How the Conference
Came to Be
"As I communicated about the conference with persons around the country who had developed special relationships with Eduardo, word spread rapidly to many others who had known and admired this man, his commitments, and his accomplishments. Nine Mozambican students were helped financially by Oberlin to attend the conference, while other guests included missionaries who had worked with the Mondlanes, a 93-year-old woman who helped Eduardo as a student in South Africa and America, and the owner of a cement masonry business who hired Eduardo for two summers of work in Elyria, Ohio."
Foundation Dedicated to
Peaceful Cooperation
"The final speaker of the session was Janet Rae Mondlane, who spoke in part of the goals and programs being developed for the Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane Foundation, recently formed by the Mondlane family in Maputo. The foundation is fundamentally focused on helping the 17-1/2 million people of Mozambique gain a vision of who they are as a country and what they can accomplish by working together peacefully and cooperatively.
Janet depicted a society pervaded by weak moral codes and a lack of community. The population is vastly poor; people scraping for the bare necessities of life, while those better-off, those who associate money with power, tend to scramble for wealth.
The Mondlane Foundation works to foster national dialogue on major contemporary political, economic, social, and cultural issues through lectures, seminars, and published materials. The foundation prioritizes social science research that leads to the understanding and appreciation of the cultures and social patterns comprising this population, while a final objective involves the quest for social stability and peaceful relationships through training and expanding the use of mediation and conflict resolution.
To implement these long-term goals, projects will be generated continuously in collaboration with other organizations and institutions, in particular the Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane University. As it grows and becomes effective, the foundation surely will make Eduardo's legacy a 'beacon of hope' for the people of Mozambique.
Two Committees Formed to Assist Devastated Country
"At the close of the conference, two committees were established. The Debt Forgiveness Resolution Committee began drafting a resolution in support of the idea to pressure nations and international organizations to forgive Mozambique's huge debts that resulted from apartheid-related actions, the Civil War, and development programs. The Friends of the Mondlane Foundation Committee was formed to publicize the Foundation and raise funds for its support."
- Back to a Eduardo Mondlane Remembered at Weekend Campus Conference
- On to The Naval Academy's Music Man
- Back to the OAM Spring 1999 Table of Contents