Maputo - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
I haven't seen any real problems here. It seems like, for the most part, the issues of disparity in Mozambique are primarily economic. There is a sharp distinction between rich and poor here, and it is illustrated in every aspect of your daily life. - Feb 2020
Gender equality is an area that needs attention, for sure, but women are the backbone of families here. - Feb 2017
Gender equality is about the same as other African countries. Ethnic/religious prejudice doesn't seem big here. - Jan 2017
Mozambique is generally a pretty tolerant country and Maputo is a blend of many races, religions, and cultures. There are a lot of Europeans in Maputo, as well as Mozambicans of European descent. The Mozambique government prides itself on its religious tolerance and there are churches/temples for nearly all religions/denominations. - Jul 2014
Yes, but they are often so subtle that if you are not on the receiving end, you could be persuaded into believing Mozambique is the "Rainbow Nation" that South Africa purports to be. It is a chauvenist culture so men of any race will always get more respect than women. For years, Mozambicans were conditioned to be subservient to Caucasians, therefore African Americans, particularly women, often complain of poor treatment with preference shown to their non-black compatriots. The subtlety of the discrimination is masked by the general good humor of Mozambicans, but is tedious nonetheless. Caucasians should not be fooled into thinking the submissiveness means the locals like them, it's just an affectation Mozambicans assume in order to avoid "problems." Mozambique has a significant mulatto population which appears well integrated. However, when alone, the black population have been known to make disparaging remarks about mulattos. Under communism, religion was illegal, therefore religious intolerance doesn't really exist because people are still trying to figure religion out. Even Islam in Mozambique appears to have very "flexible" rules and does not adhere to the strictness it has in other countries. - Apr 2014
As a previous post said this country and city have a mishmash of cultures and races, so there are not many racial issues that I'm aware of. Gender, yes. Women are still treated as second class citizens. - Oct 2012
Maputo is a city built of many cultures, all of whom live together quite well. That said, there are strong racial and gender stereotypes layered upon Mozambican society, including a strong sense of class separation. For example, the ladies that help at our house were amused for a week after seeing their white male employer not only cook (well), but wash his dish afterwards. They had never seen that before. - Jun 2011
Not that I`ve seen. Lots of Indian/Pakistani immigrants, and people of Portuguese origin (white), and they seem to get along well. The bantu groups are many, but they have less problems than in other African countries. - May 2010
No. - May 2009
No. - Dec 2008
