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Century-old cemetery in central Maputo to make way for Memorial to Mozambican Culture – Watch
2:02 CAT | 31 Oct 2025
File photo: Conselho Municipal de Maputo
- Since the vandalism of the tombs has been recurrent, the mortal remains that still lie there will be preserved in an ossuary.
Maputo council plans to build Memorial to Mozambican Culture over cemetery in city centre – watch
The St. Francis Xavier Cemetery, in the Ronil area of Maputo City, will be requalified, O País reports. The Maputo Municipal Council wants to build a Memorial to Mozambican Culture on the site.
The president of the Maputo Municipal Council, Rasaque Manhique, led, this Thursday, October 30th, the second public consultation aimed at presenting and evaluating the project “Memorial to Mozambican Culture and Tile Mural in the São Francisco Xavier Cemetery (Ronil) in Homage to Doctor Eduardo Mondlane, Architect of National Unity”.
On the occasion, the mayor of Maputo said that the Memorial of Mozambican Culture will be a space not only for memory, but also for education, conviviality and inspiration for future generations, and reaffirmed the municipality’s commitment to valuing national memory and culture as pillars of the current government.
For Mayor Manhique, the public consultation constitutes an important milestone, symbolizing the proximity of the Municipal Council to different entities to advise on the decision-making process regarding matters of urban development.
Osvaldo Faquir, Councillor for Education and Culture in the Municipality of Maputo, states that the requalification of the cemetery will make it a more pleasant place.
“The requalification aims to create a good environment that we can all frequent. There will be cultural spaces and it will be expanded. The idea is to make the place more pleasant,” explained Osvaldo Faquir.
The area surrounding the São Francisco Xavier Cemetery, popularly known as the Ronil Cemetery, in Maputo City, has frequently seen complaints from its residents, as the cemetery is used as a refuge for criminals.
“People suffer here, they are robbed, they lose their wigs, car headlights, phones, and then the criminals hide there in the cemetery,” lamented Fernando José, a resident.
Since the vandalism of the cemetery’s tombs has been recurrent, the mortal remains that still lie there will be preserved in an ossuary.
“We believe that something needs to be done to respect the dignity of those who rest, and the best way to rehabilitate the cemetery is to build an ossuary to recover the bones that are still there.”
The Memorial will honor prominent figures in Mozambican culture.
The works will begin after the ongoing consultations on the matter.
The four cemeteries
Some background on this can be found on the Delagoa Bay blog, as follows:
The Cemeteries of St. Francis Xavier, Jewish, Muslim, and Parsi of Lourenço Marques
The archive of Alfredo Pereira de Lima contains the following data about the St. Francis Xavier Cemetery and the Muslim, Parsi, and Jewish Cemeteries:
“… its land was granted by the State in May 1886, the wall and works were built by contract to Pablo Perez and completed on August 30, 1886; the cemetery was inaugurated on November 20, 1886.
It was expanded for the first time in 1891, having been extended in the NE direction. It was closed on November 20, 1951.”
It continues: “This cemetery [ St. Francis Xavier] has attached Parsi, Muslim, and Jewish cemeteries, covering almost two entire city blocks, delimited by Manuel de Arriaga, Paiva Manso, Pinheiro Chagas, Latino Coelho, and Dr. J. Serrão Avenues, occupying an area of 60,769 square meters”.
And further:
“The Muslim Cemetery was authorized by the City Council in May 1885.
The Parsi Cemetery was authorized by the City Council in 1898, at the request of Homorgy Idolgy, who was a councilor and at the time the head of the Parsi community of Lourenço Marques.
The Jewish Cemetery was authorized in a session of the City Council on January 24, 1900, by proposal…” by Leão Cohen. It has existed since that date.
Many religions, I believe including Islam, do not allow the practice of exhumations, as they consider the final resting place of the faithful sacred and their burial perpetual…”
O Cemitério São Francisco Xavier, na zona da Ronil na cidade de Maputo, vai ser requalificado. O Conselho Municipal de Maputo quer construir no local, um memorial da cultura moçambicana.
#Mocambique #StvNotícias #GrupoSoico
Veja mais Notícias em https://t.co/3GxkwFtECZ pic.twitter.com/vKKUc0yHZM— stvnoticias (@stvnoticias_mz) October 31, 2025
Source: O País / Delagoa Bay
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