PHOTO GALLERY
MUEDA, Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique
Mueda is one of the larger towns in the north
of Mozambique. The main tribal group in the region are the Maconde people, who
are well known for being fearless warriors. They also produce one of the most
stirking forms of Mozambican art - sculptures made from black wood. The art form
amazingly survived through years of colonial repression, and now many locals
produce these carvings. Typically the statues represent images of daily life,
rituals and evil spirits.
Mueda is the site of one of the most
important events in recent Mozambican history. It was here in June 1960, that
Portuguese troops opened fire on a crowd of villagers protesting peacefully
about taxes. More than 600 people were killed, and it was this event that
motivated the
start of an organised armed struggle against the Portuguese.
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The site of the June 1960 massacre. The
building in the background was there on the day of the massacre. |
Up
the hill from the site, lies a monument to the villagers killed in Mueda. |
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This gorge lies alongside of the airbase runway. During both the independance war, and the more
recent war against Renamo, prisoners were thrown into this gorge. Many
locals are still afraid to visit this site even today. |
Ruins from the old Portuguese
Airbase. Mueda was amongst the earliest areas liberated by Mozambicans in
the war against the Portuguese. |
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Many of the older Maconde
women have intricate tattoos on their faces. These tattoos were seen as an
important symbol of pride in being Maconde. The tradition however, is
dying - younger Maconde women choose not to have these
tattoos. |
Statues such as this
are typical of the Maconde style - with many intertwining figures carrying
out different daily activities - cooking, collecting water, playing the
drums etc. |
Move onto Page 3 of the Cabo
Delgado Province
