Cohabitation, Ethnicities and Tolerance: An Anthropological Approach to the Political Conflicts in Mozambique

Mozambique is a country with cultural segregation along its rivers, dividing the main ethnic groups of the Machangana, Macena, and Macua, respectively from the South, Centre and North. This division has led to internal conflicts, seemingly rooted in ethnicity. The aim of this study is to analyse the tolerance of the main ethnic groups in Mozambique in terms of cohabitation, sharing opportunities, and political power. The study utilizes participant observation in the field, group discussions, and a questionnaire targeting 150 respondents, with 50 in each ethnic group. The data were analytically crosschecked to compare the opinions of people from different ethnic groups. The responses from the questionnaire were analysed statistically to understand the level of tolerance among the ethnic groups and their perceptions of sharing opportunities and political power. As a conclusion, people in Mozambique are generally tolerant of cohabiting or marrying individuals from different ethnic groups. However, when it comes to sharing opportunities such as employment or business, they perceive individuals from different ethnic groups to be taking away opportunities. Similarly, each ethnic group believes that having a president from their own group would lead to better opportunities for their community. It is important to address this intolerance, as it can be a source of internal political conflicts. The anthropological approach provides a valuable tool for diplomacy channels to ensure long-lasting peace.