African Entrepreneurship Record

"Fernandez, are you really going to stop thinking about it and stay in East Africa?"

On the pier of Maputo Port, Eusebio said to his friend Fernandez who came to see him off.

Fernandez took a puff of cigarette, took a deep breath, frowned and said: "Even if I return to China now, what difference does it make, and the situation in Portugal is probably not much better than that in Mozambique. I heard that the government owed a lot of debt after the war. , I am afraid that the economy will be dragged down in the future, and there are so many people returning to China now, it may be difficult to find jobs, so it is better to stay in Mozambique, at least in Mozambique I have developed a little affection for this land over the years. "

It's not so much about feelings, it's more about getting used to staying in Mozambique. Just like a prisoner in prison, he will be out of touch with society after a long time. This is almost the case for Fernandez now.

As a former Portuguese colony, Mozambique will not be reduced to a penal colony like Australia was to the British, but it is not much different.

In the past, when Portugal was still prosperous, the priority of the colonies in South America and the Far East was definitely above Africa. During the hundreds of years that Portugal colonized Mozambique, it had been in the coastal areas. The real development of the inland has only been in recent years. thing.

On the one hand, all other valuable colonies were lost, and on the other hand, the direct threat from East Africa made Portugal feel insecure, so it invested in Mozambique.

However, it was too late for Portugal to attach importance to Africa. In such a short period of time, Portugal simply had no time to change the domestic people's concept of Mozambique.

Except for those who really have the ability to make a fortune in Mozambique, most of the Portuguese who come to Mozambique to develop are actually at the bottom of society and cannot survive in the country, such as Fernandez and Eusebio.

Fernandez recalled the past and said: "Eusebio, do you remember why we came to Maputo?"

Eusebio said: "Of course, to find job opportunities!"

"Yes, we all came from the village of Minie. We had no land and no jobs in Portugal. In the end, we were tricked into working here. So even if we return to Portugal now, nothing will change. We also paid for the boat "I'm afraid there is not much savings left over the years, so do we still need to go back?" Fernandez asked.

Eusebio's heart tightened. What Fernandez said was indeed a bit heartbreaking. People at the bottom are always at the bottom wherever they go. There are always a few who can make a fortune, and Fernandez and Eusebio obviously belong to the majority.

Fernandez continued: "In Portugal, we don't have any assets, and we are older now. We were only seventeen when we left Portugal, and now we are close to thirty, but we still have achieved nothing. Even if we return to our hometown to join a factory, we may not be able to compete. But those young people, if life is like this, they might as well stay in East Africa. After all, East Africa is a country that can beat Britain, so I think this country should have a better future than Portugal.”

Eusebio was silent for a while, and after thinking about it, he said: "Perhaps we can return to Portugal first, and then look for opportunities to go to France or Germany. That is also a way out."

Fernandez: "This is indeed a good idea, but it requires channels. We do not have high academic qualifications and do not have rich work experience. After all, we have been working on plantations for so many years. I am afraid we will not be able to find such a career when we return to Europe. Of course, if there is It’s also a shortcut to have relatives or acquaintances lead the way, but after all the hassle, it feels like it’s not much different than in East Africa.”

Eusebio: "The difference is huge. You have been in Mozambique for so long, don't you know what kind of country East Africa is? In this way, the Germans live like machines, there is no fun, even the most prosperous country in East Africa The city is also far inferior to big cities like Paris and Berlin.”

Fernandez: "Dar es Salaam is not as bad as you said, right? And you really dare to think that Berlin and Paris have always been the most developed cities in Europe, and the cities in East Africa are very young. Moreover, Dar es Salaam is much better than Lisbon, and it is more prosperous than many capitals in Europe. Although the country in East Africa is relatively closed, it is more stable. I have passed the age of being arrogant and pursuing Stability is what I want.”

"Oh, we are all old!" Eusebio also sighed. Of course, this is true in terms of the average life span of people in this era. Of course, it is not too exaggerated. After all, if there is no serious illness or disaster, ordinary people can live for seven years. No problem even if you are eighty years old.

After all, life expectancy is just a statistic. In this era, the mortality rate of children alone can lower life expectancy by a lot.

"However, I still don't think it's a good idea to stay in East Africa. After all, East Africa is the East Africa of the Germans. We Portugal have offended them badly. If we stay, we will inevitably be liquidated. Even if they are generous, I'm afraid they will look at it with a lewd eye. Us," Eusebio advised.

Regarding this point, Fernandez said confidently: "Definitely not. Although East Africa is not very open and inclusive, it is not too closed and conservative. There are many immigrants from all over the world in East Africa. Except for black people, I have never heard of East Africans saying that. Discriminating against a certain country, I think it will be the same in the future.”

"I can't say for sure, but I have made up my mind to return to my hometown first. After all, I still have family, so I can only wish you good luck. My friend, if you have a chance, write me a letter!" You Scipio and his companions say their final farewells.

Fernandez felt a sore nose and gave Eusebio a big hug.

"Good luck to you, my friend."

Under the elegant sails of the Portuguese merchant ship, Eusebio and the other Portuguese waved goodbye to their former colleagues, comrades-in-arms, and relatives. From then on, the fate of both parties took a completely different path.

In the end, there were more than 40,000 Portuguese people staying in Mozambique, which exceeded the budget of the East African government. However, the East African government chose to accept all the Portuguese who were willing to integrate into East Africa.

After all, Mozambique is too short of manpower at this time. These Portuguese people can help East Africa develop the southern Mozambique region.

These Portuguese have also become part of the source of East African citizens. Of course, as time goes by and the assimilation policy advances, they will naturally no longer be called Portuguese in the future, but will be directly incorporated into the German nation.

Situations like this in East Africa are actually quite common in Germany and Austria. However, the assimilation ability of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was too weak and the strength of other nationalities in the country was too strong, making it difficult to carry out assimilation policies.

It's just that no matter what Germany and Austria say, most of the people they absorb are Europeans, and East Africa also integrates Asians, so the so-called German nation in East Africa is "not" pure, although everyone is essentially the same.

Germany and Austria are the natural melting pot of European races. They are in the center and their economic level is not bad. They can play a certain role in assimilating the weak civilizations in eastern and southern Europe.

Therefore, there is no pure single-ancestry nation in the world. For example, the United States has a typical Anglo-Saxon culture, but the Anglo-Saxons are not the largest.

As a green "Roman", the biggest difference between the Ottoman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire in terms of the people at the bottom is only the difference in cultural identity.