Maputo, Mozambique

East Africa Map

            Thursday, 15 Feb 2018 – Due to high winds and ocean currents against us, the Insignia was not to arrive at Maputo nearly as early as expected.  Although we heard only the last part of the first announcement concerning this problem, we heard subsequent announcements about time changes for tours.  Maputo is located in the Southern-most part of Mozambique, near the South African border.  Although our map shows Mozambique as part of east Africa, a map of the Six Regions of the African Union, as of 30 Jan 2017, shows Mozambique as part of the South Region.

Instead of 9:30, our 3-hour tour “Glimpse of Maputo” started at 11:00 AM.  Our guide, Selio, was an extremely slim (skinny) black man with a heavy accent and (sometimes) also a rather bad stammer.  The mini-bus was air-conditioned, for which we passengers were all thankful; however, the outdoor temperature was extremely hot and humid, and most of the time we were on the bus for a very short time before getting out to see the next sight.

Maputo’s rich history came to light on this tour which included the essential highlights of Mozambique’s bustling capital.  Lourence Marques, a Portuguese explorer landed here in 1544.  While much of Maputo was destroyed during Mozambique’s civil war that finally ended when relative peace was restored in 1992, the city is intent on regaining its glory.

The first sight was the Central Train Station, designed by the renowned French architect Gustave Eiffel in 1910.  For a glimpse into the daily life of the locals, we stopped at a market, where goods often exchange hands through bartering.

We stopped in Independence Square, featuring a statue of Mozambique’s first president, the City Hall, and a Roman Catholic cathedral.  (Although the two of us hoped to step inside the cathedral, the doors were tightly locked.)  We also viewed the French-Mozambican Cultural Center, a splendid old colonial building which has been restored and is home to various art exhibitions.  One of the more unique sights is an unusual all-iron house, another creation by Eiffel.  When we went inside, it was not as hot as we expected.  Unusual “art” exhibits were there.

Museum of Natural History

At the Museum of Natural History, especially interesting were very alive-looking stuffed animals native to the surrounding area.  Sally especially liked the scene showing a death struggle between a tiger and an African bull.  Although the bull had deep gashes in his back, one tiger already lay dead and a second tiger was being torn apart by the bull, indicating how dangerous the bull really is.

Mouzinho de Albuquerque (1855-1902)

Our next-to-last stop was the somewhat crumbling Maputo Fort, with old weapons, cannons, and statues of former heroes.

The last stop was at an open-air shopping center.  About half of the people on our bus (including Jesse) went there, with the rest of us staying on the bus.  Jesse reported that the merchandise was pretty much the same as we had seen elsewhere (and others said the same thing); the vendors left him alone – they thought he was a local – until he was nearly back to the bus!

Although heat certainly was a great discomfort to us spoiled people from a temperate climate who are used to air conditioning, almost as irritating was the constant bother by vendors, sticking their wares (caps, cloths, purses, etc.) in our faces.  Since most of our stops were in the same general area, the same vendors followed our bus much of the time and repeated their performance as we walked between the bus and whatever place we were headed toward, and then again as we walked back out to the bus.  Also very assertive, they stuck their arms in the bus doors after we stepped inside!  Yes, they are just trying to survive, but still their behavior is aggravating.  Although Jesse seemed to think the experience with the vendors was humorous, the rest of our group was sick of it by the time our bus “escaped” them to head toward the pier.  Many of the vendors exclaimed that Jesse was the “same color” as them, and appealed to him for help; one vendor actually called him “Dad!”  Since some of our group hadn’t traveled previously to places like India or Egypt, where the vendors are also a constant presence, this was their initiation!

When Selio was asked about the cost of buying one of the homes in the expensive area, he said the rent could be $3,000 USD per month but had no idea of the cost to buy.  He lives 2 hours from Maputo, and takes three busses to get to the city – because the city is so expensive.

One person in our bus asked about the Mozambique government.  The guide’s answer was confusing.  Although they do now have an elected government, the situation is still complicated.  During the 1950’s and 1960’s, Mozambique resistance to Portuguese colonial rule intensified, with gathering resentment of Portuguese exploitation and oppression.  In the years since then, warfare has taken place, with assistance to one side or other given by outside forces (including communists); most of the Portuguese population fled, leaving mainly uneducated people to manage the country; and land mines injured many civilians.  Our guide mentioned that a long bridge (which we could see easily from the Insignia) connecting Maputo with the other side of the peninsula is being built by the Chinese, who also built many of the newer buildings.  People living in Maputo definitely like the Chinese, who are becoming a big presence there.

Sally took a 3-hour nap after returning to the ship, and we danced for half an hour after dinner.  Having completed five days in a row of tours, now we can relax for two at-sea days until we port in Madagascar.