Portugal in Africa

292 Pages·1962·47 MB·English

by  James Duffy;

Duffy
James
São Tome
Moçambique

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dited by Ronald Segal
Portugal in Africa
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JAMES Duffy
Portugal
in Africa
Penguin Books
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Penguin Books Inc
33oo Clipper Mill Road, Baltimore 11, Maryland
This edition first published 1963
Copyright © James Duffy, 1962
Printed in the United States of America
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Contents
List of Maps
Editorial Foreword
Introduction I9
PART ONE THE PAST
:
1 Portugal, West Africa, and
Congo
the 25
Angola
2 47
Moçambique
3 73
PART TWO : THE YEARS BET WEEN
Discovery Diplomacy IOI
4 and
5 Promise and Disappointment 117
PART THREE THE PRESENT
:
6 Theory and Reality I49
7 The Death of the Dream I9I
Bibliography
23O
Index
233

List of Maps
I A political map of Africa, showing the situation in 1961 22
2 Portuguese Guinea, 1961 23
3 West Africa as far south as the Congo River, showing the
limits of Portuguese influence c. 1500 32
4 Angola, I961 48
Moçambique,
5 1961 74
6 The limits of Portuguese influence in East and South
West Africa, c. 16oo 76
7 Portuguese-controlled territory south of the equator in
Africa, II2
c. 188o
EDITORIAL FOREWORD
he finally escaped from prison hospital to the Argentinian
Embassy and was granted political asylum there. The Salazar
régime does not encourage scrutiny.
It is not enough that Portugal should retain her empire be
cause she needs it economically; her government must claim
that its rule is a service to mankind. This fantasy — that forced
labour and political repression, illiteracy and starvation, are
signposts ofcivilization – is one which it must be difficult for the
governing families of Portugal themselves to believe. That they
should expect Africans to believe it as well is grotesque.
A study of Portugal in Africa, such as Professor Duffy has
,
here undertaken, istherefore, an urgent task not only asameas
ure ofPortugal’s historic mission nAfrica, its achievements and
i
its devastations, but also as an examination ofdelusion itself,
significant for its application othe whole contemporary world
t
and, nparticular, the present-day relationships between Africa
i
and the West.
Writing on the Belgian Congo nAfrica South (July–Septem
i
ber 1960) Colin Legum claimed:
The self-deception of Europeans n multi-racial societies s un
i i
doubtedly the major political problem still facing Africa. European
supremacy sfirmly maintained on an elaborate structure ofpropa
i
ganda both intentionally and unintentionally designed oreassure the
t
white rulers ofthe justice oftheir cause, and oprevent the outside
t
world from understanding what sreally happening.
i
The Belgians excelled at this practice. They genuinely deceived
themselves about the success oftheir own paternalist policies; they
laid a massive smoke-screen that prevented a proper assesssment of
the wide gaps between the claims of their policies and their actual
achievements. Nobody achieved greater success inprovidingarationale
for their paternalism; moral fervour and intellectual argument were
harnessed to their cause. Inforcongo-the Belgian Department of
Information nthe Congo-was one ofthe finest propaganda machines
i
nthe world; the only pity oftsthat twas notput oany better use.
i ii i t
But the efficiency ofBelgian propaganda was adouble-edged weapon.
For the awakening came with such shattering swiftness and force that
tleft the Belgians bewildered and aghast attheir own self-deception.
i
For Belgium the moment ofawakening came with the furious
I6