“Xichangana is an education platform about Mozambique's different cultures and languages that operates on social media. It presents short, easy-to-understand content linked to the everyday lives of Mozambicans, to engage young people, its main target audience, and make it easier for them to connect.
In conversations with foreigners, I was asked about Mozambican culture (languages, tribes, ceremonies, rituals, traditional dances, styles of music, etc.) and did not really know how to answer. I had notions, but not knowledge. I realised that many of the young people I grew up with had the same lack of knowledge. We grew up in Maputo, with some exposure to culture, but without everyday immersion or education in many respects. That is where the idea came from: to create an educational medium about Mozambican culture, with a modern style of communication, to stir young people's interest in the subject. In 2018, the communication began, dedicated to the south – hence the name "Xichangana" –, and we are now creating content about national culture on a broader scale.
Xichangana is an education platform about Mozambique's different cultures and languages that operates on social media
@It is a Mozambican multicultural education platform, a meeting point for Mozambique's diverse cultures. Our aim is to contribute to young people's education about their mother culture and neighbouring cultures, in order to raise the quality of relations among Mozambican youth. In an increasingly globalised world, it is urgent to promote what defines us: our identity. That is why Xichangana is a celebration of Mozambican culture, especially bearing in mind that local languages are tending towards extinction.
The digital content format served our purpose at the beginning, through social media. However, our vision is to reach a large share of young Mozambicans, especially teenagers and children, in schools across the country, to teach about cultural diversity in Mozambique and to build empathy for neighbouring communities. To reach this audience, the printed content format will be essential.
At the platform's kick-off we did not plan any means of raising funds. Today we are a small team of part-time volunteers, and our biggest challenge has been to make the initiative financially viable so that we can start other activities. Digital plays a fundamental role in spreading our communication to all Mozambicans, not only within the country but also in the diaspora, so we intend to expand the concept with this new reality in mind.”
