Joaquim Chissano

Marcelina Rafael is the better half of the Mozambican political leader. They had been blessed with four children, but their eldest son, Nyimpine, met with an early death.

The former Mozambican president has a strong grip on English, French, Portuguese and Swahili and he communicates effortlessly in these languages.

He acquired the knowledge of the Transcendental Meditation technique. This is a kind of mantra meditation formulated by the Indian Saint Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Joaquim practised it regularly, and also acquainted some government officials and their families about it.

This leader was born on the 22nd of October, 1939 in a village called Malehice, located at the Gaza Province, in Mozambique.

Even though most Mozambicans of his times led a poor life, Chissano was fortunate enough to complete his schooling from reputed institutions such as ‘Tai-Xai’ and ‘Liceu Salazar’ in Maputo (Lourenco Marques then). He was one among the first few Black students to have graduated from ‘Liceu Salazar’.

He moved to Portugal to pursue his study in medicine. However, his association with politics forced him to leave the nation and move to France. Later, his political inclinations led him to Tanzania, where exiled Mozambicans took refuge.

He was initially a follower of ‘Nucleus of Mozambican African Secondary Students’ (NESAM), a discussion group founded by the political activist Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane, and even went on to become its president during the year 1960.

In 1961, the ‘National Union of Mozambican Students’ (UNEMO) was founded by him, under the guidance of his mentor Mondlane. It was a group which tried to draw the attention of foreign sympathizers towards the depleted condition of the Mozambicans. A year later, he started the group ‘Front for the Liberation of Mozambique’ (FRELIMO).

He was appointed the minister of defence in the year 1964, and resumed the position for a decade. During the same time, this leader was also the representative of the group ‘FRELIMO’ in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

This prominent figure played a vital role in the negotiation of the ‘Lusaka Accord’ in 1974, which paved way for Mozambique’s independence. Later, he was appointed the prime minister of the transitional government of Mozambique.

The following year, Samora Machel, the new president, chose him as the first foreign minister of independent Mozambique.

In 1992, he initiated a negotiation, and signed a peace treaty with the rebel force ‘Mozambican National Resistance’ (RENAMO), which helped in putting an end to the sixteen-year-old Mozambican Civil War. He also employed quite a few ‘RENAMO’ members in the Mozambican army, as a result of this goodwill gesture.