FROM COLONIAL RULE TO NATIONHOOD: AMÍLCAR CABRAL'S THOUGHT IN THE FACE OF THE MOZAMBIQUE PEACE ACCORDS

Authors

  • RUI MOREIRA DE CARVALHO https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0808-171X
  • IVONE SOARES https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7076-8934
  • CARLOS VIEIRA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1606-1356

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-7251.DT0726.12

Keywords:

Peace Agreements, Amílcar Cabral, Frelimo, Independence, Mozambique, Nation, Peace, Renamo

Abstract

This research investigates, in a critical and interpretative way, how Amílcar Cabral's political thought could dialogue with the Mozambican peace process, culminating in the Peace Accords (Rome, in 1992, and Maputo in 2014 and 2018). Starting from an in-depth analysis of the central categories of Cabralismo - especially liberation as a continuous process, the centrality of political consciousness, revolutionary ethics, and the relationship between popular power and the state - the study confronts these principles with the historical, social, and political dynamics that shaped the end of the civil war in Mozambique. Through the question "what would Cabral say about the Peace Accords without Mozambique", the research seeks to understand the extent to which the Peace Accords, inserted in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programs under the tutelage of multilateral institutions, respond or enter into tension with Cabral's vision of structural transformation and post-colonial emancipation. Through an interdisciplinary approach that combines African political theory, contemporary history, and critical discourse analysis, a hypothetical but grounded reading of what Cabral might have said about national reconciliation, the role of parties, social reintegration, and the challenges of building the Mozambican nation characterized by twenty-one ethnic groups in the post-decolonization period is proposed. The research concludes that Cabral's thought offers relevant conceptual tools to reassess the limits and potentialities of negotiated peace in Mozambique, illuminating contemporary debates on sovereignty, democracy, and social justice in the African context.

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Author Biographies

RUI MOREIRA DE CARVALHO, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0808-171X

He holds a PhD in Management, with spatialization in Strategy, from ISCTE-IUL (2008), a master's degree in Economics and Management of Science and Technology, from ISEG (1996), and a marine machinery engineer from ENIDH (1994). He is an associate professor at Universidade Lusófona (Portugal) and an invited assistant professor at ISCTE-IUL. He is director of the postgraduate course in Quality Management at ISCTE-IUL. His academic work focuses on development economics, corporate governance, mobile money, financial institutions, cooperative banking.

IVONE SOARES, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7076-8934

She is a PhD candidate in Political Science and International Relations and a lecturer in the Bachelor's Programme in Political Science at the Catholic University of Mozambique (Mozambique). Alongside her academic career, she has played a prominent role in public life and civil society in Mozambique. She currently serves as a Member of the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique, where she is serving her fourth legislative term. She is also the African Representative of the Business and Professional Women (BPW) network, President of the Union for Student Development (UNDE), a civil society organization, and a member of the Technical Commission for the Implementation of the National Inclusive Dialogue. In addition, she is an active writer and public advocate. Her academic research and public engagement focus on international relations, democratic governance, public policy, management, human rights, women's empowerment, and international cooperation. Particular attention is devoted to issues of sustainable development in Africa, the retention of girls in education, the prevention of femicide and child marriage, and support for victims of terrorism and internally displaced populations, especially in Cabo Delgado Province. Through her academic, political, and civic contributions, she seeks to promote inclusive development, social justice, and democratic participation in Mozambique and beyond.

CARLOS VIEIRA, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1606-1356

He is currently Executive Director for Executive Education at Católica Porto School of Business & Economics (Portugal). He is an effective member of the Order of Economists and the Order of Certified Accountants, Vice-President of ANESPO – Portuguese Association of Professional Schools and member of the Supervisory Board of CCP – Portuguese Confederation of Commerce and Services. Holds a degree in Business Administration and Management from Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics (1996), a postgraduate degree in Management and Industrial Organization from Universidade Lusófona (2000) and in Management from ISG – Instituto Superior de Gestão (2009), and two executive courses in Social Leadership for Managers and of Chief Sustainability Officer, both from Católica Porto (2023 and 2024).

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Published

2026-10-19

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 1, TD4 (2026): From Colonial Rule to Nationhood: Amílcar Cabral and the Birth of Lusophone Africa

Section

ARTICLES