Marracuene was the stage for the Gwaza Muthini Festival on Saturday, held annually in February in the district of Marracuene, in the province of Maputo, in celebration of the memory of the Battle of Marracuene, which took place on February 2, 1895, between Mozambican warriors led by Prince Zixaxa and Portuguese troops.
This historic battle is remembered as a milestone in the resistance to Portuguese colonial occupation. The event begins with the "kuphahla" ceremony, an invocation of ancestors, and continues with cultural performances, including traditional dances that revive the spirit of resistance.
Despite a context of post-election demonstrations that reduced participation at the beginning of the event, the festival attracted hundreds of people, both locals and visitors to Maputo province. In addition to the cultural presentations, the event featured a fair that offered artisanal products and Mozambican cuisine, attracting participants with the diversity of attractions.
One of the traditions associated with the festival is the consumption of canhu, a typical drink of the region, but threatened by increasing urbanization. The mayor of the municipality of Marracuene, Shafee Sidat, highlights that the expansion of construction has caused the felling of trees needed to produce canhu, which compromises this tradition. To preserve the canhu, Sidat proposes planting more trees and protecting the environment, ensuring the continuity of the cultural practice.
Another tradition that has changed over time is the presence of the hippopotamus, whose meat was traditionally used to feed festival participants. However, the animal became rare, and goat and chicken meat became more common. This change also reflects historical inequalities, where food was divided between the colonizers and the local population, with the Portuguese consuming beef and the Mozambicans hippopotamus meat.
Additionally, the Gwaza Muthini Festival coincided with the 18th Marrabenta Festival, which paid tribute to Dilon Djidji, the iconic musician who helped popularize the marrabenta musical style. The event featured a diverse program that included performances of marrabenta, xigubo, ngalanga and mapiko, promoting interaction between generations and strengthening Mozambican cultural identity.
(By MozaVibe)
