Praça dos Heróis Moçambicanos

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In the middle of the Praça dos Heróis Moçambicanos there is a pentagram which, in addition to a memorial for the fallen heroines and heroes of Mozambique, also serves as a national pantheon for them.

Praça dos Heróis Moçambicanos , in English "Square of Mozambican Heroes", is an 84-meter square and roundabout in the Mozambican capital Maputo on the border between the urbanização, Mavalane A and Maxaquene A districts in the KaMaxaquene district . In the middle of the square is the monument and national pantheon for fallen heroines and heroes of the independent Mozambican state in the shape of a pentagram . There are three access roads leading to the roundabout: Avenida Acordo de Lusaka from the south and north, and Avenida das Forças Populares de Libertação de Moçambique (FPLM) .

Like every traffic route in the Mozambican capital, this square is also provided with an administrative number. The Praça dos Heróis Moçambicanos bears the number “Praça 3.068”.

Plaza

Origin and inauguration

After Mozambique gained independence in 1975, the FRELIMO government felt it was necessary to honor and commemorate those who died in the Mozambican war of liberation . In order to provide space for this commemoration, the government commissioned the construction of a new, monumental plaza outside the historic, colonial-era center of the capital Maputo. Work began in November 1976 and 50 workers from three Mozambican companies were employed on the building. The system was designed by the Mozambican architect José Forjaz .

The square itself could already be inaugurated on the Mozambican Heroes' Day ( Dia dos Heróis Moçambicanos ) - and at the same time the anniversary of Eduardo Mondlane's death - on February 3, 1977. The monument with the pantheon for fallen independence fighters with the name Monumento aos Heróis Moçambicanos was finished two years later. After that, the remains of the first Mozambican heroes were also buried in this place. The north-eastern quarter of the square is - in contrast to the mostly grassed square - laid out with stone paving, on which the ceremonies and celebrations take place. In the middle of the square is the 24 meter wide pentagram body with a height of 6 meters. Below the star is the Pantheon.

At the edge of the roundabout there is a long wall on which a 95 meter long mural is attached, designed by the painter and writer João Craveirinha (* 1947). It shows symbolic motifs from the Mozambican liberation struggle.

Redevelopment

The square developed into an important ceremonial place for the FRELIMO government. Since the inauguration of the square, major honors, celebrations and ceremonies have taken place there regularly, especially for Mozambican Heroes' Day ( Dia dos Heróis Moçambicanos ) on February 3rd. In the meantime, more than 200 dead have been buried in the pantheon below the square. In some cases, there has already been criticism of the “sheer mass of heroes” in the 40-year-old country.

In 2009 the Pantheon received ramps to enable all people to visit the Pantheon without barriers . In 2013/14 the Mozambican government commissioned the company SOGECOA with the renovation of the plant for 20 million Meticais (at the time approx. 400,000 euros) from the state budget. The company replaced the lighting and renewed the drainage system. The wall painting Craveirinhas was also renewed, according to media reports without his express permission. The work was finished on February 3, 2014.

Surroundings

The square and roundabout is one of the largest in the Mozambican capital and especially outside the historic city center. At the same time, the square is also a traffic junction north of the center and the entrance gate to the city for those arriving at Maputo Airport .

In addition to one of the usual street markets in Maputo on the western edge of the square, there is also the Mozambican Ministry of Agriculture on its southeastern edge. To the northeast is the Hospital da Mavalane hospital . Over the years "Praça dos Heróis" (Heroes' Square) has become a synonym or pars pro toto for the environment, so it is also common to say "I work on Heroes' Square" and "I am in the hospital on Heroes' Square", even though there is a distance of more than 500 meters between the neighboring hospital and the square.

Web link

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b A nossa Praça. In: A Verdade. February 3, 2011, accessed October 27, 2015 (Portuguese).
  2. ↑ a b c Praça dos Heróis com nova imagem. In: Jornal Domingo. September 8, 2013, accessed October 27, 2015 (Portuguese).
  3. ↑ Jorge Fernando Jairoce: MONUMENTO AOS HERÓIS DA REVOLUÇÃO MOÇAMBICANA, CONCEBIDO POR JOSÉ FORJAZ. September 17, 2012, accessed October 27, 2015 (Portuguese).
  4. ↑ Egídio Vaz: PRAÇA DOS HERÓIS NÃO É CEMITÉRIO! February 25, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015 (Portuguese).
  5. ↑ Xiconhoquices da semana: Mural da Praça dos Heróis; Intimidação a Alice Mabota; Raptos. In: A Verdade. January 16, 2014, accessed October 27, 2015 (Portuguese).
  6. ↑ PR diz que ser moçambicano de honra é uma obra. In: O País. February 4, 2014, accessed October 27, 2015 (Portuguese).
  7. ↑ A praça dos “nossos” heróis. In: A Verdade. 2013, accessed October 27, 2015 (Portuguese).


Coordinates: 25 ° 56 ′ 1.1 ″  S , 32 ° 34 ′ 45.8 ″  O