Niassa Company
Encyclopedia
The Nyassa Company, in Portuguese
the Companhia do Nyassa, and sometimes spelled "Niassa", was a royal company
in the Portuguese
colony of Mozambique, then known as Portuguese East Africa
, that had the concession of the lands that include the present provinces of Cabo Delgado and Niassa
between 1891 and 1929.
and Germany
, who planned to divide Mozambique between them.
Portugal lacked the capital to colonize Mozambique properly, so it leased the country and its people to others. By 1891 one third of the country was handed over to three British companies, the Mozambique Company
, the Zambezi Company and the Nyassa Company.
Although founded by Bernard Daupais, a merchant from Lisbon
, the Nyassa Company was owned by British
and French
interests.
The company was granted a charter by the Portuguese
government to establish economic development and maintain Portuguese control in Niassa Province and Cabo Delgado and was officially incorporated in March 1893.
.
In 1904 the Nyassa Company founded the town Porto Amélia, which is presently known as Pemba
, and Porto Amélia became the headquarters of the company.
system, a forced labor policy, which forced the Mozambicans to work on plantation
s, cotton
fields and on public works projects. Additionally Mozambicans were forced to pay hut taxes that kept them in debt. The chibalo system enabled the Nyassa Company to establish plantations and to force peasants to work for them and prevent them from growing their own crops for sale.
Although one of its main obligations was to create light house
s along the Mozambican Coast, the Nyassa Company fell short of this goal.
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
the Companhia do Nyassa, and sometimes spelled "Niassa", was a royal company
Chartered company
A chartered company is an association formed by investors or shareholders for the purpose of trade, exploration and colonization.- History :...
in the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
colony of Mozambique, then known as Portuguese East Africa
Portuguese East Africa
Mozambique or Portuguese East Africa was the common name by which the Portuguese Empire's territorial expansion in East Africa was known across different periods of time...
, that had the concession of the lands that include the present provinces of Cabo Delgado and Niassa
Niassa Province
Niassa is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 129,056 km² and a population of 1.027.037 . It is the most sparsely populated province in the country. Lichinga is the capital of the province. There are a minimum estimated 450,000 Yao people living in Mozambique...
between 1891 and 1929.
Origins
In the late 19th century Portugal’s dominance of Mozambique was threatened by Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, who planned to divide Mozambique between them.
Portugal lacked the capital to colonize Mozambique properly, so it leased the country and its people to others. By 1891 one third of the country was handed over to three British companies, the Mozambique Company
Mozambique Company
The Mozambique Company, in Portuguese the Companhia de Moçambique, was a royal company in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique, that had the concession of the lands that include the present provinces of Manica and Sofala....
, the Zambezi Company and the Nyassa Company.
Although founded by Bernard Daupais, a merchant from Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, the Nyassa Company was owned by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
interests.
The company was granted a charter by the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
government to establish economic development and maintain Portuguese control in Niassa Province and Cabo Delgado and was officially incorporated in March 1893.
Territory
The territory of the Nyassa Company covered the north of Mozambique, above the river LurioLurio
Lurio is a spider genus of the Salticidae family .-Species:* Lurio conspicuus Mello-Leitão, 1930 — Brazil* Lurio crassichelis Berland, 1913 — Ecuador* Lurio lethierryi — French Guiana...
.
In 1904 the Nyassa Company founded the town Porto Amélia, which is presently known as Pemba
Pemba, Mozambique
Pemba is a port city in Mozambique. It is the capital of the province of Cabo Delgado and lies on a peninsula in Pemba Bay.The town was founded by the Niassa Company in 1904 as Porto Amélia, after a queen of Portugal, at the peninsula's south western tip and has grown around a port. The city is...
, and Porto Amélia became the headquarters of the company.
The chibalo system
The power of the Nyassa Company was based on the chibaloChibalo
Chibalo is the concept of debt bondage or forced labour in the Ultramar Português , most notably in Angola and Mozambique...
system, a forced labor policy, which forced the Mozambicans to work on plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
fields and on public works projects. Additionally Mozambicans were forced to pay hut taxes that kept them in debt. The chibalo system enabled the Nyassa Company to establish plantations and to force peasants to work for them and prevent them from growing their own crops for sale.
Demise
The company lost its purpose when its territory was transferred to the control of the Portuguese colonial government on 27 October 1929 after the government refused to grant an extension of its concession.Although one of its main obligations was to create light house
Light House
The Light House is currently under construction and will be located on the new harbour front district in Aarhus, Denmark. It is expected to be completed by 2012. The Light House will be 142 metres tall making it the tallest building in Denmark....
s along the Mozambican Coast, the Nyassa Company fell short of this goal.