Carmen Souza few times, once on a family trip when she was ten and again as an adult in 2010, she grew up speaking Creole and eating Cape Verdean cuisine. While still a child, she began singing gospel music in the church choir. Her parents maintained close ties with the diaspora, and Souza's childhood was filled with the music and culture of Cape Verde, along with that of the former Portuguese colonies of Angola, Brazil, Mozambique and São Tomé. Souza's father, Antonio, a merchant sailor, insisted she should learn English and German. After spending just one year at college, she left to
Bahá'í Faith in Mozambique who returned to Portugal also had contact with the Bahá'í Faith. In 1977 Swaziland elected their own national assembly and Angola and Mozambique continued with a shared assembly. From 1978 to 1992 Angola and Mozambique shared a regional national assembly. In 1985 the Bahá'ís of Mozambique elected their first National Spiritual Assembly, witnessed by Continental Counselor Shidan Fat'he-Aazam. Since its inception the religion has had involvement in socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics.