Remembering is necessary: the Portuguese conquests revisited by the colonial press created in Portugal and Mozambique (1922 - 1937)

Abstract

The preservation of a victory can be lost very quickly if it is not remembered and idealized to future generations. That is why it is essential to create narratives which uphold the glories and resort to present actions. Similarly, the defeated ones can elaborate on new coping strategies so as to keep themselves active before a scenario in which they are not considered leading actors any more, even if they are crucial for the development of the historical plot. Basically, the relationships between Portugal and Mozambique were developed in this way. Thus, this article aims to reflect on the appearance and actions of some periodicals which made the colonialism subject of discussion on both sides and arose the problems of Portuguese imperialist tradition to their readers. As a result, this article is based on the analytical proposal of investigations intra-newspaper and inter-newspapers, defended by Zicman, and based on Capelato's and Prado's orientations, which state that newspapers are conceived as a tool capable of interfering in a society and manipulating interests. We conclude, therefore, that the recollection of Portugal's dominating past was linked to the search for the authors' legitimacy in the colonial system.