Between dream and nightmare a musical chronology of the history of Mozambique, 1974-2020
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Abstract
One of the major challenges of historical research in Mozambique and Africa in general is the paucity of written sources. To overcome this limitation, historians have resorted to diverse sources, including oral tradition and music. This article analyses the history of Mozambique through the content of songs released in the post-colonial period. Using music, it examines the experiences and responses of Mozambicans to successive crises that shook the post-colonial state. It assumes that musicians are influenced by the historical context in which they live, therefore, Mozambican music in post-colonial period reveals moments of euphoria, disappointment and a mixture of audacity, hope and uncertainty about the country's destiny. It also argues that, given the legacy of repressive political environment, music as a popular artistic expression is well positioned to capture the daily lives of anonymous citizens. It further notes that music is more likely to escape censorship and has the advantage of being broadcast to a wide audience. Resorting on historical method, literature review and content analysis of lyrics of the most resonant songs of the post-colonial period, the article concludes that musicians are, simultaneously, narrators and sources of Mozambican history. By listening to music, one grasps the description and interpretation of the main historical events in real time. Through music, one can apprehend the euphoria of the proclamation of national independence, the socialist experience, the civil war, the economic collapse, the structural adjustment program, peace, democratization and the social inequality that plagues Mozambique.
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