In the shade of coal: A micro-history of resettlement and the mining industry in Tete province, Mozambique, 2009-2018

The narratives and stories of the daily experiences of the local communities with the Vale mining project show that it has disrupted not only the lives, livelihood, and ecology but also the cultural and spiritual factors of the local communities in Moatize. Nevertheless, the power asymmetry between the various actors involved in the extractive industry (the mining company, local government, local communities and civil society organisations), dominated by the mining companies, has influenced how the mining issues have been negotiated at the local level. The emergence of the coal mining projects in Tete province displaced thousands of families from their homelands, where they have lived for generations. Thus, many scholars and civil society organisations have sought to analyse the socio-economic and environmental impact of the phenomenon. However, most of these studies have focused on the macro issues, preventing us from accessing peculiarities and details that can widen our understanding of the phenomenon. In contrast, my research, through a micro-historical approach, focuses on the singularities of the Vale resettlement, exploring a range of issues, such as the group of potters displaced by the Vale mining company to initiate its mining activities, the cemetery constructed by the mining company in Cateme and the conflict around the exhumation of the bodies from the old cemetery. However, besides the resettled communities, my research also analyses the ecological effects of the Vale mining activities on the local communities close to the mining site, which Nixon calls “Displaced without moving.”

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of the Western Cape

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• António, Bernardino

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Israel, Paolo

• Resettlement
• Mining industry
• Ecology
• Vale
• Mozambique

Licence

• https://uwcscholar.uwc.ac.za/bitstreams/7fc16d6e-3ceb-44b0-ae90-43dfe37a25f3/download