They were then taken 20 miles [30 km] to the east, to a place on the banks of the Munduzi River, the area known as Carico, still in the district of Milange. Thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses from Malawi, who had fled a wave of persecution in their own country, had been living there as refugees since 1972. The unexpected arrival of the Mozambican brothers was a surprise for the Malawians. And it was a surprise for the Mozambicans to be received by brothers speaking a strange language. It was, however, a most pleasant surprise, and the Malawian brothers received the Mozambican Witnesses with such warmth and hospitality that the drivers were impressed.​—Compare Hebrews 13:1, 2.

The district administrator was the man who had been in Machava prison with the brothers years before. On receiving each group, he would ask: “Where are Chilaule and Zunguza? I know they will be coming.” When Brother Chilaule finally did arrive, the administrator said to him: “Chilaule, I don’t really know how to receive you. We are in different camps now.” He held to his ideologies and did not make matters easier in any way for his former cellmates. He was, as he said of himself, “a goat governing among the sheep.”

The Challenges of a New Life

A new chapter had opened in the history of Jehovah’s people in Mozambique. The Malawian brothers in the area had organized themselves into eight villages. They had gained much experience in adapting to a new life-style in the bush and had developed their skills in building houses, Kingdom Halls, and even Assembly Halls. Those who did not have prior experience in agriculture also learned much about that sort of work. Many of the Mozambicans, never having planted a machamba (cultivated field), were about to experience for the first time hard work in the fields. In the first few months, the new arrivals benefited from the loving hospitality of their Malawian brothers, who took them into their homes and shared their food. But now it was time for the Mozambican brothers to build their own villages.

That was not an easy task. The rainy season had begun, and the region was generously blessed with water from heaven as never before. However, when the Munduzi River, which cut through the center of the camp, overflowed in a region normally afflicted with drought, the brothers saw this as a symbol of how Jehovah would care for them. Indeed, in the 12 years that followed, the river did not once dry up as it had done before. On the other hand, “the muddy, slippery terrain, caused naturally by the rainy weather, made for an additional challenge to former city dwellers,” as Brother Muthemba recalls. Furthermore, it was not easy for the women to cross the river while balancing themselves on improvised bridges that were nothing more than tree trunks. “For men who were accustomed to offices, our challenge was to go into the dense woods and cut down trees to build our houses,” recalls Xavier Dengo. These conditions turned out to be a test for which some were not prepared.

We recall that in the days of Moses, complaining started among “the mixed crowd” that accompanied the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness and that it then spread to the Israelites themselves. (Num. 11:4) Similarly, among those who were not baptized Witnesses, a group of complainers manifested themselves right from the beginning, and some of the baptized ones joined them. They approached the administrator and let him know that they were willing to pay any price to be sent back home as quickly as possible. But this did not result in any prompt homeward trip as they had hoped. They were kept in Milange, and many of them became like a stone in the shoe for the faithful ones. They became known as “the rebels.” They lived among the faithful brothers but were always ready to betray them. Their love for God had not held up under test.

Why the Halls Fell

The Malawian brothers in the camps had enjoyed considerable freedom of worship. When the Mozambican brothers arrived, they initially benefited from this. Each day, they would gather in one of the large Assembly Halls for a consideration of the day’s text. It was often a Malawian circuit overseer who presided. “It was strengthening,” recalls Filipe Matola, “after months of imprisonment and traveling, to hear spiritual exhortations in the company of so many brothers.” However, this relative freedom did not last.

On January 28, 1976, government authorities, accompanied by soldiers, went through the villages and announced: “You are forbidden to worship or pray in these halls or anywhere else in the villages. The halls will be nationalized and used by the government as it sees fit.” They ordered the brothers to bring out all their books, and then they confiscated these. Of course, the brothers hid what they could. Following this, flags were raised in front of each hall, and soldiers were stationed as guards to ensure compliance with the decree.

Although the halls were built of stakes and appeared rustic, they were quite strong. Yet, in a relatively short time, all of them began to disintegrate. Xavier Dengo remembers that on one occasion he and the administrator had just arrived at one of the villages when the hall actually began to collapse, even though it was not raining nor was the wind blowing. The administrator exclaimed: “What is going on? You people are bad. Now that we have nationalized the halls, they’re all falling down!” On a later occasion, the administrator said to one of the elders: “You must have prayed for the halls to fall down, . . . and your God made them fall.”

Organization in the Villages

Nine Mozambican villages sprang up parallel to and facing the existing eight Malawian villages. These two groups, united by the “pure language,” would live together for the next 12 years. (Zeph. 3:9) The area of each of the villages was divided into blocks, lined by well-maintained streets, each block encompassing eight plots of approximately 80 feet by 110 feet [25 m by 35 m]. The congregations were grouped according to blocks. After the ban had been proclaimed in the camps, they could not build conspicuous Kingdom Halls. So, instead, they built special L-shaped houses to serve the purpose. A widow or other single person would live in these to give the appearance that they were residences. Then, when meetings were held, the speaker would stand at the corner of the “L” and thus be able to face the audience on either side.

Around the perimeter of each of the villages were its machambas. Each congregation also tended a “congregational machamba,” which all shared in cultivating as their contribution toward congregational needs.

The size of each village varied according to the population. A 1979 census showed that Mozambican Village No. 7 was the smallest, with just 122 publishers and 2 congregations, while No. 9, the largest and most distant, had 1,228 publishers and 34 congregations. The entire camp had 11 circuits. This whole camp, composed of the Malawian and Mozambican villages and dependent areas, came to be known to the brothers as the Circle of Carico. The last census we have on record is that of 1981, when the population of the entire Circle of Carico was 22,529, of which 9,000 were active publishers. Later there was further growth. (The then president, Samora Machel, declared the population to be 40,000, according to the brochure Consolidemos Aquilo Que nos Une [Consolidating That Which Unites Us], pages 38-9.)