Diferenciação social e transformação rural no campesinato do Chókwè 1954-1991

Abstract

The present work is about social differentiation and rural transformation in the Chókwè peasantry, 1954-1991. Its objectives were to analyse the process of social differentiation and the factors which influenced the rural transformation of the peasantry. Identifying the factors which contributed to social differentiation at the level of the Chókwè region c how they influenced the life of the peasantry on the one hand and on the other hand, understanding to what extent agrarian policies had an impact on rural transformation. A variety of research methods and techniques were used to prepare the paper, including: consulting written documents (primary and secondary), conducting semi-structured and structured interviews with key informants and different groups of peasants. The Limpopo settlement, established in the 1950s, constituted a development pole in the Chókwè region. Its establishment meant the expropriation of fertile land from local peasants. In the settlement there was a strong policy of segregation, since the Mozambicans did not have the same conditions as the settlers. In this development project, the colonial government implemented measures that accentuated the differentiation between whites and blacks and between blacks. With the settlement project. there was the introduction of new cultural habits through assimilation. With the independence achieved in 1975, the FRELIMO government broke the conditions for the reproduction of traditional society and adopted a development strategy based on communal villages, state farms and agricultural cooperatives, thus preventing the practice of family farming. This development strategy did not respect the redistributive land ethic, since family farms occupied the land furthest away from the communal villages. With the introduction of the capitalist strategy, it was envisaged to support both the family sector as well as the private sector. This strategy, by valorising the initiative and recognising the importance of the peasants' activities, created financial facilities through aid from NGOs. These NGOs have only accelerated the process of social differentiation, thus contributing to an abandonment of farming among the peasants and the definition of new survival strategies. However, the different development strategies implemented in different periods in the Chókwè region gave rise to different forms of social differentiation and rural transformation, giving rise to new elements and models of spatial organization. (TRADUÇAO NOSSA)