Mwani people
Wamwani
Regions with significant populations
 Mozambique120,000–200,000[1]
Languages
Kimwani (Native Language)
Religion
Islam[2]
Related ethnic groups

The Mwani people (Kimwani/Kiswahili: Wamwani; Portuguese: Muane) are a Bantu ethnic group primarily inhabiting the coastline of the Cabo Delgado Province of Mozambique.[3] The Mwani people speak the Kimwani language,[4][2] also known as the Ibo language,[5] which is a Bantu language belonging to the Niger-Congo language family.[4] They are often considered part of the Swahili cultural world as they have important connections with the East African coast (especially coastal Tanzania and Zanzibar)[2][6][7]

Ethnonym

PersonMwani
PeopleWamwani
LanguageKimwani
CountryUmwani

The ethnonym Mwani is commonly translated as "people of the coast" or "(at) the coast," referring to the coastal environment the Mwani live in.[2] This ethnonym appears to be a loan translation of the term Swahili, which has a similar meaning.[8] In Kiswahili, Mwani means seaweed.[9]

The ethnonym Mwani can also be written as Muane or Mwane.[5]

Demography & Distribution

In modern times, the Mwani number around 120,000-200,000 people and live mainly in Cabo Delgado Province. They make up 5.2%-8.6% of Cabo Delgado's total population of 2.3 million.[1] In Cabo Delagado, the Mwani mainly live in the coastal districts (Mocímboa da Praia District, Quirimbas Islands, Vamizi Island, Ibo District, Pemba District, Palma, etc.).[10][11][12][2][13] In Cabo Delgado's Mocímboa da Praia town, around 70% of the 40,000 inhabitants is Mwani.[14] Ibo Island is considered by the Mwani to be an important cultural center, however the Mwani do not form a majority of the population there. Instead, the population is diverse and includes ethnic groups like the Makwe, Portuguese, Indian, Makhua, Omani, and Mwani.[2] The Mwani form a significant minority of the population of Pemba, which is majority Makhua.[13] Palma, a Mozambican beach town, has a majority Mwani population.[7] A small number of Mwani also live in Tanzania.[6][10]

Some coastal Mwani villages claim to be of Shirazi lineage. However, it is difficult to ascertain these claims due to intermarriage with other predominantly Muslim groups. Hence, it is possible that these Mwani villages are of Shirazi descent, but they could also have Comorian origins.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Southern African Jihad: THE CABO DELGADO INSURGENCY" (PDF). Intelyse.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sousa., Santos, Ana Margarida (2011). History, memory and violence : changing patterns of group relationship in Mocimboa da Praia, Mozambique (PDF). Oxford University.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ "Evaluating the Expansion of Global Jihadist Movements in Mozambique". Jamestown. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  4. 1 2 Ulrich, Alexis. "Mwani numbers". Of Languages and Numbers. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  5. 1 2 "Mwani alphabet, prounciation and language". omniglot.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  6. 1 2 "Evaluating the Expansion of Global Jihadist Movements in Mozambique". Jamestown. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  7. 1 2 "Mozambique: Why were the 'experts' surprised by the occupation of Palma?". The Africa Report.com. 2021-04-08. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  8. ↑ Aceto, Michael; Bakker, Peter; Mous, Maarten (1995). "Mixed Languages: 15 Case Studies in Language Intertwining". Language. 71 (4): 842. doi:10.2307/415772. ISSN 0097-8507. JSTOR 415772.
  9. ↑ "Seaweed - Zanzibar's 'gift from the ocean'". BBC News. 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  10. 1 2 "Jihadi Insurgency in Mozambique Grows in Sophistication and Reach". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  11. ↑ "History - Vamizi". www.vamizi.com. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  12. ↑ "Stemming the Insurrection in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado". Crisis Group. 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  13. 1 2 "SOS Children's Village Pemba". SOS Children's Villages.
  14. ↑ Margarida Santos, Ana. "The past in the present" (PDF). St. Antonyʼs College, University of Oxford. – via Observatori Solidaritat (Solidarity Observatory).
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