Ilha de Mocambique
What a magical place this is! Almost surreal…………a mix of very old ruined buildings, very old restored buildings and traditional reed huts. The atmosphere is amazing and the heat and light hit one with an almost physical force. The streets are “paved” with a fine pale grey sand which reflects the light and heat, thereby intensifying the effect. We were quite amused to realise that a lot of the grandiose buildings had very weathered paint effects (natural ones of course) which people now pay a fortune to reproduce on the walls of their homes.
The island used to be the Portuguese capital of the colony before they moved it to Lourenco Marques, now Maputo. Until quite recently it was an important boat building and trading centre and since the fifteenth century had been settled by various groups from places as diverse as Madagascar, Arabia, Persia, Macau and Goa, The people are a fascinating mix of ethnicities and we heard some school children speaking Arabic. The language here seems to be a mix of Portuguese and Arabic, with all school children now learning English as well.
The island is dominated by the sprawling stone fort of Sao Sebasteo, which is reputed to be the oldest complete fort still standing in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately at the time of our visit it was under repair and we were not allowed in.
The northern end of the island which houses the fort and magnificent old buildings has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and there is a great deal of restoration work being carried out. Many of the seemingly derelict buildings are in fact occupied by families, and in walking down the streets, one gets occasional glimpses into sunlit courtyards which exist behind the blank stone walls and closed doorways. It is very reminiscent of certain areas of Barcelona where an outside door onto the street provides access to the central courtyard around which two or more families might have their “apartments”
The southern end of the island is home to the vast majority of the population who live in traditional reed huts in an area known as Makuti Town. This area is a veritable rabbit warren of tumbledown reed houses, in many cases built onto crumbling, ruined walls of homes from time past. A total anachronism is the sight of electric lines being fed into the palm thatched roofs!
The word maintenance seems to have no meaning for the people of this part of the world. Their creed seems to be “if it ain broke, don’t fix it!” and in most cases once it is “broke” it is far too late to salvage anything. So very sad. Here on the island, this credo is very evident, and to see these magnificent buildings crumbling into ruin is a tragedy.
We met Rob and Natalie Sellin from the yacht “Wilhelm” and they steered us in the right direction for a simple meal at the Ancora d’Ouro, owned by a Swedish lady named Eva. She was a mine of information (needless to say the Tourist Information office was closed for the holidays…… until December!)
For any yachties out there planning to visit this lovely place, PLEASE do not plan to do any provisioning, water top up or diesel top up. The market yielded ONE limp lettuce and a whole stack of coconuts. Tomatoes the size of golf balls, some very sad onions and a few wrinkled potatoes. Heaven only knows what these people eat! We tried a dish made of manioc leaves stuffed with nuts called matata, which was quite tasty and provided some much needed green veg.
The museum here is very good indeed. Originally built as a college by the Portuguese, it then was converted to the Governor’s palace and finally into a museum. Amazing carved furniture and artefacts from the days of Portuguese occupation are the main exhibits, and very impressive they are. In the chapel there is an altarpiece and pulpit carved by a Goan woodcarver and gilded. It is quite stupendous.
Ilha de Mocambique will definitely live on in our memories as a high point in our travels.
What a magical place this is! Almost surreal…………a mix of very old ruined buildings, very old restored buildings and traditional reed huts. The atmosphere is amazing and the heat and light hit one with an almost physical force. The streets are “paved” with a fine pale grey sand which reflects the light and heat, thereby intensifying the effect. We were quite amused to realise that a lot of the grandiose buildings had very weathered paint effects (natural ones of course) which people now pay a fortune to reproduce on the walls of their homes.
The island used to be the Portuguese capital of the colony before they moved it to Lourenco Marques, now Maputo. Until quite recently it was an important boat building and trading centre and since the fifteenth century had been settled by various groups from places as diverse as Madagascar, Arabia, Persia, Macau and Goa, The people are a fascinating mix of ethnicities and we heard some school children speaking Arabic. The language here seems to be a mix of Portuguese and Arabic, with all school children now learning English as well.
The island is dominated by the sprawling stone fort of Sao Sebasteo, which is reputed to be the oldest complete fort still standing in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately at the time of our visit it was under repair and we were not allowed in.
The northern end of the island which houses the fort and magnificent old buildings has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and there is a great deal of restoration work being carried out. Many of the seemingly derelict buildings are in fact occupied by families, and in walking down the streets, one gets occasional glimpses into sunlit courtyards which exist behind the blank stone walls and closed doorways. It is very reminiscent of certain areas of Barcelona where an outside door onto the street provides access to the central courtyard around which two or more families might have their “apartments”
The southern end of the island is home to the vast majority of the population who live in traditional reed huts in an area known as Makuti Town. This area is a veritable rabbit warren of tumbledown reed houses, in many cases built onto crumbling, ruined walls of homes from time past. A total anachronism is the sight of electric lines being fed into the palm thatched roofs!
The word maintenance seems to have no meaning for the people of this part of the world. Their creed seems to be “if it ain broke, don’t fix it!” and in most cases once it is “broke” it is far too late to salvage anything. So very sad. Here on the island, this credo is very evident, and to see these magnificent buildings crumbling into ruin is a tragedy.
We met Rob and Natalie Sellin from the yacht “Wilhelm” and they steered us in the right direction for a simple meal at the Ancora d’Ouro, owned by a Swedish lady named Eva. She was a mine of information (needless to say the Tourist Information office was closed for the holidays…… until December!)
For any yachties out there planning to visit this lovely place, PLEASE do not plan to do any provisioning, water top up or diesel top up. The market yielded ONE limp lettuce and a whole stack of coconuts. Tomatoes the size of golf balls, some very sad onions and a few wrinkled potatoes. Heaven only knows what these people eat! We tried a dish made of manioc leaves stuffed with nuts called matata, which was quite tasty and provided some much needed green veg.
The museum here is very good indeed. Originally built as a college by the Portuguese, it then was converted to the Governor’s palace and finally into a museum. Amazing carved furniture and artefacts from the days of Portuguese occupation are the main exhibits, and very impressive they are. In the chapel there is an altarpiece and pulpit carved by a Goan woodcarver and gilded. It is quite stupendous.
Ilha de Mocambique will definitely live on in our memories as a high point in our travels.