So here we are, Maputo. A city of more than a million people which gives the impression of definitely having seen better days .. though in fact these are probably the good times after its past history. When I first came to Southern Africa in September 1975, Mozambique had just, three months earlier, obtained its independence from Portugal after a long campaign led by the Frelimo party; there was great hope for its future. The optimism was short-lived: in 1977, a 15-year civil war kicked off, which stalled plans for national development. A more comprehensive history is available here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambique
The Frelimo party has been in power since independence. I arrived on Thursday last week, a day after national and presidential elections, and was struck by the banners and flags and colours, principally the red of Frelimo, everywhere, but also by the fact that this vote has not figured in any of the recent news that I saw, indicating a peaceful event. People have apologised for having a ‘dirty’ index finger, caused by the indelible ink used to indicate they had voted. Results won’t be announced for another ten days, but there’s no obvious tension despite the opposition parties raising concerns about the election’s fairness. But let’s not go there.
I first came here in February 2007 after Cyclone Fabio had hit the coastline further north, causing massive damage and destruction in and around Beira and the hinterland; a full-on relief operation kicked off and I was here to coordinate emergency shelter operations for the United Nations and NGOs. The government in fact took charge - as they should - and did a good job of coordination overall, and beyond the input of materials, I am not sure that our presence here was greatly positive or helpful, not least because of the language challenge. I spent a month here but in fact remember little of that time beyond being struck how diverse but integrated the communities, certainly in this city, appeared to be, in contrast to many of the neighbouring countries at the time.
We’ve spent the last days ambling around the downtown area of the city, visiting the main historic sites (you can look them up) and stopping for refreshments at numerous quayside watering holes. The streets are full of cars (except on Sundays when it’s dead), shops are well-stocked and restaurants are busy; everyone is friendly and many have some words or more of English. The city is spacious (certainly in the central area) with wide streets, lined with trees and greenery, although much has been hacked at in the name of pruning so they are not as attractive as they are meant to be. Streets are named after the inevitable Vladimir Lenin, Ho Chi Minh, Mao Tse Tung and Karl Marx, as well as national heroes and other African luminaries of the past. Pavements are clearly something not considered important as they are mostly dug up or parked on; there is rubbish everywhere - though we did see a team of women valiantly trying to clean up in one place. The range of plants (and the rubbish and climate) are similar to Cambodia! Socialist-styled blocks of flats, shabby in many cases with peeling paint, patched roofs, and ominously barred balconies even on the higher floors, are interspersed with newer blocks and more modern offices and hotels. Suddenly you’d come across a street with walls painted bright colours, or with mosaic-type designs of coloured tiles, reminiscent of Portugal itself. Wikipedia gives a comprehensive history of the city here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maputo
All very pleasant and a nice start to the trip, despite it not really being on the itinerary of most tourists. So into the last couple of days here now: it’s hot and sunny, not too conducive to walking about during the day, but I guess we’ll venture out later to another part of town and find a nice restaurant for a meal. Next stop Cape Town, tomorrow evening.
