Janet Mondlane: American Made African Formed

Godmother of the Mozambique Revolution

Aug 25, 2009 Maureen Zieber

Through trials and heartache, Mrs. Mondlane dared to stand up for the rights of her family. Since moving to Mozambique over 30 years ago, she is standing for a nation.

Janet Mondlane was born Janet Rae Johnson, in 1935. At seventeen years old, she met Eduardo Mondlane, and then in 1956 they were married. Eduardo and Janet Mondlane were two of the founders of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo). Eduardo Mondlane ended up being Frelimo’s first president. They were considered an odd paring due to their diverse cultures, ethnicities, and the age gap between them (14 years). Because of their interracial marriage while living in America, the couple were denied many things, from funding for school, attending church and adequate housing. It was then that Eduardo Mondlane decided to take Janet to his home in Mozambique to begin a liberation splinter group. This was the beginning of Frelimo, which began in 1962.

From American Woman to African Revolutionary

Janet Mondlane grew up in Chicago, Illinois. Her love for Africa was evident from the beginning. Janet Mondlane stated in an interview that she had always dreamed of going to Africa, and with marrying Eduardo Mondlane, she was able to live in Mozambique as a citizen, and fight for the right for the people of Mozambique. Even after Eduardo’s death, Janet has never taken a passive role in the liberation, and even her fellow workers call her comrade. Janet and Eduardo had three children together, Chuda, who is considered a famous music artist of Mozambique, Eduardo Jr., a businessman, and there is no mention of their third child’s name or occupation.

In 1963, Janet Mondlane directed the Mozambique Institute. Then, in 1969, a mail bomb murdered Eduardo Mondlane. With the support of the next leader of Frelimo, Samora Machel, Janet Mondlane was able to continue her work at the Institute. During that time, she worked by organizing rebuilding groups.

Janet Mondlane’s Grass Roots Campaigns and Continued Work

After Eduardo Mondlane’s death, Frelimo controlled the northern area of Mozambique. This included areas in two provinces and smaller allotments of land. The people living in Frelimo safe areas equaled to about ten percent of the whole Mozambique population. Times where hard, and it was up to Janet and her conspirators to provide goods and services to Frelimo supporters when commercial areas dried up. A part of Janet’s job was to find governments from different countries who were willing to support the movements of Frelimo and the Mozambique Institute. Janet Mondlane and her corroborators of exiles and sympathizers planned and executed new programs, controlling social services as well as financing them. She was known by her accent world wide, and she was also known to take long trips to gain support and to raise money through fundraising for the movements she worked for.

In 2000, Janet Mondlane was voted into office as the executive secretary in the National Council for the Struggle Against AIDS. Janet has also established the Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane Foundation. This foundation is meant to strengthen moral and community values, as well as bring hope to poverty stricken Mozambique people. One special connection that Janet Mondlane was able to collaborate on was a charity link between Mozambique and Sweden.

Every moment of work has been worth the help Janet Mondlane has given to Mozambique. Through the Institute, 20 thousand children were being taught in the 1970’s, as 100 thousand refugees were also returning to Mozambique at the time and straining the already stretched supply storages. She met every challenge, and her work has not stopped. That is seen through her diligence as executive secretary of the National Council for the Struggle Against AIDS. This new office has shown her love and dedication for Mozambique, and her continued support of the people.

For more information, please read Mozambican Women During the Revolution, and

Movements of Liberation in Mozambique.

Sources:

• South African New Features. (2000).
• The Independent and Rebuilding Mozambique. (1999).
• Witney W. Schniedman. (2004). Engaging Africa: Washington and the Fall of Portugal’s Colonial Empire. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America.
• Wright, Robin Wright. (1976). Machel’s Marxist Mozambique. Pasadena, California: California Institute of Technology.

The copyright of the article Janet Mondlane: American Made African Formed in Gay/Gender Issues is owned by Maureen Zieber. Permission to republish Janet Mondlane: American Made African Formed in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Janet Mondlane as seen in 1979.

Present day Mozambique.