Ilha de Moçambique byna Hollands

By O.J.O. Ferreira

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Description: Had the Dutch succeeded in wresting the Fortaleza de São Sebastião on the Ilha de Moçambique from the Portugese in the early 17th Century then the Cape of Good Hope would not have been Holland’s. It was Eric Axelson in particular who emphasised the importance of the Dutch blockades of the Ilha de Moçambique and the failed attempts to take the Fortaleza on the island in 1604, 1607 en 1608 as being seminal in the unfolding of South African history. The somewhat obscure tale of the conflict between the Portuguese and Dutch for possession of the Ilha de Moçambique is fascinating and sometimes dramatic. Much of the nature and character of the Dutch and Portuguese peoples will be discovered in reading of the behaviour of the conflicting parties and their leaders. It was a time that acts of piracy, wonton destruction and severe cruelties between Roman-Catholic Portuguese and Protestant Dutch were the order of the day. But the main charater of the story is the Ilha de Moçambique itself. This island, almost insignificant in size, played a major role in the drama of the Carreira da Índia. Thanks to its strategic location and the prevailing trade in gold, ivory and slaves, the island flourished for centuries but in the 19th its glory began to fade and by the 20th had decayed into charm. In 1991 UNESCO declared Ilha de Moçambique a World Heritage Site because of its rich historical importance, architectural significance, cultural history and natural beauty. This study is an attempt to reveal in words something of the magnificence of this tiny island, [which is Ilha de Moçambique].