Different places leave you with
different sensual sensations. When I
think back to life in Thailand it is the
memories of smell that dominate my
memories. Mozambique is a much more
visual experience. The often searing
light gives vividness to what might
ordinarily pass unnoticed.  I have
become, for example, more aware of
the presence and place of trees here
though my knowledge of trees is
limited. (That great Polish journalist,
Ryszard Kapuściński, who died
recently, wrote a lovely piece called, In
the Shade of a Tree, in Africa. Found in
his book The Shadow of the Sun, it talks
about the importance of the tree in
African life and culture.

The acacia trees lining the avenues of
towns and cities are very beautiful
when in flower. The acacias that
dominate the main thoroughfares have
a flower with petals a lively red colour
and a delicate streak of yellow through
them. They are delicate not only in
colour but in longevity. After a wind you
walk through streets scattered deep
with petals. There are also acacias with
yellow or white flowers. There are trees
called by some Mozambicans violet
acacia, but are in fact jacaranda. The
lilac flowers they proudly display are
one of nature’s triumphs.

Climbing bougainvillea spills over the
walls and fences of many gardens and
can turn a mundane piece of pavement
into a patch of brilliant colour. At times,
the capital Maputo can appear as a
violent canvas of colour.

A very important tree here is the
Mango tree: majestic because it is the
most richly clothed of all trees with its
thousands of small dark green leaves;
majestic as it affords the greatest
shade; majestic as it has the most
delectable of fruits.
realmozambique.org
A personal look at this intriguing country on the Indian Ocean
The AK47, with the hoe and
the yellow star pictured here
revives memories of the  The
AK47, with the hoe Marxist
part of its recent Marxist part
of its recent history.history.
  • The important place of music and dance in the culture
Alfrina casts a solicitous
look at her young cousin. Or
is she thinking of the biscuit
A sad end for this
Stuck in the sand of
churning the waves
of the High the waves
of the High Seas
South Africa to the south
and Tanzania to the
north plus Zimbabwe,
Malawi, Zambia and
Swaziland.
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, the Beautiful

All abstract words. All subjective, to a greater or lesser degree. I'll allow you, dear
visitor to my pages, to judge for yourself which is which. Sometimes it may not be too
obvious.
The graveyard of the ships.

Near a fishing village, part of the city of Beira, is the graveyard of ships. On the
beach, scattered along a stretch of some hundreds of metres, are dozens and
dozens of remains of ships: some are huge hulking dinosaurs, some delicately
wasted away, some sunken in the sand to the extent that they are invisible except at
low tide or when the whipping wind uncovers a protruding section. Many of these
shells date  from the period of the war of independence against the Portuguese.
Salt air, wind, rain, sand and time. Together these
have sculpted this hulk into a mixture of filigree and
lace as its remains are seen against the white sky.
This hulk, with its bow in the air and its stern
buried in the sand, offers unusual shade.
At times, depending on how the wind blows or the
vagaries of the tide, wrecks like this one appear
and disappear and like, once upon a time, a
Victorian lady showing an ankle, it fires the
imagination to picture what might be hidden.
into contrast,with its
delicate lilac,  the vivid
colours alongside
The baobab tree, the "upside-down" tree, is
probably most impressive when leafless.
Evangelical Churches - working the hereafter!
These churches, many from Brasil or the United States may be numbered in their
hundreds and are, with their money and resources (including private TV stations),
having great success in recruiting or saving souls, as they would like to put it.
They promise lots of self-expression and lots of miracles.
A typical prayer meeting guarantees lots of noise, music, exhortations, exclamations and cries in a whipped-up
atmosphere. "Handlers" push through the crowd to bring some of the faithful to the front to wring their hands,
prostrate themselves on the ground and confess their sins or misdemeanours.
Acacia trees line the avenues of many towns
and cities in Mozambique
This litle girl on her way  
churchThis litle girl on her
way  carries hershoes and
shoes and carries wears a
big smile even if her two
A mango tree giving
precious shade in a school
playground
below. Both are 17 and in 3rd
year of secondary school.
Maizinha are single mothers.
The young fathers play no
role.
Informal markets need the shade of trees to be
bearable in the heat of the day
Motherhood- the great passion
Many girls in Mozambique are mothers by the age of 18. Often they are single mothers and
their pregnancies are unplanned. Even if it happens in a relationship, the young man
frequently takes flight. Women are usually on their own and they know it. That doesn’t stop
them being inordinately proud of being mothers.
A very proud mother breast feeding in Pemba
Childen looking after children
An interesting aspect of Mozambican society is the number of young girls you see looking
after other family members who are often little younger than themselves. They learn early
that that is part of their role as girls. Boys are never asked to do this, neither would they be
asked to do housework or fetch water or...
A mother languorously bathing her child in the warm
Indian ocean

Street people
UNICEF estimates the number of street children in Mozambique at 5,000 but it is not just
children who live on the street. Many adults do too. Some are wandering vagabonds,
others haunt the same abandoned house or sheltered bit of pavement over a long period
of time.
it doesn't mean you can't be
proud of your appearance.
This man trims his beard in a
cracked mirror.
and wellingtons walked The
man in his blue overalls
border to live for six months
on a pavement in Beira with
his plastic bottles and tin
cans. He spoke neither
Portuguese nor the local
languages but could quote
the Bible in English. One
morning he was gone.
in the bins or the dumps. This man simply lies in it.