O ciclo vicioso de deslocamentos forçados e a formação de espaços incompletos em Moçambique

Abstract

This article is based on various studies undertaken by the author on Forced Migrations in Mozambique and it introduces to the radiography of a country, which has brought forth housing spaces deemed incomplete, that have resulted from a combination of political-military tensions, natural disasters, development projects and international migration trends. Mozambique is a Southern African country, located in the southern East side of the continent. The Channel of Mozambique lies in east coast limit zone of Mozambique in an extension of 2700Km stretch. Since its independence from Portugal in 1975, the country has undergone through some significant metamorphoses in its geographical territorial space, originated by cyclical natural disasters, political and military events; social and economic factors that hindered development and made people not realize the true meaning of sedentary, as there is an emergency call towards Internally Displaced persons and refugees. It is on record that upon its independence, the country adopted a “hospitable policy” of hosting people that were escaping from oppressive regimes such as “the likes” of Chile, former Southern Rhodesia (currently Zimbabwe), East Timor and South Africa. Due to geographical location factors and the fact that the country enjoyed military peace between 1992 and 2013, Mozambique played animportant role in hosting asylum seekers and refugees from the Region of Great lakes of Africa and the Horn of Africa, apart from investors and those who pretended to be investors, the country saw an influx of people from different parts of the world, Africa being the main contributor, Middle East, Europe, China, North America and Brazil have contributed to the spatial shape of Mozambique. It is important to refer that the immigrant population and those that are fleeing rarely fixe their “roots” in hosting countries. The reason being, it is possible to observe in all national territory the existence of places which reflects the reminiscent of a war thorn scenario, which either construction buildings are not yet concluded or are partially destroyed. The example of such, for instance the City of Xai-Xai in Southern Mozambique, with the heavy sand project, the province of Sofala and the unfinished Sugar plantation project while in Mandimba district in northern Mozambique, a place filled with ruins. The development projects in course reflect without a doubt the emergency character of a country with never-ending conflicts and under reconstruction. It is about a vicious cycle that along time remained an obstacle in allocating, housing spaces for construction purposes and for that I call incomplete spaces or unfinished spaces.