THE HASTE IS THE ENEMY OF THE TRADITION

A READING OF THE MOZAMBICAN IMAGINARY ABOUT MATRIMONY

Abstract

In this article we aim to analyze the contemporary literature of Mozambique from the perspective of the Social History of Time. From a short-story based on local oral tradition, we provide considerations of the clashes between the Ndau matrimonial tradition and the Euro-American post-modernity. The analysis rest on the understanding of how different historical times intertwine in this peripheral society and how this affects the perceptions of how families should conjugate. For that, we use concepts from Reinhart Koselleck, but also Arrighi and Lipovetsky, as authors to support the temporal and geographical reading of Mozambique.