The effects of traumatic experiences on the infant–mother relationship in the former war zones of central Mozambique: The case of madzawde in Gorongosa

Abstract

This article addresses the ways in which years of war and periods of serious drought have affected the cultural representations of the populations in Gorongosa District, Mozambique. In the wake of these events different cultural and historical representations have been disrupted, leavingthe members of these communities with fragmented protective and resilience factors to cope effectively. Emphasis is placed on the disruption of madzawde, a mechanism that regulates the relationship between the child (one to two years of life) and the mother, and the family in general. The war, aggravated by famine, prevented the populations from performingthis child-rearingpractice. Nearly a decade after the war ended, the posttraumatic effects of this disruption are still beingobserved both by traditional healers and health-care workers at the district hospital. The results suggest that this disruption is affecting and com- promisingthe development of the child and the physical and psycholog ical health of the mother. An in- depth understandingof this level of trauma and posttraumatic effects is instrumental in makinga culturally sensitive diagnosis and in developing effective intervention strategies based on local knowledge that has not been entirely lost but is nonetheless beingquestioned. RESUMEN: Este ensayo trata de las maneras en que los anos de guerra y los periodos de dura sequia han afectado las representaciones culturales de las poblaciones en el distrito Gorongosa, en Mozambique. Como resultado de estos eventos, se han trastornado diferentes representaciones culturales e historicas, dejandoles a los miembros de estas comunidades factores de proteccion y resistencia frangmentados para arreglarselas con efectividad. Se pone enfasis en la ruptura de madzawde, un mecanismo que regula la relacion entre el hijo (1 a 2 anos de vida) y la madre, y en general con la familia. La guerra, con el agravante del hambre, no les permitioa las poblaciones llevar a cabo esta practica de crianza del nino. Casi una decada despues del termino de la guerra, los efectos traumaticos posteriores de esta ruptura son