In the late 19th century, Portugal did not have the resources to develop all the territory they controlled. So in a few instances, areas were rented out to British businesses. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
Todays stamp is from a Portuguese colony that existed in present day Mozambique. It is more complicated than that. The colony was leased out to a British company in the hopes that they would have the resources to develop the place. One of the ways they hoped to make money was the issuance of postage stamps that were legal for postage in the colony but mainly existed for stamp collectors. As such we are treated to well colored pictures of exotic animals to whet the collector’s appetite. One issue is that the stamp shows a camel, and camels do not get that far south in Africa. Remember though it was a British company dealing with Portuguese printers, so a little confusion about what exotic animals to display is understandable. The was a separate British colony nearby called Nyasaland. It is now known as Malawi.
The stamp today is A6, a 75 reis stamp issued by the Niassa company in 1901. It features camels and the Portuguese monarch. It was part of a thirteen stamp issue in various denominations. The issue continued for over 20 years with various surcharges and the transition of Portugal to a republic. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $1.75 mint. There are fakes and inverted pictures with this issue, although I am sure the catalog struggled where to draw the line at what point this issue is fake.
The Niassa Company was formed to acquire the concession of the territory in Portuguese Africa. It was formed in Portugal but the ownership was British. The hope was to develop cotton plantations that could be lucrative. The Portuguese set out standards of development but they were not achieved. The business plan of the company was that over 10 percent of the revenue was to be from the issuance of postage stamps.
The cotton plantations did not go well. By taking the best farm land away from food production meant that there was less food for the community. The company also passed property taxes that required much labor to satisfy. This system was called chibalo. As such it was a short step away from slavery.
The concession ran 30 years till 1929 when the Portuguese refused to renew the arrangement. The company dissolved and Portugal appointed a colonial governor, Theodorico de Sacadura. He worked hard for many years to end the system of chibalo and other methods of exploiting the local tribes. Even after independence, Sacadura was allowed to stay on in Mozambique as most Portuguese were forced to leave. This was out of respect for him and the work he had done as colonial governor. He died in 1987 having completed 2 books that gave some of the best accounts of the late colonial period in Mozambique.
Well my drink is empty so I will open the discussion in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.