Vasconcelos, Ana, 1965-Gonçalves, Ana Karina Alvarinho, 1984-2018-01-082018-01-082017-04-262018-01-08http://hdl.handle.net/10451/30311This dissertation is a survey and analysis of traditional Mozambican utilitarian objects, with the main objective of searching for their relationship to the Design of Mozambican products. Initially, a brief analysis was carried out on Design in Mozambique, to find aspects of the socio-cultural and historical context in which Design arises, how it evolved, and in what conditions it exists currently. Specific utilitarian objects were then selected according to the following criteria: that they have been in use in the country for more than a century; that they are more commonly used than other objects within a given region; that they are being produced with high quality; that the form or structure is unique; that they are so deeply rooted in Mozambican customs that they are still in production and use locally. The analysis from the point of view of Design does not focus exclusively on the artistic component that is present in almost all these objects, but also on the materials used, the function of the object, the techniques employed, the object’s performance and ergonomics. The selected analyzed set includes furniture, wooden utensils, pottery and basketry. In the course of the analysis, we found that many of the objects contain within themselves interesting solutions in terms of form, structure, material or even mechanics. This showed that elements of Design are present in the simple utensils that are part of the daily life of a society and that a close relationship can exist between ordinary citizens and Design. In carrying out this analysis, we are also trying to understand how these objects could lay the foundations of Design in Mozambique, by creating projects with communities that are trying to solve real problems, by using innovative approaches while at the same time maintaining the indispensable material culture elements and traditions that characterize, in this case, the Mozambican citizenporCultura materialEtnologia - MoçambiqueQuotidianoDesenvolvimentoArtesanato - MoçambiqueHistória do design - Moçambiquemaster thesis201684705