30 years of formal cooperation between Mozambique and Norway was commemorated in Maputo on December 14, as the Embassy invited to a seminar on energy and a reception. The celebrations continued with the grand New Years Concert by Umoja at the Praça da Independência, with tens of thousands of Maputo’s residents in the audience.
Norway supported the Mozambican liberation struggle in the 60s and 70s. The formal developments cooperation started in 1977, as official representatives of the two countries met in Maputo. President Samora Machel also met with HMK Olav of Norway and the Norwegian Prime Minister Odvar Nordli on a visit to Oslo in April 1977.
The commemoration consisted of a seminar on “Economic Development in Southern Africa – Investing in Energy and Environment”. Norwegian businesses were invited to contribute and attend. The Norwegian Embassy in Maputo has long been known as the “Energy Embassy”, meaning it is hugely involved in development assistance in the energy sector. However, Norwegian businesses are becoming increasingly interested in investing in Mozambique, particularly in energy. The chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Olav Akselsen, and the Mozambican Minister on Energy, Mr. Salvador Namburete, officially opened the seminar, which took place at the Centro Cultural Franco Moçambicano. The Norwegian Veritas, Yara, The Norwegian Oil Company DNO and StatoilHydro were present, along with 80 participants from businesses, authorities and educational institutions in Mozambique. The seminar was moderated by Dan Børge Akerø.
During the formal reception in the evening, the guests could enjoy historical highlights from the Norwegian-Mozambican interaction during the past three decades at an exhibition. Among other things one could see unique photos from the liberation movement Frelimo’s march when approaching the city of Maputo after the liberation. The photos were found in the archives of journalists at the NRK, the Norwegian Broadcasting.
The cultural highlight was the evening’s concert by Umoja. Umoja is a cultural exchange programme between the Norwegian Council of Culture Schools and culture schools in Southern and Eastern Africa. The concert was a huge TV production and will be broadcasted to approximately 70 countries by SABC.
ABKT