A perspective on diaspora, Identity and Macuas

This is an excerpt from the interview with Hafiz Jamu, in 2017.

Interviewer: What do you think of the way museums, on the Island of Mozambique, are made?
Hafiz Jamu: That is not our story. It is not the history of these people. It is the history of the colonizers. This does not matter to us. I told Professor Ricardo at the last meeting, I was with a teacher from Coimbra in partnership with the University of Lírio to organize a small workshop and they did it on the island.

Last week.
H. J.: Right. In his presentation, he said a lot “The Portuguese people ..!”

Look teacher sorry but I'm not interested in knowing the history of Portugal. Firstly because I am not Portuguese and according to I am not looking for history of Portugal, this is already well studied. I do not know the history of the Macua people. That's what interests me. Any relation of Macuas with other peoples of the world. That's what matters to me. I am not against the Portuguese, no. I'm saying that...

Yes, I understand. I like to know the history of my country and Hafiz also wants to know the history of yours.
H. J.: I like the Tagus River. Yes, I like to listen to it. I'll go and see some day. One day if I have money and am on vacation I will go there to see it. But I'm not going to Portugal, to know the river I'll see the river that is 50 kilometers away. I want to know about my people. What happens; what were the problems; how do these problems relate to today's history? Why is it that if I do not know how to use the cutlery, people say, "You do not know how to use cutlery because you are Macua"? Where does these ideas come from? Why is that word is used in the pejorative sense to mess with me? Why is saying that you are Macua is the same as saying you are not civilized? Why? Archaeology must have a clear interpretation of this.

Are there more stereotypes like that?
H. J.: Yes there are. This is so harsh that even Mozambican people in the South know it too. People think the Macua is a third-class citizen.

Where are the Macuas?
H. J.: They are in many areas. It is the largest tribe in Mozambique, the largest, occupying more space. In the south, we have a Ronga and Massena tribe, but these tribes are sometimes three within a province or two, a lot of concentration. Not with the Macuas. Macuas occupy 4 provinces that are much more extensive. These kinds of sayings are many. They occupy a larger area than the others.

How do people here on the island of Mozambique identify themselves? Like Macuas or like from the Island of Mozambique?
H. J.: Macuas, are a Naharra variant. Macuas are in northern Mozambique, from the province of Zambézia; all of Nampula, 60/70%; of the province of 60/70% of Cabo Delgado. They are all Macuas. Now inside the Macuas, there are variants. There is Macua more from the interior of Nampula; there is the Macua below the Zambezi River, Lonhé. The ones on the island are called Naharra. And why are they called that? The genuine Macuas come from the province of Nampula, because of migrations that came by boat, Arabs, also Portuguese. In the end, almost near independence or 100 years before, including the Portuguese only came men, without their wives. Sometimes because they practiced some crime in Portugal, or crime in other colonies and they came here and they would marry. This man would marry a Macua woman and have a son. He them would adapt the father’s education and speaking the language of the mother but already with some disturbances of language of the father. So that language that seems creole, that is, Naharra language mixes Macua language with Portuguese and Arabic. The Macua people of the interior speak pure Macua, does not mix. Naharra carries Portuguese and Arabic words. Mixture.

Has any special language program come up to study, classify or protect the language?
H. J.: No, no.

And you think it's necessary?
H. J.: I think yes. Languages ​​change over time. In this process of patrimony protection especially slavery, it was the University of Denmark Roskilde who invited a community called Zanzibari, which is in South Africa. They came to Zanzibar. They were invited to a conference. They are considered Zanzibar people. They went to Zanzibar under the pretext that they were returning home. By accident, the truth is that they invited me and I went to the meeting. I am very interested in traditional dances and such. So at the time of the interaction I went to talk to them. What language do you speak? What is the language of your land? Say something in your language. When they started talking I started talking to them. They were speaking the language of the Island of Mozambique. No, these people are not from Zanzibar, these people are from my land. These people are from my land. They are talking in Naharra and much purer than mine, better than my Macua. So they are not Tanzanians. They are Mozambicans and especially from the island of Mozambique because they were sold and the ship did not even leave South Africa and this cargo of slaves stayed there. They were cohesive.

The identity of Mozambique is widespread.
H. J.: Exactly. They stayed there and live in community and have habits and customs of the Island and from there I started. I continued to talk to them, keep in touch and some have come to stroll here, to see their homeland, already have houses there in the community, already marrying. But they do not speak Portuguese. They speak English and Macua.

It would be interesting to see where the community of the Island of Mozambique is dispersed. Also, not much attention is given to this.
H. J.: Yes. That's what I'm thinking with Robert Parthesius. Make the Island of Mozambique the research center for this, mainly because of its geographic location side. We are almost in the center from Kenya to Namibia, Somalia, and Quiloa. The Island of Mozambique is very well located. That's why the fortress and these things are here. So if we make the Island here the geopolitical center for the protection and conservation of the archaeological heritage, we pressure the government to sign the convention. From here it is much easier to reach to other points, including Yemem and India. My name is Hafiz Jamu. Jamu is Indian. We have Arabian and Indian blood as well. This whole area was what it was. History it is what it is. So it is possible to do these things, to do studies. I arrived a few days ago. I always lived in a small house and such, I stayed there for 20 years. But now my mother passed away and I inherited a house the size of the Escondidinho. I have a house this size this way. It's from my grandparents. It should be 300/400 years old. There was a room that was never opened and I opened. I found little things, chairs, saw the models of things, the lathe that is Arabic, and other half Indian and other clay pots ... a mixture of things and utensils.