“An Inexcusable Act That Dishonours Our History”

December 16, 2022 11:56 AM

On 16 December 1972, a village in northern Mozambique virtually disappeared from the map. Wiriyamu saw its inhabitants killed one by one at the hands of the Portuguese military, who invaded the territory during the colonial war.

Portugal’s PM apologises for Mozambique massacre 50 years ago
Portugal apologises for Mozambique killings 50 years after Times exposé
Ex-Colony Mozambique a 'Priority' for Portugal: PM

In Portuguese:
O que se faz com o reconhecimento oficial de Wiriyamu 50 anos depois do massacre?
Adrian Hastings, Wiriyamu e o 25 de Abril [Adrian Hastings]
Peter Pringle, a memória viva dos acontecimentos de Wiriyamu

Related:
Three graphics that explain Portuguese colonialism
Portugal, colonialism and racial justice – From denial to reparation
Portugal must do more to confront colonial past, says Council of Europe
How Portugal silenced ‘centuries of violence and trauma’
De/Re-Memorization of Portuguese Colonialism and Dictatorship: Re-Reading the Colonial and the Salazar Era and Its Ramifications Today

posted by chavenet (5 comments total)

…a seven month delay between the massacre, and the Times printing its story – and when it did “Portuguese authorities dismissed the Times’ coverage as pure invention”.

Thank you for sharing, chavenet.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 5:27 PM on December 16, 2022 [3 favorites]

Excellent post.

If you need a broad overview, the "Three graphics" link is a good start.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 7:45 PM on December 16, 2022 [2 favorites]

In 1970 the population of Portugal was 8.5 million and copped 10,000 dead in its colonial wars ~115/100k with young national service draftees making the bulk of the butchers bill. That's between 3x and 4x the death rate experienced by US citizens during their contemporary Vietnam War. When I was doing field work in Portugal and her Atlantic Islands ten years after the Carnation Revolution, every bus and train seemed to have a handful of gorgeous happy young men in uniform, presumably on leave or in transit. It was hard to imagine them immersed in the unspeakable in Angola.
And of my weeping something had been left,
Which must die now. I mean the truth untold,
The pity of war, the pity war distilled.
posted by BobTheScientist at 4:02 AM on December 17, 2022 [3 favorites]

Some of the best music on the planet comes from the world's most beleaguered countries. The music of Angola is a testament to this unfortunate situation.
posted by DJZouke at 5:28 AM on December 17, 2022 [2 favorites]

Music of Angola in the early 1970's.
posted by DJZouke at 5:47 AM on December 17, 2022 [5 favorites]