The name is absent

120

rights or no claim were asked to leave. If they had planted crops, they were allowed to
harvest before they left.'

When we first visited the district in March 1993, there were many people farming outside
of the city of Ulongue, and there were a few new settlements along the road between Ulongue
and Dedza. In the area around Ulongue some smallholders mentioned land conflicts, largely
between displaced farmers who did not "belong" in the pen-urban areas and returning
refugees. ²⁷³ These conflicts were being sorted out by local lineage heads, other customary
authorities, and some locality government officials. There were a few reported conflicts
between local inhabitants and new farmers when the latter tried to farm on sacred lands
(Eliseu 1994). It is not clear if these new fanners were returning refugees or displaced
farmers looking for temporary use rights. District and locality officials were also involved
in distributing land on a temporary basis to returning refugees and others who did not have
land. One native farmer complained that district authorities were allotting land that was
sacred. Another smallholder said that the officials were distributing land that belonged to
other people who had not yet returned; he worried that there would be conflicts between these
re⁷f_ugee⁴s2 new recipients and the returning

District government officials stated that they knew enough about land occupation (or
availability) in Angonia to distribute land to smallholders and nonlocal commercial interests.
They felt that there was plenty of land available in the district for all interested individuals,
and they encouraged outside interests to come to the district to invest in agriculture. In
addition, district agricultural officers declared there would be plenty of accessible land near
Ulongue because all the displaced farmers would move back to their homelands. ²⁷⁵

In the area along the road to Dedza (see map 19) in March 1993, we noticed many areas
that were unexploited. When asked, locality government officials and agricultural extension
agents replied that those lands would be claimed by returning refugees and displaced families
or by former colonial owners. They were convinced in the latter case that the owners would
return and that no local smallholders would occupy the parcels. They did not consider the
unoccupied land (most of which was along the road and therefore commercially valuable) free
for distribution.⁶²7

Most of the families living in the area had recently returned. The neighborhood was
sparsely populated and new permanent houses were being constructed. Smallholders claimed

272. Interviews with smallholder farmers, Ulongue, March 1993; and agricultural extension agents,
Ulongue, March 1993.

273. Interviews with smallholder farmers, Ulongue and Dedza, March 1993.

274. Interviews with smallholder farmers, Ulongue and Dedza, March 1993.

275. Interviews with administrator of Angonia Administrative Post, March 1993; agricultural extension
agents, March 1993; and representative of District Directorate of DINAGECA, March 1993.

276. Interviews with representatives of Ulongue Administrative Post, March 1993; and agricultural extension
agents, Ulongue, March 1993.

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