The Comprometidos, 1978-1982

Dossier MZ-0185

At independence, achieved after a ten-year war of liberation against the Portuguese colonial power, Frelimo was faced with the problem of what to do with those Mozambicans who had bought into Portuguese ideology during the struggle, and were likely to refuse to adhere to new notions of what Mozambican citizenship meant. The solution chosen was innovative.

In December 1978, the Central Committee of Frelimo ordered that passport-size photographs of former members of Portuguese colonial-fascist organisations should be prominently posted in all workplaces, and elsewhere. The cited organisations included the secret police (the PIDE), special military groups (GES, GEPS, the commandos), the fascist political party (the ANP) and some others. No other sanctions were imposed, apart from the loss of some political rights. This process was described by one reporter as ‘Chinese-style public shaming’. The photographs of the so-called ‘comprometidos’ or compromised ones remained in place until 1982, when a series of large-scale public meetings was held by Frelimo to close the process.

SMM falando

These meetings were facilitated by Samora Machel in person and were televised. Subsequently a documentary film directed by the Dutch film-maker Ike Bertels was released. Machel engaged in dialogue with individuals, as well as making speeches. Unsurprisingly most of the participants expressed gratitude and enthusiasm for the learning process, with a few notable exceptions such as the painter Marcos Zicale, who stubbornly refused to recant or admit error. Subsequently, the comprometidos were declared full Mozambican citizens, ready to be fully reintegrated into Mozambican society – they had previously been denied access to the vote and party membership, among other rights. Participants had been seated in groups by organisation, and the moment was marked by the symbolic overthrowing of the placards indicating these groupings [see picture at left].

This dossier consists almost exclusively of local press reports, mostly quite triumphalist in tone, with a scattering of foreign newspaper stories. There are also a handful of retrospectives from succeeding years. As far as MHN was aware, no detailed studies of the comprometidos as a group or as individuals had been done when this page was first posted. However, in December 2010 Victor Igreja of the University of Queensland published an article «Frelimo’s political ruling through violence and memory in post-colonial Mozambique» in the Journal of Southern African Studies vol.36 no.4, pages 781-799, available here [subscription required]. Igreja devotes a substantial part of the article (pages 786-799) to a detailed analysis of the 1982 meetings.

Decoration

The Comprometidos are Identified

◊ 10 December 1978
Afixar até dia 15 listas de elementos comprometidos: comunicado do secretariado do CC da FRELIMO. Tempo [Maputo], no.427, 10 December 1978, p.9. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 62 kb.

◊ 9 March 1979
David Ottaway. Chinese-style public shaming: subtle Mozambican force used on ex-collaborators. International Herald Tribune [Paris], 9 March 1979. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 215 kb.

The Party Meetings, 1982

◊ 12 February 1982
António Souto. Zicale: esquecer provocando. Notícias [Maputo], 12 February 1982. The well-known artist Marcos Zicale was ‘a big fish’ among the black members of the Acção Nacional Popular [ANP], the Portuguese fascist party during colonial times. In the 1960s, he also wrote articles for Renovação, the movement’s newspaper. He refused to cooperate at the meeting of comprometidos held on 11 February 1982, and was taken away into detention. This article describes the encounter between Zicale and President Machel at the meeting. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 304 kb.

◊ 14 February 1982
Carlos Cardoso and Fernando Lima. Os homens também se reconstroem. Notícias [Maputo], 14 February 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 246 kb.

◊ 4 May 1982
Reintegração de moçambicanos comprometidos: direcção do Partido promove reunião. Notícias [Maputo], 4 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 119 kb.

◊ 8 May 1982
Na segunda-feira, Partido reúne com comprometidos. Notícias [Maputo], 8 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 270 kb.

◊ 9 May 1982
Amanhã em Maputo, Partido reúne com comprometidos. Domingo [Maputo], 9 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 108 Kb.

◊ 10 May 1982
Comprometidos: balanço político de um processo. Notícias [Maputo], 10 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 164 kb.

◊ 11 May 1982
Decolonização mental é o nosso problema actual. Notícias [Maputo], 11 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 607 kb.

◊ 11 May 1982
Migueis Lopes Júnior and Ricardo Timane. Comprometidos ou compatriotas? Presidente Samora convida colaboracionistas a optarem. Notícias [Maputo], 11 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 410 kb.

◊ 11 May 1982
António Souto. A honra que não mereço. Notícias [Maputo], 11 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 507 kb.

◊ 12 May 1982
Migueis Lopes Júnior. Homens que representam o génio do nosso povo: alvo a atingir na transformação dos comprometidos. Notícias [Maputo], 12 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 267 kb.

◊ 12 May 1982
Nelson Malangabi. Uma outra opção. Notícias [Maputo], 12 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 144 kb.

◊ 12 May 1982
António Souto. Despersonalizar aportuguesando. Notícias [Maputo], 12 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 191 kb.

◊ 12 May 1982
Ricardo Timane. Cruz de cristo servia tortura de homens. Notícias [Maputo], 12 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 392 kb.

◊ 13 May 1982
Joseph Hanlon. Frelimo fraternises with former enemies. Guardian [London], 13 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 155 kb.

◊ 14 May 1982
Reunião com os comprometidos: a honra que deve ser restituída, Presidente Samora Machel na interrupção dos trabalhos. Notícias [Maputo], 14 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 268 kb.

◊ 16 May 1982
Aprender e ganhar a dignidade de patriota. Tempo [Maputo], no.605, 16 May 1982, p.6-7. Article marks the end of the first part of Frelimo’s meeting with the comprometidos, or ‘compromised ones’ who collaborated actively with Portuguese colonialism. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 560 kb.

◊ 16 May 1982
Trajectórias. Domingo [Maputo], 16 May 1982, p.3. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 261 kb.

◊ 20 May 1982
Ricardo Timane. O exemplo de um método. Notícias [Maputo], 20 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 295 kb.

◊ 22 May 1982
António Souto. Conhecermo-nos pela história. Notícias [Maputo], 22 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 314 kb.

◊ 23 May 1982
Descolonização mental, nosso actual problema: Presidente Samora Machel na abertura da reunião com os comprometidos. Tempo [Maputo], no.606, 23 May 1982, p.28-31. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 730 kb.

◊ 23 May 1982
Celestino Jorge. Lições do humanismo desta revolução: a propósito do reunião dos comprometidos. Tempo [Maputo], no.606, 23 May 1982, p.26-27. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 310 kb.

◊ 25 May 1982
António Souto. A coincidência da cruz com a espada. Notícias [Maputo], 25 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 376 kb.

◊ 28 May 1982
Migueis Lopes Júnior. Milagres da consciência de si. Notícias [Maputo], 28 May 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 257 kb.

◊ 30 May 1982
Sol Carvalho. Reunião dos comprometidos: momento de violência, mas de libertação. Tempo [Maputo], 30 May 1982, p.12-13. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 746 kb.

◊ 3 June 1982
Reunião dos comprometidos: recomeço. Notícias [Maputo], 3 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 115 kb.

◊ 4 June 1982
António Souto and Ricardo Timane. Assumir o passado para o liquidar: via de um futuro digno apontada pelo Presidente Samora aos comprometidos. Notícias [Maputo], 4 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 507 kb.

◊ 5 June 1982
Migueis Lopes Júnior and António Souto. Escolha que fazemos é sempre consciente: tónica da reunião de ontem com os comprometidos. Notícias [Maputo], 5 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 148 kb.

◊ 6 June 1982
A libertação é uma guerra prolongada. Domingo [Maputo], 6 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 264 kb.

◊ 7 June 1982
Migueis Lopes Júnior and António Souto. Hoje na sessão de encerramento: comprometidos sugerem formas de reintegração. Notícias [Maputo], 7 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 806 kb.

◊ 8 June 1982
Confiantes e unidos, construamos o futuro: Samora Machel no discurso de encerramento. Notícias [Maputo], 8 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 424 kb.

◊ 8 June 1982
[Photograph of the meeting, after the symbolic overthrowing of the placards]. Notícias [Maputo], 8 June 1982. Poor quality picture, with caption, scanned from the newspaper. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 132 kb.

◊ 8 June 1982
Prontos a lutar contra a RAS. Notícias [Maputo], 8 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 467 kb.

◊ 8 June 1982
Migueis Lopes Júnior and Ricardo Timane. Já não há comprometidos, há moçambicanos. Notícias [Maputo], 8 June 1982, p.1. Front page lead story. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 250 kb.

◊ 11 June 1982
Libertação de comprometidos: atribuídas responsibilidades para realização de reuniões. Notícias [Maputo], 11 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 306 kb.

◊ 13 June 1982
Vocês ganharam uma pátria. Tempo [Maputo], no.609, 13 June 1982, p.5-8. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 602 kb.

◊ 14 June 1982
Opinião pública: o comportamento dos ex-comprometidos acompanhado nos locais de trabalho. Notícias [Maputo], 14 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 165 kb.

◊ 15 June 1982
Opinião pública: ex-comprometidos, assumir orientações traçadas. Notícias [Maputo], 15 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 241 kb.

◊ 16 June 1982
Opinião pública: integrar ex-comprometidos nas organizações democráticas. Notícias [Maputo], 16 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 215 kb.

◊ 18 June 1982
Queremos-vos ao lado do povo. Notícias [Maputo], 18 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 164 kb.

◊ 19 June 1982
Queremos que sejam a vanguarda: Salomão Munguambe aos ex-comprometidos. Notícias [Maputo], 19 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 84 kb.

◊ 21 June 1982
Retiradas fotografias de ex-comprometidos. Notícias [Maputo], 21 June 1982. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 66 kb.

◊ 27 June 1982
Ex-comprometidos: processo de reintegração prossegue. Tempo [Maputo], no.611, 27 June 1982, p.44. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 102 kb.

◊ 20 July 1982
Rogério Sitoe. Utilizaram-me contra a luta do meu povo: memórias de um homem que reconquistou um nome e uma pátria. Notícias [Maputo], 20 July 1982. An interview with Mathaúze Haússe, also known as Alberto de Almeida House, a former collaborator with Portuguese colonialism. He states that he feared that he was going to be shot by Frelimo. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 359 kb.

The Aftermath

◊ 11 May 1983
[Photograph of the meeting, showing the podium]. Notícias [Maputo], 11 May 1983, p.3. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 367 kb.

◊ 3 July 1983
Co-produção moçambicana-holandesa, filme sobre os comprometidos faz sucesso na TV europeia: despoletado mais interesse sobre a revolução moçambicana. Domingo [Maputo], 3 July 1983, p.18. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 389 kb. See the extract from the film embedded below.

◊ 11 May 1984
Há dois anos, iniciado balanço político com ex-comprometidos. Notícias [Maputo], 11 May 1984. Click here to view or download a PDF, size 358 kb.