It’s time to face colonial oppression sincerely, says Nyusi

Lisbon, 26 Apr (AIM) – Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi believes that “now is the time to face the past, characterized by colonial oppression, with sincerity and without revisionism”, in order to strengthen the relationship between Mozambique and Portugal.

According to Nyusi, who was speaking on Thursday, in Lisbon, at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the coup of 25 April 1974, which marked the fall of the fascist dictatorship and the establishment of a democratic regime in Portugal, Mozambique “expresses and reaffirms its friendship and solidarity with the Portuguese people.”

Nyusi recalled the massacres perpetrated by the Portuguese colonial administration in Mueda and Wiriyamu, provinces of Cabo Delgado and Tete, and the failure of the regime to crush the liberation movement militarily.

“The failure of the violent military operation ‘Nó Górdio’ (“Gordian Knot”), commanded by Kaúlza de Arriaga, in 1970, to thwart the armed liberation struggle in Mozambique, opened the path for negotiations between the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo) and the colonial government, which culminated in the Lusaka agreements on Mozambican independence”, Nyusi said.

His host, Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said that Portugal must make reparations for slavery and colonialism.

“Acknowledging the past and taking responsibility is more important than apologizing for the acts committed during the colonial era. The country takes full responsibility for the mistakes made in the past, which had costs that must now be paid”, he said.

But Rebelo de Sousa’s conciliatory approach is virulently rejected by the resurgent far right. The leader of the far-right Chega Party, Andre Ventura, who is openly nostalgic for the colonial-fascist regime that was overthrown in 1974, accused Rebelo de Sousa of betraying the Portuguese by defending the payment of reparations for colonial-era crimes.

He protested that Rebelo de Sousa should “love Portugal’s history. The President betrays the Portuguese people when he says that we have to be guilty and responsible for our history. The President must respect the Portuguese, because he was elected by them, not by the Guineans, the Brazilians or the Timorese”.

The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 25 April downfall of fascism included a commemorative session with the five African countries that use Portuguese as their official language (PALOP), a military ceremony in Lisbon’s Terreiro do Paço in the heart of the city, attended by thousands, and a solemn session of Parliament.

(AIM)

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