He calls it “solid faith.” When I joke
about his wavering faith on being
admitted to ALU, he responds, “I was
on a plane, but I kept asking myself
whether I was going to get there.
God, are you sure about this? This
journey was something else.”
Long before Founders* were awed by
his charisma and his Portuguese
lessons, Amancio was already an entrepreneur. His first memory of business was at age 19, working with
1980 Hotel, which has affiliations
with the Presidential residence.
“Securing a job is very important in
Mozambique, especially when you’re
young. I started as a temporary
employee and ended up recruiting
new employees for the hotel.
Engaging in small businesses helped
me earn an income which I used to
cover my personal expenses which did
not sound as necessary to my parents.
If you have a goal you will always
*Founders: The first batch of Students at the
African Leadership University who are considered to have found the school.
Life was not always a smoothly-paved
road for Amancio. High school was
tough; students had to bribe teachers
to get good grades. It was the best
school in the country, but very corrupt.
“Teachers don’t want you to succeed.
Corruption was a fashion. I still
remember what my Chemistry teacher
told me during the finals. ‘If you don’t
give me $10 forget about passing
Chemistry.”
I know what it means to be in a
prison of my own making. You
reach a point when you don't have a
reason to smile.
After a long, bitter struggle, he finally
graduated. But things had just gotten
worse. He couldn’t make it to university.
Despite his high scores, he was rejected by
all three of his favourite universities.
Explaining the reality of education in his
country, Amancio says, “If I had money
and bribed them, I would have joined
without even doing the entrance exams.
Corruption in Mozambique is extremely
high to the extent that it is a normal
procedure.”
He remembers the year after high school
as the worst in his life. “I know what it
means to be in a prison of my own making.
You reach a point when you don’t have a
reason to smile. You find yourself lost in
the smile of others. And then you ask
yourself, why can’t they be lost in my
smile?” Amancio recalls.
8