Guma is a small, dusty village found in the southeastern part of Massinga District in Inhambane Province. It is surrounded by small bushes and many mafurera trees. Guma Village and Massinga District were named after Gunwa Massinga, the first black paramount chief of that area. That’s where I, José Chicuarra Massinga (grandson of Gunwa Massinga), was born on 3 January 1930. My parents named me José. José is my “Christian” or European name. It was compulsory for newborn babies to be registered every year by their Christian names, as the Portuguese claimed that they could not pronounce our African names. Chicuarra was my father’s name. It was necessary for me to have it as a middle name, according to the law of the Portuguese.
I was born into a family of seven children. We were six boys and one girl. I was the sixth bornchild of my father and the second born child of my mother, Louçiquine Mahendlele. My father had two wives, the second wife being my mother. The name of my elder mother, my father’s first wife, was Nwaximbitane. My father married my mother after the death of his elder wife. My other five brothers were Naethan, Tsikiwane, Bandane, Manhanganhane and Kanyane. My
sister’s name was Jenufayane.
Our family was very poor. Both my parents died when I was very young – I was only six years old. After the death of my parents, I stayed with my elder brother Bandane (from my biological mother) and my younger brother, Kanyane. After some time, my elder brother left to work on the mines in South Africa, and I had to take care of my younger brother and myself. I had a lot of responsibilities as a child. I had no time for playing around and had to make sure that we had
something to eat everyday.
Despite the fact that my father died when I was very young, there is something I will never forget about him. My father, being the son of the paramount chief, was appointed to lead the black slaves, who were required to be sent as ‘shibalo’ (forced labour), to Cataria Mucuaimba in Manhiça and to Xinavane for sugar cane cultivating for the Incomate company. That was the order given by the Portuguese Governor.
My father did not get the number of men required by the company. Therefore, the administrator ordered his men to beat him. He was terribly tortured and beaten with a ‘palmatoria’ (a wooden tool made for torturing black people). When he came home, he was in pain and his hands were bleeding and swollen.
I felt angry when I saw my father like that. I wanted to cry, but my father used to tell me that, ‘a man does not cry’. My mother boiled water and washed his wounds. At home we had three huts, one of which was my father’s. It faced the eastern part of Guma. Opposite was my hut, which I shared with my brother. On the left was the kitchen. This large home was my responsibility. I used to wake up early in the morning to fetch water, which was found some distance away from home.
Sometimes I would go looking for firewood, which was also found some distance away. On my return, I would find my brother waiting patiently for me. By then, I knew what I had to do. I would quickly go to the nearest garden to fetch some sweet potatoes or some cassava. Sometimes I would return empty handed. The solution lay with my neighbours, the Cumbe family, whose house was situated opposite mine.
Life was not easy. Sometimes we would go days without food. My neighbour used to advise us to go to my elder sister, who was already married. I refused. I knew very well that we could not be able to stay comfortably, and that my sister would not feel very comfortable about having us in her place, despite her urging us to stay with her. I knew very well that it was not her home, but it was her husband’s, according to our culture. My elder half brother was not well settled, so we could not trouble him. I therefore stayed with my younger brother, Kanyane, and we were content. My neighbour stopped troubling us about going to my sister, for
he saw that we were not prepared to do so.
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