Care practices and nostalgia around colonial remains in rural southern Mozambique

This paper examines different forms of engagement with colonial remnants by the residents of a former colonial settlement in southern Mozambique, the Colonato do Limpopo, where after independence socialist policies constructed a narrative of renewal by appropriating colonial legacies, both through spatial markers and discursive strategies.
Today, many inhabitants of all generations of the Colonato do Limpopo, still trace the histories of the remnants back to the colonial era. A form of nostalgia emerges when referencing certain colonial figures and buildings. Some lament the destruction of the bust of the principal engineer of the Colonato in the main square, replaced Samora Machel’s bust; stories of curses placed on those who wish to occupy or modify the former engineer's house ultimately leave it uninhabited and untouchable, transforming it into an uncanny historical monument. However, colonial nostalgia is selective: columns once erected in honour of former dictator Salazar, which have been destroyed and displaced, or left on the ground, are not lamented. It therefore reveals not a desire for returning to the past, but a postcolonial desire for reconstruction (Bissell 2005).
When relating to colonial buildings and their surroundings, inhabitants advocate for their protection, emphasising the pragmatic and aesthetic potentials of these structures and materials. Both older and younger generations stress the importance of keeping these sites ‘clean’ and ‘beautiful’, often making moral judgements about those who pollute them (Douglas 1966). Colonial remains are also praised for their sturdiness and durability.
This paper is thus interested in exploring the ambivalent judgements and engagements towards colonial legacies. It draws on data from ongoing ethnographic research (started in 2023) that investigates the material and immaterial traces of former development projects in rural southern Mozambique, through legacies of the past, both tangible—such as houses and agro-industrial infrastructure—and intangible, including narratives and public figures.