"The beauty of knowledge is that you can give it away without losing it. In fact, the more you give away, the more you gain." Quote: Joaquim Chissano, Mozambique 2nd President, 1986 - 2005 (below portrait)

Front: Mozambique (1991) 10,000 Meticais

The 67-year-old Joaquim Chissano voluntarily stepped down from power in 2005, after serving two terms as the first democratically elected president. He began his remarkable
40-year political career in early 1960s as a Mozambique freedom fighter when the country was a Portuguese colony. Mozambique, located on Africa's southeastern coast, won
its independence in 1975 and Chissano served as foreign minister in the first socialist government. Chissano became head of state when then-President Samora Machel was killed in a plane crash in 1986. Chissano instituted free elections and in 1994 was elected president. He worked to attract foreign investment and turned Mozambique into one of the fastest growing economies in the world. He also alleviated the country's crushing foreign debt burden by negotiating debt forgiveness of its foreign loans.

Source:Harvard News Office