Nhamatanda
Encyclopedia
Nhamatanda is a town in the Sofala Province of Mozambique
. It lies along the Beira Corridor between Harare
in Zimbabwe
and Beira
, Mozambique's second-largest city.
, this means "Mr. Crick" - a reference to a British landowner in the area. English-speakers, however, referred to the place as "Bamboo Creek", a reference to a small river near the town. Which name came first is unknown, and many residents of the area refer variously to these different stories.
Nova Fontesvila, the name given to the same place by the Portuguese (who inhabited the area along with the British), was founded in 1898 and named after Fontes Pereira de Melo
, a Portuguese marquis. The names of Nova Fontesvila and Bamboo Crick existed simultaneously.
In the 1920s, the town of Nova Fontesvila was officially renamed "Vila Machado", a reference to the Portuguese engineer responsible for building the railroad from Beira to Harare. Machado is also the Portuguese word for "axe", and many Mozambican residents of the area refer to the fact that the railroad was built through a large grove of trees, all of which needed to be cut down by black African workers.
The current name, Nhamatanda, was given in 1975 at Mozambican independence. It derives from the name of the river near the town and through the district. In Chisena, the word Nhamatanda may be derived from words meaning "large logs", It is said that the river has been strong enough, before current dams were built, to pass large logs down its length.
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
. It lies along the Beira Corridor between Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
and Beira
Beira
Beira can refer to:*Beira , the mother to all the gods and goddesses in the Celtic mythology of Scotland*Beira, Azores, a small village on São Jorge Island....
, Mozambique's second-largest city.
Name
Nhamatanda has had many names. Early in its history, it was known as "Bambu Crick". In the local dialect of ChisenaSena language
The Sena language is spoken in the four provinces of central Mozambique : Tete, Sofala, Zambezia and Manica.There were an estimated 900,000 native Sena speakers in Mozambique in 1997, with at least 1.5 million including those who speak it as second language.Sena is spoken in several dialects, of...
, this means "Mr. Crick" - a reference to a British landowner in the area. English-speakers, however, referred to the place as "Bamboo Creek", a reference to a small river near the town. Which name came first is unknown, and many residents of the area refer variously to these different stories.
Nova Fontesvila, the name given to the same place by the Portuguese (who inhabited the area along with the British), was founded in 1898 and named after Fontes Pereira de Melo
Fontes Pereira de Melo
António Maria de Fontes Pereira de Melo GCTE KGF was a Portuguese statesman, politician, and engineer. He was the son of João de Fontes Pereira de Melo and wife and first cousin Jacinta Venância Rosa da Cunha Matos...
, a Portuguese marquis. The names of Nova Fontesvila and Bamboo Crick existed simultaneously.
In the 1920s, the town of Nova Fontesvila was officially renamed "Vila Machado", a reference to the Portuguese engineer responsible for building the railroad from Beira to Harare. Machado is also the Portuguese word for "axe", and many Mozambican residents of the area refer to the fact that the railroad was built through a large grove of trees, all of which needed to be cut down by black African workers.
The current name, Nhamatanda, was given in 1975 at Mozambican independence. It derives from the name of the river near the town and through the district. In Chisena, the word Nhamatanda may be derived from words meaning "large logs", It is said that the river has been strong enough, before current dams were built, to pass large logs down its length.