Customer Reviews

A Complicated War: The Harrowing of Mozambique (Perspectives on South Africa)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anyone who wants to know about Mozambique's recent history must read this book--not just because it's full of names, facts and dates, but because it's a stunning work of exploration and exposure by a journalist who chose to travel through a viciously dangerous countryside to try to understand the reality of a nation devastated by fear. But more than that, this is also a superb piece of writing: engrossing from beginning to end, every page packed with vivid prose and thought-provoking discussion. I read this book in Mozambique in 1992 and it made an enormous difference

This is a lively and well written book which deals with the period of civil war in Mozambique. It was completed and published just before the conclusion of a successful peace process and so provides a particularly clear and powerful view of recent history.It is based on the author's travels within country during the war period and includes extensive interviews. The people he talked and worked with emerge as very vivid and lively characters. The support of the rebels by Rhodesia and South Africa, and the reasons for that support, are well described. A must read for anyone going to work in Mz, strongly recommended for the serious traveler as well.

The book`s main claim to relevance is the fact that the author travelled inside Mozambique during the war, getting a firsthand perspective on the suffering of the locals. That aspect of the book is compelling and extremely relevant, since there are very few written testimonies of how it was like during the war. The narrative is interpolated with research about the political forces and historical causes of the conflict. Most of the political part is composed of the scant facts we have about the war, told with a slight bias.

The fact that the two are blended, instead of placed in separated parts, makes less obvious the fact that they do not set light on each other very much. One part of reconstructing a major war is tracing the connection between the larger forces - in this case, South Africa`s role, the RENAMO leadership, the communist and anticommunist propaganda - and the battles seen from a close distance - the disruption of life, famine and terror caused by the guerrillas. A lot about the war in Mozambique is unknown and, or at least, unreported. We don`t know who in the South African Government was involved with RENAMO after the Nkomati accords, nor the number of Renamo victims, nor how many people were in concentration camps. The author`s field work, despite including some interviews with leaderships on both sides, adds little to the general picture. Furthermore, not much light is set about obscure aspects that should be cleared precisely by the kind of in loco studies this book provides, such as the different motivations and possible independence of the guerrilla groups. We don`t know the chain of command of the bandidos, and not very much about the foot soldiers. Another fact that is only sketched in this book, and entirely absent from others, is the role of traditional chiefs and healers in the war and in Mozambican society. It deserves a lot more study.

A reconstruction of the war`s untold story, which some of the main events may not even have been put in some European language, would demand a vast project, where Finnegan`s testimony would be only one of many sources. But that doesn`t seem to be a large priority, either of the population and government of Mozambique, or of the international community. The country just wants to move on and overcome poverty.
Thus the memory of much the Renamo`s war will remain covered in the proverbial "fog of war", since so many facts are remembered only by illiterate people who only speak bantu languages, who will not be interviewed by scholars and politicians with translators in their lifetime. And other are to remain secrets of people who could very well write about them, but just won`t.

I was born and lived in Moçambique for over 25 years .
This book has a lot of interesting information but some of the facts are distorted by interviews to some of the people envolved . I found this "normal" in many books and TV as reporters are limited to some parts of the population and their "under influence" oppinnions . There are also some errors on personal information about influent Mozambique politicians .Some of the info on colonial behaviour and facts is not correct and certainly received from the "wrong" sources .
In general , is an interesting book , but to be read with some reserves .

Author visited the country in 1992, after the war. I was there in 1994 and the book did help me understand much of what went on. It is well written. On the other hand one will need an interest in this part of the world to find this interesting reading.

Having spent my teenage years in Mozambique during the 1950s, I've always felt a strong affinity for Mozambique and its people. I read Finnegan's book with a heavy heart, finally piecing together the puzzle of what has become of the, "Terra de boa gente", the land of the good people. Finnegan's book is amazingly sensitive and intelligent. This is a book built on a foundation of deep insight, patience and great scholarship. Through Finnegan's incisive reporting, I was transported back to this "harrowed" land down to the smell of the wood fires. Not having been in Mozambique since 1968, Finnegan re-kindled my interest and wish to re-visit this challenged land and to see it again for myself.

This is a great introductory book to understanding the war in Mozambique from independence until 1992. This would be the first book that I would recommend anyone wanting to know about the history behind current events not only in Mozambique, but in Southern Africa in general. Finnegan divided the war into sections based on the provinces of Mozambique, and then told the unique story relative to each region and how the war was influenced by Mozambicans and its neighbors. If anyone is interested in further reading on Mozambique and/or Southern Africa, the bibliography in the back of this book is exceptional. Most highly recommended!