Celebrating the Rising through Portraits & Seminar

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in Ireland, the Embassy of Ireland in Maputo organized two key events.

On June 15th Embassy Maputo hosted an opening reception for the ‘Portraits and Lives’ exhibition in the historic Maputo Fort. The exhibition is the one of two events that the Embassy organised to commemorate 1916. The second, a seminar held on June 16th in Mozambique’s largest university, looked at the role of women in independence movements. Guest speaker at both events was the Irish historian, Liz Gillis.

The British High Commissioner in Mozambique Joanna Kuenssberg was invited to speak at the opening reception as a sign of the importance of acknowledging our complex and shared history and the need to remember events of 1916 in their totality. Both Ambassador Carlos and High Commissioner Kuenssberg spoke about the ideals of reconciliation and forgiveness and how they have allowed both Nations to move forward and build a stronger relationship. This message was particularly relevant in the current political and security situation in Mozambique with high tensions between the two main political parties.

Liz Gillis spoke about the personalities involved in the Rising allowing people to learn more about Irish history through stories of courage and loss. The event was attended by some 150 people, among them two government ministers and twenty two Ambassadors. The exhibition will be displayed until July and a further series of short talks are planned.
The seminar brought together Mozambican and Irish historians, along with Forum Mulher, one of the leading Mozambican women’s association. It was an opportunity to speak about the role that women played in each country’s independence movement. There were also contributions from two Mozambican independence fighters whose first-hand accounts were particularly compelling. The seminar reflected on the changes that independence brought for women and culminated with a discussion on gender equality today. The event was attend ed by 60 people and was followed by a short lunchtime reception.