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.
