Portuguese Settlement on the Zambesi by M. D. D. Newitt; Mozambique: The Africanization of a European Institution by Allen Isaacman Review by: Alan K. Smith Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue Canadienne des Ãtudes Africaines, Vol. 8, No. 1 (1974), pp. 170-173 Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of the Canadian Association of African Studies Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/483884 . Accessed: 16/06/2014 04:16 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. . Taylor & Francis, Ltd. and Canadian Association of African Studies are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue Canadienne des Ãtudes Africaines. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 185.2.32.89 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 04:16:38 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=taylorfrancis http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=caas http://www.jstor.org/stable/483884?origin=JSTOR-pdf http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp 170 REVUE CANADIENNE DES ETUDES AFRICAINES II. COMPTES RENDUS/BOOK REVIEWS M. D. D. NEWITT, Portuguese Settlement on the Zambesi, (Africana Publishing 1House, 1973), 434p. Allen ISAACMAN, Mozambique: The Afri- canization of a European Institution, (University of Wisconsin Press, 1972), 260p. The study of the lower Zambezi valley should have a unique place in African history. It was the only region in the interior of sub- Saharan Africa where there was meaningful and continuous European penetration prior to the nineteenth century. For over three hundred years Europeans and Africans co-existed on artificially constructed zones known as prazos. Yet, despite what would seem to have been an obvious area for investigation, the prazo system has remained an obscure concept for must students in the field. Perhaps nothing is more indicative of how this region has been ignored than the fact that neither Aspects of Central African History nor, curiously enough, The Zambezian Past make more than the slightest mention of the prazos. For those able to read Portuguese the situation has been only slightly more satisfactory. Alexandre Lobato's ('olonizagao Senhorial de Zambezia provides a short introduction to the subject, but is certainly not an in depth analysis of the system. At the other extreme, F. G. de Almeida de Eca's Histbria Das Guerras No Zambeze is little more than a lengthy chronicle of the nineteenth century wars between the prazeros and the Portuguese government. In view of the generally unsatisfactory nature of the literature, it is especially important that we have been presented in rapid succession with two works which seek to explain the illusive nature of the prazo systems. Fortunately the subject is sufficiently exten- sive to allow scope for two such studies. And indeed, although there is certainly a degree of overlap, M. D. D. Newitt's Portuguese Settle- ment on the Zambesi and Allen Isaacman's Mozambique: The Africanization of a Euro- pean Institution are essentially complementary works. Of the two, Newitt's has taken on the broader task. He seeks not only to study the Zambezi valley, but also Portuguese relations with the neighbouring territories. In the long run he has produced a work whose principal value stems from the light it sheds on the Portuguese in Central Africa, their motives, their relations with each other, and the dy- namics of an inefficient administration in its attempt to rationalize and subordinate a system which functioned largely beyond its control. Isaacman, on the other hand, is much less con- cerned with bureaucratic and legalistic ques- tions. His aim is to present a functional analysis of the prazos themselves, to distinguish among the various forces at work on these estates, and to explain the relationship of these forces to the operation of the system. Placing the origin and development of the prazos into the wider perspective of the Por- tuguese imperial and domestic history is one of the major contributions of Dr. Newitt's work. The movement into Central Africa, first given sanction by the governor of Sofala in 1531, stemmed from the disappointment the Por- tuguese had experienced in trying to control coastal commerce. Individuals, reacting mainly against mercantilistic governmental policy, sought their fortunes in the interior. By one means or another they obtained concessions of lands from African rulers, and then waxed anxious for their government to confirm these titles. By the middle of the seventeenth century. a legal system based not on the novel conditions of Central Africa, but on the age-old Por- tuguese concept of emphyteusis, had emerged. Basically, this involved the leasing of an estate for a fixed number of generations, with the provisions that it could not be subdivided and at expiration of the charter, its reversion to the crown. Dr. Newitt proceeds to demonstrate that "the authenticity and legality of a title were never totally meaningless concepts in the Rivers" and that despite the relatively weak position of the Mozambique government vis-h- vis the prazeros, Portuguese officials continued to play a significant role in the allocation of estates and often prevented would be estate holders from obtaining a title. Portuguese Settlement On the Zambesi also seeks to revise notions about the lack of initiative displayed by the Portuguese. Dr. This content downloaded from 185.2.32.89 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 04:16:38 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp LIVRES / BOOKS 171 Newitt admits that many of the prazos on the south of the Zambezi were abandoned by the eighteenth century. These, however, were replaced by new estates carved out of the decaying Marave states. The eighteenth century was not "one of decline and decadence so much as one in which a reorientation of Portuguese interests and influence took place from south of the Zambesi to the north." Perhaps of greater import is the revision proposed for the nineteenth century. If the government was listless and lethargic, armies attached to various prazero families were busy expanding their spheres of occupation throughout the interior of Central Africa. "If there had been no 'Partition'," he notes, "Central Africa would probably have been settled by a number of Chikunda 'tribes' under chiefly families with Portuguese names." Despite the intrinsic merit of much of Dr. Newitt's study, it is marred by a number of flaws which greatly detract from its value. His orthography is often not consistent with current usage, the sections discussing purely African considerations contain many errors, he relies heavily on dated secondary sources of questionable value, and simultaneously ignores a good deal of the more recent published literature. While the writing is often engaging, the narrative is far too long. Had the author condensed his text by being more selective in presenting his material he would have produced a more meaningful study. The curious manner selected for the presentation of notes, which requires fumbling through the back of the book for each citation, also leaves a great deal to be desired. Perhaps it is for this reason that the citations are inconsistent and sometimes inac- curate. Moreover, there are no notes for many of the author's more important and contentious assertions. The limited range of sources, however, represents the greatest weakness of this study. Among archival collections, signifi- cant use is made only of the Arquivo Histbrico Ultramarino in Lisbon. But many crucial fac- tors are not documented with primary material from even this archive, but are based on published primary and secondary sources. As a result, much of the analysis appears superficial and is overly dependent on sophisticated speculation. * * * As opposed to the heavy emphasis placed on European considerations in the Newitt study, Dr. Isaacman looks with a penetrating eye at the actual working of the system. His book portrays the prazos as complex and inherently unstable geographical creations. He demonstrates that traditional polities remained largely unchanged and that chiefs continued to direct most of the affairs of their followers. It was rare for a prazero to intrude into this aspect of life, and even more rare for this intrusion to be successful. On the contrary, since the prazero had gained his position either by force, the offer of material advantages to the local chiefs, or even by providing security to those over whom he presided, he suffered from a poorly defined position, which remained outside of the traditional social structure. Therefore, he continued to depend on the support of the indigenous land chief. However, the prazero also created his own administrative super- structure, which was staffed largely by Africans alien to the area, who owed allegiance only to him. The key factor in this non-traditional hierarchy was the size and effectiveness of the prazero's personal army. When he enjoyed both the support of strong military forces and gained the sanction of the local chiefs, he was able to collect taxes, put down discontent, and exercise a number of economic prerogatives associated with his status. It was perhaps in the economic sphere that success was most required, for he was, first and foremost, a trader whose position could only be maintained as long as he profitted from the market-oriented commerce of Central Africa. Due to the complexity of forces at work, however, Isaacman argues that the in- stitution was essentially dysfunctional in nature. Since the longevity of a particular estate depended on the harmonious interplay of con- tradictory forces, few prazos survived intact over several generations. Rather, the picture which emerges depicts the supporters of prazeros often changing loyalties, the in- habitants of an estate moving their residence to another prazo, and the rapid turnover of prazos and prazeros. Thus, Isaacman convincingly describes how the institution survived over centuries, despite the fact that few of its component parts achieved more than tem- porary success. Mozambique.: The Africanization of A European Institution is a most impressively This content downloaded from 185.2.32.89 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 04:16:38 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp 172 CANADIAN JOURNAL OF AFRICAN STUDIES documented work. There are one hundred and fifty-eight pages of text and sixty-two of notes. While some may consider the length of the notes excessive, there are multiple citations for virtually every assertion and full explanations when appropriate. The range of source material demonstrates that this was a thoroughly researched study. Dr. Isaacman used all of the archives in Lisbon, the archives in Mozam- bique, and the Public Record Office in London. In addition, he makes good use of unpublished manuscripts and the most recent published literature. But most important is his use of oral data gathered in field interviews in the Zambezi valley. This additional source has enabled him to capture a great deal of the subtlety and complexity of his subject which surely must have escaped him had he depended solely on written sources. Years ago innumerable conferences spelled out what must be the necessary methodology if a successful African history was to be written. Dr. Isaacman's book probably comes closer to that desired model than any of the recently published works. Yet, his very use of so much oral data underlines a problem it presents for those accustomed to taking note of citations and sources. For despite his very useful Appen- dix A, in which he explains how material was gathered and some of its limitations, the reader is left wanting to know more about particular sources. While one suspects that limitations of space, as well as other considerations, have prevented the author from doing more than identifying informants by name and where they were interviewed, there is a certain sense of dissatisfaction with not knowing who the infor- mant really is and how he came upon such esoteric information. This is especially true when one encounters assertions relating to the distant past, which, without substantiation of the qualifications of the informant, seem un- likely to have been remembered. One need not belabor the comparison of written and oral sources, but it remains true that there is a certain sense of believability to a document left by a contemporary to events that is absent in oral testimony, unless the credibility of the informant is made clear. Rather than suggesting that this is a problem for Dr. Isaacman to solve, it is one which we all face. Despite the objections of publishers conscious of the cost of the printed page, oral testimony must be accompanied by a section which validates the credentials of informants con- sulted. Although there is a degree of overlap when one compares the two studies, there are few areas of disagreement. However, they do differ on two important interpretations of nineteenth century history. The early years of this century witnessed a great transformation in the nature of the prazo system. Many estates were aban- doned, ultimately to be replaced by what came to be called super-prazos. Two explanations are offered. According to Newitt, by the late eighteenth century the Zambezi was beset with the problem of increasing absenteeism. By the nineteenth century, due largely to the influence of the Nguni invasion, absenteeism came to be superceded by abandonment. Isaacman, on the other hand, sees the problem in terms of a profound structural alteration in the nature of the functional interplay of forces on the prazos. He contends that it was the emergence of the slave trade which signalled the change. "The growth of the slave trade... the enslavement and export of colonos and achikunda, stands out as the single most important cause of the dis- integration of the institution." In short, in order to reap the profits offered by the trade, many prazeros upset what at best had been a tenuous balance and ultimately doomed the institution from which they had made their livelihood. A second area in which interpretation diverges, and one likely to be a source of controversy for some time, is that of the self- image of the nineteenth century prazero. Many of the later-day super-prazero traced their descent to Asia. But with the passing of time, each generation became progressively darker and African customs came to replace those of their forefathers. The question remains, however, as to how these people viewed themselves and in what world they placed their destiny. Central to the thesis contained in his sub-title, Isaacman seems to view the prazero as being Africanized. Speaking of the Pereira family, he notes that the adoption of indigenous practices was "part of a larger, unconscious process of acculturation in which the Pereiras adopted the indigenous life style, cosmology, value system, and social organization." While admitting certain cultural adaptations on the part of the prazeros, Newitt does not appear to be convinced that a whole-hearted conversion This content downloaded from 185.2.32.89 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 04:16:38 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp LIVRES / BOOKS 173 was taking place. Speaking of the eighteenth century, he comments that the prazo holders thought of themselves as Portuguese and their destinies as being fulfilled within the context of the European community. During the nineteenth century, such great renegades as Bonga continued to profess catholicism and make feeble attempts at speaking Portuguese. I may be misreading Dr. Newitt, but he leaves me with the impression that the prazo com- munity was very similar to the Coloured com- munity emerging at approximately the same time in South Africa. Despite its obvious physical and cultural isolation from the Euro- pean community, the Coloureds clung tenaciously to an identification with that group. Since the composite culture of the Coloureds contained many elements of Khoi derivation, in resolving the dilemma of the Zambezi prazero more consideration need be given to defining the grounds on which a judgment is to be based. One suspects that ultimately the prazero will emerge as a unique and marginal individual, whose self identification can only be understood in the context of Zambezi society. At any rate, any successful and convincing answer must be based on a complete survey of all of the nineteenth century prazeros, and not just by citing examples of particular individuals. Thus, while these two works represent an outstanding beginning to the historiography of the Zambezi valley, they suggest that many questions remain to be answered. It is to be assumed that both authors will continue to unravel many of the perplexing questions about this unique and fascinating area. Their works suggest, however, that the field is sufficiently broad so that we might hope that others will be enticed into further research. Alan K. SMITH Department of History, Syracuse University Stefan VAN GNIELINSKI, Liberia in Maps. Graphic Perspectives of a Developing Country, Africana Publishing Corpora- tion, New York, 1972. Swanzie AGNEW and Michael STUBBS, Malawi in Maps, Africana Publishing Corporation, New York, 1972. These two volumes represent the most recent contribution to an ambitious series published by the Africana Publishing Corpora- tion which has already covered Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Zambia. The series is meeting a significant need in the literature relating to Africa and African Publishing Corporation are to be complimented on taking the initiative in this field. The series is one which can be strongly recommended to any scholar of Africa and is one which is immensely useful. The Liberian volume consists of maps and text relating to fifty different topics selected to give "... a geographical appraisal, providing the student as well as the general reader with information about the complexity of the Liberia of today in terms of continuity and changes which have taken place during the past decades." In general, this aim is met although the selection of map topics often leaves something to be desired. The pictorial map of wildlife on page 31 is at best misleading and at worst totally useless, and the validity of in- cluding a map of Peace Corps activities is certainly open to question. Map and text are sometimes also at variance but this is perhaps to be expected when one page of text is used to explain what are society's very complex patterns and inter-relationships. Some of the fourteen authors succeed in using the text and the map in a complementary way; others simply use the text to describe what already appears on the map. Some authors indicate both the source and validity of the data on which the map is based; others totally ignore this important aspect. The volume contains a useful bibliography. The Malawi volume is more imaginative and in many ways more successful than that of Liberia. This is partially due to a more sophisticated approach to mapping which succeeds in giving much more than the simple distribution patterns. The editors state that Malawi in Map "... assumes the significance of a national atlas, at least in content if not in presentation." By taking this approach, the Malawi volume sets out to present much more information than the Liberia volume. This approach is not without its drawbacks; often too much is attempted on one map and the result is that there is a loss of clarity. Map 24 on Employment, Income and Age-Specific Sex Rate is an example of a map which contains a This content downloaded from 185.2.32.89 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 04:16:38 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp Article Contents p. 170 p. 171 p. 172 p. 173 Issue Table of Contents Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue Canadienne des Ãtudes Africaines, Vol. 8, No. 1 (1974), pp. 1-208 Front Matter [pp. 1-158] The Social Origins of Ugandan Presidents: From King to Peasant Warrior [pp. 3-23] Rural Mass Action in the Context of Anti-Colonial Protest: The Asafo Movement of Akim Abuakwa, Ghana [pp. 25-41] Remarques sur la philosophie religieuse des sectes syncrétiques au Gabon [pp. 43-53] White Power: Social-Structural Factors in Conversion to Christianity, Eastern Nigeria, 1921-1966 [pp. 55-72] L'Office du Niger: îlot de prospérité paysanne ou pôle de production agricole? [pp. 73-90] Social Development in Africa: The Case of Family Planning [pp. 91-107] The Political Economy of Self-Help: Kenya's "Harambee" Institutes of Technology [pp. 109-133] Ordres, castes et Ãtats en pays Sérèr (Sénégal): Essai d'interprétation d'un système politique en transition [pp. 135-143] Is the Institution of the Ombudsman Applicable to Africa? Legislation and First Results [pp. 145-153] Note de recherche / Research Note Peasants and Feudalism in Africa: The Case of Ethiopia [pp. 155-157] Livres / Books Ãtudes Bibliographiques / Review Articles Review: Towards a History of Higher Education in Nigeria [pp. 159-162] Review: à propos de la négritude [pp. 162-166] Review: Foreign Scholarship in Tanzania [pp. 166-169] Comptes Rendus / Book Reviews Review: untitled [pp. 170-173] Review: untitled [pp. 173-174] Review: untitled [pp. 174-176] Review: untitled [pp. 176-177] Review: untitled [pp. 177-179] Review: untitled [pp. 179-181] Review: untitled [pp. 181-182] Review: untitled [p. 182] Review: untitled [pp. 182-184] Review: untitled [pp. 184-185] Review: untitled [pp. 185-186] Review: untitled [pp. 187-188] Review: untitled [pp. 188-189] Review: untitled [pp. 189-191] Review: untitled [p. 191] Review: untitled [pp. 191-192] Review: untitled [pp. 192-193] Review: untitled [pp. 193-195] Review: untitled [p. 195] Back Matter [pp. 196-208]