Abstract

This presentation on the Wiriyamu massacre of 1972 in Mozambique uses fieldwork and archival materials to address its historical context, the methods used to collect data for the narrative, the trajectory that the narrative took to reach the pages of The Times of London, the contest that ensued over its veracity, and its eventual acceptance as true by all parties concerned. The presentation discuses both the context as well as the construction of the massacre narrative, showing the complexities and the nuances present. Its revelation too was governed by a series of factors, some directly related to the story and the timing of its arrival in London, and others entirely disconnected from the text of the massacre as received by The Times of London. The text discusses in the end how both the preponderance of evidence and a change in regime in Portugal among other factors delivered the narrative safely for all to agree on its veracity as a common text.

Bio

Mustafah Dhada was born and brought up in Mozambique.  He got his doctorate from the University of Oxford in 1987.
Currently he is a Professor at California State University at Bakersfiled. in the Department of History. Prof. Dhada has carried out extensive research on several topic in African history, with a focus on Cabral and the Wiriamu Massacre. Among his various publications are “The 1972 Wiriyamu Massacre of Mozambique” (London: Bloomsbury Academic Press, 2015), “Cabral: His Thoughts and Actions In The Context of Our Time” in Firoze Manji & Bill Fletcher Jr. (eds): Claim No Easy Victories: The Legacy of Amilcar Cabral. 2013: Dakar: CODESRIA; “Contesting Terrains Over a Massacre: The Case of Wiriyamu”, in Contesting Terrains and Constructed Categories: Critical Issues in Contemporary Africa (2001: Westview Press); “Guinea-Bissau: Fear and Dissent In A House Divided (2001-2002)” Africa Contemporary Records, (June 2005).
 

Activity within the Research Group Democracy, Citizenship and Law (DECIDe)