 Mozambique is not a usual travel destination. Five years after a 17-year civil war, Mozambique continues to be one of the most beautiful, and
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Ribáuè, Mozambique
Casa Vicenzio de Cassieri
photo:
Woodcock 1997
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least visited, places on earth. And there are few places in Mozambique that capture the history of the country as well as the Island, or "Ilha" of Mozambique. Ilha de Mozambique, from which the country gets its name, has been visited since time immemorial. Before the first visit of the Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gamma in 1498, Greeks, Persians, Indians, Chinese and Arabs walked these streets. That era has long passed, but the essence of these times still lingers.
The true Mozambique only begins to show itself to us after a 1,500-kilometer flight north from Maputo (the country's capital in the south) to Nampula. The best way to reach the Ilha is by a two-hour car trip east on a bumpy unmaintained road past vast plantations of cashew and banana trees. The road winds past huge rock monoliths that evoke a sense of pre-history - it seems that, at any moment, a dinosaur will appear around the next curve! As the road approaches the coast, coconut and
Ilha de Mozambique
photo: Woodcock 1998
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baobab trees become plentiful. Ilha de Mozambique suddenly appears in the distance: a small island that seems to float like a ship in the Indian Ocean.
Arriving on the Ilha, via a long narrow bridge, one steps into a place that time forgot. The southern part of the island is called Mecuti Town (mecuti is the palm leaf that is used for the roofs of the simple mud walled huts). The streets here are lined with people selling used clothes, oranges, peanuts and other local necessities. One enterprising plumber has even hung taps,
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Ilha de Mozambique
photo: Woodcock 1997
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copper tubing and sinks by rope from a large banyan tree to advertise his wares.
Upon entering the Cement Town, the whole history of the island begins to appear. Large buildings in different states of decay line every street. The mixture of Portuguese, Arabic and Asian architecture is fascinating: Old doorways barely hanging upon their hinges; the sun bleached weathered windows with wrinkled cracked wood that matches the expression of the old fishers sitting nearby. The streets are shady and your eyes are drawn down narrow alleyways to catch a glimpse of another
Ilha de Mozambique
photo: Woodcock 1997
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interesting scene. A few buildings have been fixed up and repaired, but they have lost their character, standing out like new white cubes in a pile of old beach washed stones. The walls of others, exposed to the elements for decades, have their rock and mortar souls untouched.
There is an old Portuguese fort on the northern tip of the island, built in the 1500's. It is a maze of rooms and passages. Cannons and cannonballs are strewn about on the upper perimeter of the walls, some still pointing defensively offshore. Large
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Portuguese Fort, Ilha
photo: Woodcock 1998
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casuarinas trees, seeded from birds droppings, have taken root in the mortar of the walls, giving it an ancient look.
A place to sleep for the night is easy to find here from talking with a few people in the market, as people are more than eager to make a little extra cash. The room costs roughly $10 Cdn. Helping out with the groceries adds a little bit of variety to meals, and everyone benefits. Fish is plentiful - in the afternoon fishers come in with their daily catch, including groupers that can weigh more than 50 kilograms. We left for the mainland, having "lived" the history of this fascinating country.
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