older high school grads who may have taken some time off to work before completing their high school degree. One insidious practice:  trading grades for sex between high school teachers and students…officially, forbidden; unofficially tolerated.

One huge problem faced by society is that, while many students are graduated, relatively few find jobs in their chosen fields.  For example, the state spends a lot of  money on teachers’ colleges and the quality of instruction and resources there are quite high. But, there are few teacher jobs to go around and, thus, many grads are left without the opportunity to actually teach after graduation.

History

To understand Moz it is essential to recognize that it is a very young country. The country won independence from stubborn Portugal in the 1970’s long after just about every other African country. After independence, the Portuguese cleared out quickly and left few resources behind. Almost immediately, the nation’s civil war commenced, pitting the Mozambican majority against a South African-supported minority (RENAMO). Suffice it to say, all this fighting was not resolved until the 1990”s and its toll on society has been significant.

Politics

FRELIMO , the political party of the revolution and civil war, continues to dominate political discussion. Its candidates win most elective offices throughout the country.. While other parties, including a rejuvenated RENAMO,  surface occasionally, FRELIMO’s grasp on the levers of power is very strong. As the party of the revolution, FRELIMO resonates strongly with Mozambicans. Regardless of the party’s blatant corruption it will be many years before a credible opposition emerges.

Religion

The Portguese left a deep Catholic heritage. Evangelical Christian groups grow and thrive, as in many other countries in the developing world. There is a sizable Muslim population, particularly in the country’s north. And,  the country’s Indian population is primarily Hindi.

Sports

Soccer (Football) is the sport of choice for men, though, frankly, we are not very good, even by the rather low standards of small African nations. Women’s basketball is  a very popular sport, as are volleyball and boxing. Alas, track and field…not so much.

Going forward, I hope to focus this blog on a variety of health issues here in Mozambique. Where possible I’ll try to borrow (?steal?, ?expropriate?) information  from other sources, to help shed some light on the situation here on the ground. I hope that  you’ll also tolerate the occasional diversion to talk about my daily life and experiences. Hope you stay with it!

Until Next Time (Ate Ja!)