From the start of the armed struggle against the Portuguese presence (1964) up until the independence of Mozambique (June 25, 1975), the debates at the heart of the Frelimo (Mozambique Liberation Front) reflected the dilemma of "anticolonial nationalism" versus "socialism." These debates have placed at the center of the discussion the dilemmas that fluctuate between the idea of the Frelimo as simply a national liberation front, and, at the other extreme, as a State/Party that would later come to call itself "Marxist-Leninist" and that would enable, according to the vision of its spokespersons, the modernization and development of the country. This article reconstructs these debates from the perspective of the contributions of Benedict Anderson, and analyzes the representations surrounding the "mythical" figure of the nationalist leader Samora Machel.
National imagination; Mozambique; Socialism; Frelimo; Samora Machel
