‘It’s not my story to tell’: ownership and the politics of history in Mocímboa da Praia, Mozambique

New article from Ana Margarida Sousa Santos, with the title “‘It’s not my story to tell’: ownership and the politics of history in Mocímboa da Praia, Mozambique”, has just been published in Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute.

Abstract: The recent history of the northernmost districts of Mozambique has been one of movement and conflict leading people far from their areas of origin and into places where they have to rebuild networks and establish relationships. The Makonde moved from their original area in the Mueda Plateau to neighbouring districts and have to negotiate questions of legitimacy and belonging with the autochthonous population, the Mwani, seen as the ‘owners of the land’ and also the rightful bearers of the histories of the area. Recounting history – owning it – is loaded with references to identity, and weaves in memories and competing experiences of the past. Drawing on literature on history and legitimacy and local understandings of ownership, I discuss the importance of memory and storytelling in the maintenance and reshaping of past events and the different narratives that people create. I investigate how the past is appropriated by different groups and defines belonging by claiming or refusing ownership of local histories.