Josina Machel

Who is Josina Machel?

Josina Abiathar Muthemba Machel was born on 10 August 1945 in Vilankulo, Mozambique. As a young woman she became active in the clandestine nationalist movement against Portuguese colonial rule, and in 1964 she left Mozambique to join FRELIMO, the Mozambique Liberation Front, in exile. She underwent military training at the Nachingwea camp in southern Tanzania, one of the main training centers for Mozambican liberation fighters, where Samora Machel served as director of training; the two later married in 1969. Within FRELIMO, Josina worked closely on the Department of Social Affairs, focusing on the welfare of women, children, and refugees affected by the war, and she became an early and outspoken advocate for the role of women in both the armed struggle and the future independent nation. She fell seriously ill and died in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 7 April 1971, at the age of twenty-five, several years before Mozambique's independence was achieved. In recognition of her contribution, independent Mozambique named 7 April "Mozambican Women's Day" in her honor, and she remains a central symbol of women's participation in the country's liberation struggle.

Sources: Wikipedia, 'Josina Machel' · BlackPast.org, 'Josina Machel (1945-1971)' · Mozambique History Net (mozambiquehistory.net), Josina Machel archive