4.3. Civic education
A report by the European Parliamentarians for Southern Africa
(AWEPA) claimed that the democratic process introduced into Mozambique was
something of an anathema to a culture where respect for elders and leaders was
of great importance. It affirmed that there remained a major lack of
understanding of the adversarial system of governance. “The limits of
political action and the role of the opposition in this new system were not
clearly defined or understood as a result of which there remains a need for
substantial civic education.”1
1 AWEPA, Mozambique Peace Process
Bulletin, Issue 16 (Dec. 1995), Part 1.
Basic information on the democratic system is included in a
number of training courses and development projects in Mozambique. In seeking to
promote a transition to a “culture of peace” (in the words of UNESCO),
a clear understanding is needed of the political process, backed by a conviction
that it will be respected. It is, however, important to see democracy through
local as well as Western eyes. Democracy and decision by consensus are not
mutually incompatible, though they are sometimes difficult to
reconcile.
