Our experience in Ilha de Moçambique was absolutely riveting. It was our chance to get very close to the local people, to understand their living conditions and the components that filled their unique culture. Ilha is a UNESCO Heritage site, a well deserved status. It is a town that has lived through the ages, running from the rule of the Sultanate of Zanzibar and Oman, to Portuguese Colonial occupation and then to the devastation it suffered during the war of Liberation. In the last few years the town has been rebuilt and cleaned up, and is considered a gem within Mozambique. Our experience of Ilha was exclusively of the island, but it covered a spectrum of flavours and colours of adventures!
The day we arrived, we immediately made a series of acquaintances, starting with Saleh, whom we had met on the chapa on the way there. Before really investing in these human relationships we had to refuel, after spending hours on end travelling uncomfortably without a glimpse of food our priorities were swayed. That evening, we had a small dinner with a group from the hostel, and then decided to go to an open-air club near the fortress to dance our Friday night away. Midway through the 20-minute walk, full of history and stories, the whole province (yes, the whole province of Nampula) experienced a power cut. So what was a walk viewing the buildings and streets became a walk shared between complicated and slightly daunting navigation, and a beautiful presentation of the firmament. Electricity did not return until dawn, thus the whole experience in Piscina (the outdoor club) revolved around a makeshift fire and motorcycles shining their headlight in our direction. It was quite the experience!
The next day, each of us seemed to take the Ilha experience to their own hands. Jaime headed early with Saleh to the barracas, and started to realise two main things, the predominance of Islam within the population and the enormous number of children that populate the island. It came to no surprise that most of the Cooperation work that is undertaken in the island is as orphanage and refuge centres for children. During this long walk, Jaime and Saleh had the chance to see children jumping rope (and by children, Saleh is included), as well as a private performance of a group of girls singing and dancing, and finally also a local league football match between Ilha de Moçambique and Nacala, on the beach with what seemed to be imaginary consensual lines.
In the meantime, Xavi spent the morning photographing both the island’s beautiful scenery and its inhabitants. Both children and mothers were thrilled by the opportunity of having a portrait taken and would pose in all sorts of ways, after which they would rush to see what the camera had captured. A few of the many children that tagged along to Xavi stuck longer and took the roles of tour guides, sharing their stories and bonding over their love for football. Alberto’s morning was more laid-back. He went for breakfast at a local restaurant and admired the colonial architecture from an open terrace while enjoying his book.
In the afternoon, the boys regrouped and spent some time by the pool, reading and cooling off. Ilha is more commonly associated with luxury hotels, which turned out to allow access to their pool for less than 3€, reason why we decided to go relax and work there. That evening we headed to bead fairly early, the exhaustion from the previous day took a hit and we were all asleep by 10:30 P.M.
The following day began in a similar manner, except Xavi and Jaime set off together to explore the town, beginning with a Hindu Temple, and then back into the barracas. This time, they purchased cookies and sweets for the kids. They could not even fathom what was coming. Once in the barracas, after joining Saleh, Jaime took a liking of a group of six young kids who posed for a photograph. At this point Jaime decided to take out a few sweets to give to them, and, out of nowhere, children, babies and mothers started to appear out of nowhere. There was no fighting it. They took over, with some appallingly selfish behaviour from some of the mothers, as well as boys slapping sweets of his hands. Amidst the situation, Jaime tried to get some order, a line and a step back. It was a lost cause. Seeing the chaos, Saleh and Xavi did not think about intervening but decided they’d rather document, taking pictures and filming, as well as from a “each man to his own luck” abandonment from Xavi to avoid having a horde around him. The scene was an interesting one. Despite the incident, the exploration of the inner town did not halt. After lunch, we decided to explore the fort, which was adjacent the local beach bar which we ate at, but instead of going inside, we decided to surround it with a moderate low tide. This little adventure included a bit of climbing that allowed us to get into an area of the fort, which was actually closed on that day.
The day ended with a series of meetings and packing up, as well as a farewell dinner with Saleh. Agreeing on a next meet as soon as he decided to return to Oman! We were to set out for Pemba the next morning at 4 A.M., after an incredibly intense two days in Ilha. Coming so close to local culture and living conditions, despite Ilha being a bubble in itself, was extremely enriching. It gave us valuable insight into the culture and the circadian rhythm that local Mozambicans follow.
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