The Antigos Combatentes:
Veterans of the Liberation War

Dossier MZ-0043

The term ‘Antigo Combatente’ later became a contested phrase; for the purposes of this dossier, covering the period up to 1994, it is used – as the newspapers and media of the time used it – in the older sense of a Frelimo veteran of the Luta de Libertação Nacional from 1964 to 1974.

Perhaps the best known and certainly in its day the most controversial of the documents in this dossier is the so-called ‘Carta dos Antigos Combatentes’ dated 25 October 1986, within a week or so of Samora Machel’s death in the air disaster at Mbuzini. This document, copies of which circulated from hand to hand in Maputo within a short time of its appearance, was notable at the time for introducing the concept of originalidade into Mozambican political discourse. To be truly Mozambican, the concept implied, it was not enough to be a citizen, or even to have been born in Mozambique. What was needed was that a person be ‘of Mozambican origin’. This was immediately decoded as meaning black.

The text of the letter was published in a French translation by Michel Cahen as ‘Lettre des Anciens Combattants’ in the journal Politique Africaine, no.29, March 1988, pages 115-130, and may be downloaded here. As far as MHN is aware, the original Portuguese text has never been published. MHN apologises for the illegibility of parts of the scanned copy of the Portuguese original below.

Samora speaking to veterans

Above: President Samora Machel addressing a gathering of about 1,500 antigos combatentes in the Casa dos Bicos in Beira, in June 1982. From left to right, Alberto Chipande, President Machel, Armando Guebuza, the late Sebastião Mabote, and Mário Machungo. [Photo: Carlos Calado]. Left: the cover of the Mozambique issue of Politique Africaine. Click on the small image to go to the Politique Africaine website.

Like the veterans of other liberation wars in southern Africa and elsewhere, the tough and often poorly educated fighters of Frelimo became suddenly much less socially useful when the fighting stopped. They, who had risked their lives for liberation, were usually ill-equipped to assume political or technical responsibility in peacetime. Many were not even able to find a place in the regular army. The handful of recortes in this dossier do not present a complete or coherent narrative of the struggle for reintegration of the Frelimo fighters, but illustrate some themes – the desire to organise an association; finding ways of using the experience of the liberation war in the new combat against Renamo; access to education; the Frelimo response to these concerns, and so on. The Carta dos Antigos Combatentes was clearly, amongst other things, an expression of these frustrations – em resumo, we fought, but others have benefitted.

Decoration

MHN Resources

◊ 7 October 1979
Antigos combatentes das FPLM: os meus braços e a minha vida pertencem ao povo. Tempo [Maputo], no.469, 7 October 1979, p.22-24. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 957 kb.

◊ 13 December 1980
A partir do próximo ano, antigos professores das Zonas Libertadas beneficiarão de escola secundária nacional: após preparação os quadros serão distribuídos pelos Centros de Formação de Professores Primários. Notícias [Maputo], 13 December 1980. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 118 kb.

◊ 2 October 1981
Veteranos da luta vão ter organização. Notícias [Maputo], 2 October 1981. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 69 kb.

◊ 23 November 1981
Mutilados de guerra integrados na produção. Notícias [Maputo], 23 November 1981. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 341 kb.

◊ 9 June 1982
Antigos combatentes reúnem-se na Beira: Marechal Samora Machel na capital de Sofala para dirigir o encontro. Notícias [Maputo], 9 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 101 kb.

◊ 10 June 1982
António Souto. Este pedaço de terra chama-se Moçambique: Marechal Samora Machel na abertura da reunião com os antigos combatentes na Beira. Notícias [Maputo], 10 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 411 kb.

◊ 11 June 1982
António Souto. Sacrifiquemo-nos de novo para defender a pátria: antigos combatentes reunidos na Beira. Notícias [Maputo], 11 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 556 kb.

◊ 12 June 1982
António Souto. Tiremos as gravatas e enverguemos uniformes, exorta o Marechal Samora Machel aos combatentes da Luta Armada de Libertação Nacional. Notícias [Maputo], 12 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 369 kb.

◊ 13 June 1982
Dar uma lição dura ao inimigo, garantem combatentes da Luta Armada de Libertação Nacional. Domingo [Maputo], 13 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 153 kb.

◊ 14 June 1982
Editorial: heróis de ontem, combatentes de hoje. Notícias [Maputo], 14 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 157 kb.

◊ 14 June 1982
António Souto. De novo na luta contra bandidos e infiltrados: combatentes da Luta Armada de Libertação Nacional no final da reunião na Beira. Notícias [Maputo], 14 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 215 kb.

◊ 19 June 1982
Combatentes da libertação nas tarefas mais árduas. Notícias [Maputo], 19 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 141 kb.

◊ 20 June 1982
Arlindo Lopes. A longa marcha da libertação. Tempo [Maputo], no.610, 20 June 1982, p.24-30. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 1.9 Mb.

◊ 21 June 1982
Defesa dos grandes projectos, tarefa dos combatentes da Luta Armada. Notícias [Maputo], 21 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 375 kb.

Veterans in the Casa dos Bicos

Above: A view of the Casa dos Bicos meeting, attended by 1,500 antigos combatentes in June 1982. It was another five years before steps were taken to set up a veterans’ assocation in Mozambique.

◊ 23 August 1982
Reunião com os combatentes: tradições heróicas da democracia, considera Comité Central. Notícias [Maputo], 23 August 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 216 kb.

◊ 5 December 1982
Antigos combatentes reúnem. Tempo [Maputo], no.634, 5 December 1982, p.2. A follow-up meeting in Beira, presided over by the president of the Conselho Executivo [i.e. the Mayor], with the founding of a veterans’ association as the principle agenda point. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 73 kb.

◊ 22 February 1983
Oficiais veteranos recebem patentes. Notícias [Maputo], 22 February 1983. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 355 kb.

◊ 9 June 1983
Vencemos o colonialismo e liquidaremos infiltrados, bandidos e candongueiros: combatentes da Luta Armada de Libertação Nacional. Notícias [Maputo], 9 June 1983. A message of support from the veterans to the IV Congress of Frelimo. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 635 kb.

◊ 10 June 1983
Obreiros da independência são monumentos vivos: Presidente Samora Machel aos veteranos da Luta de Libertação Nacional. Notícias [Maputo], 10 June 1983. Text of an improvised speech by Samora Machel. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 495 kb.

◊ 16 September 1984
Veterano temperado na frente de Cabo Delgado: Tenente-Coronel Amândio Chongo conta a sua experiência de guerrilheiro. Tempo [Maputo], no.727, 16 September 1984, p.24-26. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 973 kb.

◊ 25 October 1986
[Carta dos antigos combatentes aos membros do Bureau Político da Frelimo]. Unpublished typescript, 25 October 1986. 11 pages. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 922 kb. Note: this text was digitised from a poor photocopy. To download a slightly better quality PDF file, size 6.4 Mb., click here. Click here to view or download a PDF file of the Addendum, continuous pagination 12-18 of the original Carta, 792 kb. For a larger, better quality file, click here [size 6.4 Mb.]

◊ 17 June 1987
Antigos combatentes produzem no Umbeluzi, e falam da fundação da Frente. Notícias [Maputo], 17 June 1987. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 252 kb.

◊ 26 November 1987
Associação dos combatentes: BP lança exortação para sua criação. Diário de Moçambique [Beira], 26 November 1987. The BP is the Bureau Político of the Central Committee of Frelimo. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 66 kb.

◊ 1 December 1987
Associação dos Antigos Combatentes: desencadeado processo preparatório, criadas Comissão Executiva e brigadas de dinamização, General do Exército dirigiu os trabalhos. Notícias [Maputo], 1 December 1987. Over five years after the Beira meeting, steps are taken to establish a veterans’ association. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 223 kb.

◊ 15 January 1988
Para as tarefas da futura associação, combatentes procuram pensamento comum: seminário nacional de quadros da Luta de Libertação Nacional decorre em Maputo. Notícias [Maputo], 15 January 1988. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 339 kb.

◊ 16 January 1988
Luta de Libertação Nacional: combatentes demonstram franqueza nos debates, encerramento do seminário previsto para hoje. Notícias [Maputo], 16 January 1988. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 64 kb.

◊ 6 July 1988
Na futura associação, combatentes exigem responsáveis íntegros: libertadores da pátria demonstram objectividade na explanação dos seus problemas. Notícias [Maputo], 6 July 1988. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 231 kb.

◊ 4 September 1988
Ex-combatants promised new deal. Sunday Mail [Harare], 4 September 1988. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 76 kb.

◊ 22 January 1989
Combatentes da Luta de Libertação criam comité na cidade de Maputo. Tempo [Maputo], no.954, 22 January 1989, p.3. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 192 kb.

◊ 20 August 1989
Arnaldo Henrique. FACOTRAV: antigo combatente está ausente. Tempo [Maputo], 20 August 1989, p.6-7. FACOTRAV was the Faculdade para os Antigos Combatentes e Trabalhadores de Vanguarda at the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane. The third graduating class in June 1989 did not include a single veteran. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 545 kb.

◊ 17 March 1990
Mozambique: veterans active again. Indian Ocean Newsletter [Paris], 17 March 1990, p.6. A petition is being prepared by the antigos combatentes to be submitted to President Chissano. The article says there are 20,000 veterans, and that they are a conservative group within the Frelimo Party. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 87 kb.