Esperança Abiatar Muthemba was a Mozambican independence activist and politician. In 1977 she was one of the first group of women elected to the People's Assembly.

Esperança Muthemba
Member of the People's Assembly
In office
1977–
ConstituencyNampula

Biography

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During the Mozambican War of Independence Muthemba was involved with the underground movements in Lourenço Marques.[1] After being arrested in João Belo by the PIDE, she was exiled to Muecate in Nampula Province, where she was required to report to the administration on a daily basis.[2] In 1967 she began working for the Credito Agricola de Nampula as a bookkeeper.[2]

Following independence in 1975, she was a FRELIMO candidate in the 1977 parliamentary elections and was one of the first group of 27 women elected to the People's Assembly.[3] Re-elected in 1986, she was a substitute member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Council.[4] She also served as the secretary of the Maputo branch of the Organization of Mozambican Women.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Teresa Cruz e Silva (1998) "Identity and Political Consciousness in Southern Mozambique, 1930-1974: Two Presbyterian Biographies Contextualised" Journal of Southern African Studies, volume 24, number 1, pp223–236
  2. ^ a b Renato Matusse (2008) Josina Machel: ícona da emancipação da mulher moçambicana, p197
  3. ^ Mart Martin (2000) The Almanac of Women and Minorities in World Politics, p297
  4. ^ Summary Records of the LXXXth Inter-Parliamentary Conference, 1988, plxii
  5. ^ Douglas H. Graham, Irae Baptista Lundin de Coloane, Antonio Francisco, Willian Nall, Mindy Walker & Paul Jenkins (1991) Resultados Da Pesquisa Peri-urbana Básica: Maputo, Moçambique