Visions of Marracuene. Propaganda, popular culture, tourism and the colonial terrain in Mozambique

Abstract

This article examines how an official film project aimed to create a propagandistic representation of Marracuene, a colonial territory in southern Mozambique, in the mid - 20th century. Resulting from a diverse set of institutional conditions, which reveal a large number of mediations, the cinematographic materials had the power to construct an imagery of this colonial territory, while using selected themes recounted by standard narrative devices. In this article, access to other historical evidence on Marracuene’s social life during the same period allows us to identify chief characteristics of this territory excluded by the propaganda film project. A state-produced labour report and an oral witness suggest a distinct historical narrative.