Abstract
The Ismaili community, which arrived in Mozambique between 1890 and 1920, is part of the history of the long presence of Indians in Mozambique and East Africa (Khouri and Leite 2008) but nonetheless presents distinctive features. On the one hand, the Ismailis arrived at a crucial period of Portuguese colonialism, namely that of the effective occupation of the territory. On the other hand, practically the entire community left Mozambique to settle in Portugal between 1973 and 1976 following a decision taken in 1972. The aim of this article is to analyse both the arrival and the departure of the Ismailis but with greater emphasis on their departure as it is the least well known and most controversial aspect.
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References
Primary sources, Oral Sources
Between 2005 and 2008, 33 interviews were recorded with 25 members of the Ismaili community living in Lisbon and Maputo, a community that had between 3,000 and 3,800 faithful members in 1975. In accordance with the wishes of those interviewed, all the names have been changed. Written Sources: National Archives of Torre do Tombo (ANTT), Lisbon, PIDE-DGS.
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© 2013 Nicole Khouri and Joana Pereira Leite
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Khouri, N., Leite, J.P. (2013). The Ismailis of Mozambique: History of a Twofold Migration (late 19th century-1975). In: Morier-Genoud, E., Cahen, M. (eds) Imperial Migrations. Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137265005_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137265005_7
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