African Entrepreneurship Record

”Fernandez, are you really not going to reconsider and choose to stay in East Africa?”

On the dock at the port of Maputo, Eusébio said to his friend Fernandez, who had come to see him off.

Fernandez took a puff of his cigarette, inhaled deeply, and frowned as he said, ”Even if we return home now, what’s the difference? Moreover, Portugal’s situation might not be much better than Mozambique’s. I heard the government owes a lot of debt after the war, and the economy could be dragged down in the future. Now, so many people are returning home, I fear it’s hard to find a job. So it’s better to stay in Mozambique. After all, over the years, I’ve developed some affection for this land.”

Rather than affection, one should say he got used to staying in Mozambique, like a prisoner confined in jail for so long that they become disconnected from society. This was pretty much Fernande’s current situation.

Mozambique, as a former Portuguese colony, though not as severely as Australia was for the UK, was not far off from being akin to a penal colony.

Back in the days when Portugal’s fortunes were flourishing, the priority of colonies in South America and the Far East was undoubtedly above Africa, and during the hundreds of years of Portuguese colonization of Mozambique, they mainly hovered around coastal areas, with real inland development only occurring in recent years.

On one hand, all other valuable colonies were lost, and on the other hand, the direct threats from East Africa left Portugal feeling insecure, prompting investment in Mozambique.

However, by the time Portugal paid attention to Africa, it was already late. Within such a short time, Portugal simply couldn’t alter the domestic perception of Mozambique.

Apart from those who genuinely had the power to prosper in Mozambique, most Portuguese who ventured to Mozambique were actually from the lower echelons of society, people who struggled back home, like Fernandez and Eusébio.

Fernandez reminisced: ”Eusébio, do you remember why we came to Maputo?”

Eusébio said, ”Of course, it was to seek job opportunities!”

”Yes, we both came out of Minne Village, had no land in Portugal, and couldn’t find work. In the end, we were coaxed to work here. So, even if we return to Portugal now, nothing changes. And given the passage fees, our savings over the years are probably almost gone. So, do we even need to go back?” Fernandez retorted.

Eusébio felt a twinge. What Fernandez said indeed struck a chord—people at the bottom remain the same everywhere, and those who manage to prosper are the few; Fernandez and Eusébio evidently belong to the majority.

Fernandez continued, ”In Portugal, we had no assets, and now we’re getting older. When we left Portugal, we were only seventeen; now, we’re approaching thirty and haven’t accomplished anything. Even if we work with factories back home, I’m afraid we won’t compete with the young people there. If life is like this, it’d be better to stay in East Africa—a country capable of defeating the UK. Thus, I believe the future of this country should be more promising than Portugal.”

Eusébio was silent for a moment. After pondering, he said, ”Perhaps we can return to Portugal first, then seek opportunities in France or Germany—that’s also a way out.”

Fernandez replied, ”That’s certainly a good idea, but we’d need channels. We don’t have much education, nor rich work experience. After all, we’ve been working on plantations all these years. I’m afraid we can’t find such jobs in Europe, unless we have relatives or acquaintances to guide us. But even if we do all that, it feels not much different than staying in East Africa.”

Eusébio said, ”There’s a huge difference. You’ve been in Mozambique so long, surely you know what kind of country East Africa is. Germans here live like machines, lacking humor, and even the most prosperous city in East Africa is nowhere near the major cities like Paris and Berlin.”

Fernandez replied, ”Dar es Salaam isn’t that bad, right? And you’re really thinking big—Berlin and Paris have always been the most developed cities in Europe. East African cities are young, comparatively speaking. Besides, Dar es Salaam City is much better than Lisbon, and it’s more vibrant than the capitals of many European countries. Although East Africa is a relatively closed country, it stands out in terms of stability. I’m past the age of lofty ambitions, and now I prefer a stable life, which actually suits my heart.”

”Alas, we’re both getting old!” Eusébio sighed, of course, considering the average life expectancy of this era; however, it’s not too exaggerated — barring any major illnesses or disasters, an ordinary person could still live into their seventies or eighties.

After all, average life expectancy is just statistics; with this era’s child mortality rate alone, it brings the average life expectancy down quite a bit.

”Still, I don’t believe staying in East Africa is a good idea. After all, East Africa is for the Germans. We, Portuguese, have offended them badly. Staying will inevitably result in retribution, and even if they’re magnanimous, they’re likely to view us with prejudice,” Eusébio cautioned.

To this, Fernandez confidently replied, ”Certainly not. Although East Africa isn’t very open and inclusive, it’s not too closed and conservative either. There are many immigrants from all over the world in East Africa. Besides Black people, I’ve never heard East Africans say they discriminate against a certain country, and I think it will continue to be this way.”

”That’s uncertain, but I’ve made up my mind to return to the mainland first, as I have family there. So, I can only wish you the best of luck, my friend. Write me a letter if you have the chance!” Eusébio bid his final farewell to his companion.

Fernandez’s nose tingled, and he gave Eusébio a big hug.

”Good luck, my friend.”

Under the billowing sails of the Portuguese merchant ship, Eusébio and other Portuguese waved goodbye to their former colleagues, comrades, and relatives, marking the beginning of entirely different paths for both sides.

Eventually, more than forty thousand Portuguese stayed in Mozambique, exceeding the East African government’s estimate. However, the East African government opted to accept these Portuguese who were willing to integrate into East Africa.

After all, Mozambique was in desperate need of manpower at this time, and these Portuguese staying could help East Africa develop the southern Mozambique area.

These Portuguese also became part of the source of East African citizenship. Naturally, with time and the advancement of assimilation policies, they would no longer be called Portuguese but would directly merge into the German ethnic group.

In situations like East Africa, this was common in both Germany and Austria-Hungary. It was just that Austria-Hungary was too weak in its assimilation capabilities, with other ethnic groups within the country being too strong, making assimilation policies difficult to implement.

Yet despite everything, the populations Germany and Austria-Hungary absorbed were mainly Europeans, while East Africa even incorporated Asians, making East Africa’s so-called German ethnicity rather ’non-pure,’ though fundamentally, everyone was the same.

Germany and Austria-Hungary, given their locations, were natural melting pots of European races, situated in central regions with fairly decent economic levels, capable of exerting some assimilating influence on the weaker civilizations of Eastern and Southern Europe.

Therefore, there is simply no pure single-bloodline ethnicity in this world. For instance, the United States is a typical Anglo-Saxon culture, but Anglo-Saxons aren’t the majority.

The Ottoman Empire, contrasting with the Eastern Roman Empire, displayed distinctions primarily in cultural identity among the general populace.