XXᵉ siècle
Buzi, Mozambique
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Buzi women’s strike of 1947 was a mass refusal to accept cotton seeds distributed under colonial authority. Approximately 7,000 women organized the action, arguing that the absence of men working on nearby sugar plantations left them without sufficient labor to produce both cotton and food. The administrator offered a limited exemption for pregnant women and mothers of more than four children, but the strike revealed the gendered burdens imposed by forced cultivation.
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Le récit
At Buzi in 1947, resistance to colonial agricultural policy became a collective action led by women. Around 7,000 women organized a strike and refused to accept cotton seeds that the administrator ordered to be distributed. Their refusal directly challenged the attempt to expand cotton production through administrative compulsion.
The women explained that their men were absent, working on nearby sugar plantations, and that they therefore lacked the time and labor needed to cultivate both cotton and food crops. Their argument connected colonial cash-crop demands to the practical organization of household survival. Cotton cultivation was not simply an economic instruction; it competed directly with food production and domestic responsibilities.
The administrator responded with a limited compromise, offering to exempt pregnant women and mothers of more than four children from forced cultivation. The episode nevertheless demonstrated that women could organize on a large scale against colonial agricultural demands. It also showed how resistance could arise from the conflict between imposed export production and the maintenance of household subsistence.
XXᵉ siècle
Buzi, Mozambique
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Buzi women’s strike of 1947 was a mass refusal to accept cotton seeds distributed under colonial authority. Approximately 7,000 women organized the action, arguing that the absence of men working on nearby sugar plantations left them without sufficient labor to produce both cotton and food. The administrator offered a limited exemption for pregnant women and mothers of more than four children, but the strike revealed the gendered burdens imposed by forced cultivation.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
At Buzi in 1947, resistance to colonial agricultural policy became a collective action led by women. Around 7,000 women organized a strike and refused to accept cotton seeds that the administrator ordered to be distributed. Their refusal directly challenged the attempt to expand cotton production through administrative compulsion.
The women explained that their men were absent, working on nearby sugar plantations, and that they therefore lacked the time and labor needed to cultivate both cotton and food crops. Their argument connected colonial cash-crop demands to the practical organization of household survival. Cotton cultivation was not simply an economic instruction; it competed directly with food production and domestic responsibilities.
The administrator responded with a limited compromise, offering to exempt pregnant women and mothers of more than four children from forced cultivation. The episode nevertheless demonstrated that women could organize on a large scale against colonial agricultural demands. It also showed how resistance could arise from the conflict between imposed export production and the maintenance of household subsistence.