the coast and outlying islands for several centuries. Political control of the coast had been in the hands of a string of local sultans. In 974 AD, the famous Arab geographer and historian, Al-Masudi, reported Muslims living among Africans in “the land of Sofa”, referring to modern day Mozambique. 2.1.2 Colonial History 73. Historical accounts suggest that Portuguese traders first arrived in Mozambique in 1498. From the foothold provided by trading posts that they established, Portuguese influence gradually extended from economic exploitation to cultural and social penetration of the territory, especially with the arrival of Christian missionaries who brought not only religion, but also education. Although Portuguese occupation and sovereignty over Mozambique was acknowledged by the Berlin Conference of 1884–85, it was not until the first and second decades of the 20th century that a proper colonial government was organised for the administration of the territory. 74. Portuguese colonial rule in Mozambique focused on the exploitation of the country’s resources for the benefit of Portugal. Consequently, except for the education provided by the missionaries, no conscious efforts were made to develop the local human resources or to prepare the country for national selfdetermination. Apart from the Portuguese-owned plantations on which Mozambicans worked as labourers, the only other investments made were the construction of railway lines that opened up the interior to facilitate trade. With the limited inflow of investments, the economy stagnated and the wellbeing of the people remained deplorable. 75. Mozambique’s political relationship with Portugal changed from one of benign domination to that of aggressive possessiveness when Dr António de Oliveira Salazar became Prime Minister of Portugal. He adopted a new colonial policy of lusotropicalism, which justified the development of closer links between Portugal and its colonial territories. Dr Salazar’s belief that Portugal’s modest resources could not guarantee its economic self-sufficiency implied that the colonies would have to be relied on more intensely in order to ensure that Portugal maintained its imperial status. To this end, emigration was encouraged and the Portuguese population in Mozambique began to grow. This policy, along with the wind of change blowing through all colonies after World War II, stirred up nationalist aspirations in the Mozambican elite, who started various political movements to fight for national independence. 76. The 1960s were critical years in African colonial history, as many African states gained independence from their colonial masters and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) proclaimed support for the total liberation of the African con- 2 The name Moçambique was given by the Portuguese after the Swahili name Msumbiji for the island and port town. It is also believed to be a derivative of the name of a ruling Arab sheikh, Musa bin Ba’ik. 59