THE SINGULARITIES OF URBAN SPACE AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS IN TERRITORIAL PRACTICES IN THE MAPUTO / MOZ SURROUNDINGS

Abstract

We seek to present in the article the account of some looks obtained during a research experience carried out in Maputo, capital of Mozambique, from April to May 2015. In the case of the present look, we highlight the analysis about the singularities of the urban space and its implications in the territorial practices of Vale do Infulene and Marracuene District, around Maputo / MOZ; and around Xai-Xai, capital of Gaza Province; besides the Chidenguele / Xai-Xai beach. As we unraveled the research, we noticed singular stories, with greater emphasis on those of women. Stories that are lived in the context of important events in Mozambican society, such as the process of national independence (1975) and, as one of its consequences, the incorporation of the use of soil / traditional land use; beyond the deep marks left by the Civil War (1976-1992). The alternative productive practices carried out by the communities, in the construction of the territories, can be understood as coexistence of the “advance” of capitalist modernization and maintenance of traditional practices, which resignify the rural and urban spaces and are expressed in an urban landscape with strong rural overlays.