A missão suíça e a educação não formal nas comunidades Ronga 1930 -1960 - o caso das Mintlawa

Abstract

The identification of models, or of successful experiences, that allow the various sectors of our society to seek references in order to offer our young people an adequate education that is not only limited to the development of intellect and skills, aspects in which education has played an important role, but that also lead to the development of civic and moral values, as well as a sense of self-esteem; in our view, this constitutes one of the greatest challenges of contemporary Mozambican society. This aspect is for many the breaking point between the old generation and the current generation of young people in our country. With the present work entitled "The Swiss Mission and Non Formal Education in Ronga Communities 1930 - 1960: The case of "Mintlawa", we intend to study the essence of an education model based on the Church, and created just over half a century ago, which has contributed meritoriously to the education and training of many young people. Our expectation is that the teachings and experiences of this model, can be reoriented and utilized in other areas within the framework of youth education and formation, opening better perspectives and possibilities for their sustainable placement in society. Our approach is divided into four chapters. Chapter I was dedicated to the presentation of the rationale about the object of our research, the problematic and the hypotheses; it is a chapter that aims to demonstrate the vision and expectations about our research object. In the last part of the chapter, we critically review some of the main sources on which our research was based, in addition to focusing on some concepts. The second chapter is dedicated to the history of the penetration of the Protestant churches, although in an approach directed towards the understanding of the genesis of the implantation of the Swiss Mission in Southern Mozambique. Given the specificity of the theme, the education of the Ronga youth, we consider it important to approach in this chapter, the space and the socio-cultural values of this group, taking into account the contact with immigrant values. In the last part we try to evaluate the type of relations between the Swiss Mission and the colonial power administering the territory and the instituted power, to see to what extent these may have influenced the phenomenon under study. In the third chapter, the central unit of the theme, we begin with a summary approach to the local mechanisms pertaining to the traditional education of young people in the Tsonga communities where the Ronga group is situated, because we consider it important to give an image of the scenario encountered by the Church with regard to the education of young people. The approach to the "Mintlawa", is made in terms of allowing an understanding of all its organisational and functional essence, aspects which are treated with some critical vision, fruit of the influence of the analysis of the various information gathered from different sources to which we had access. The final considerations were reserved for chapter IV, which constitutes the synthesis of our position based on the analysis and crossing of facts, opinions and experiences collected from our sources. In this chapter we sought to respond to our initial assumptions and at the same time construct a position on the role and usefulness of the "Mintlawa", the main object of our theme, in a perspective that seeks to create a bridge for future approaches. At the end of the paper there is a reference to all the bibliography and the oral sources which directly or indirectly formed the basis for the construction of our approach and argument. (TRADUÇAO NOSSA)