Never mind the stereotypes – the truth of the matter is that most things do work in Mozambique, or at least here in Maputo. While we’ve been here the few power cuts have scarcely lasted a minute. The expresso machine may have been broken in the café in the park, but they rustled up a surprisingly acceptable alternative. True you will often find taps from which no water seems to run – but once the householder is able to install the right system of storage tanks and pumps that problem can be overcome.
Of course there is the terrible problem of transport – one of the chief problems of the country, I guess. Just look at the crowds waiting for buses in the rush-hour, or look at the traffic jams that witness to the fact that the increasing level of car ownership is hardly getting anyone anywhere more quickly, and it may seem that my assessment is over-generous. But by and large things do work.
So I was more than a little disappointed when we moved into the guest house to find that for all the promise of free wifi I was unable to get on-line. What’s more, despite my gentle protestations, no one appeared to be doing anything to resolve the situation. But so what? – we’re in Mozambique. However, it seems that I was wrong. Suddenly, this weekend, I’m back on-line without any trips to the internet café. Someone was trying to get it fixed after all – and in the end they succeeded.
So for the first time in the nearly six weeks I’ve been here, I could start a proper blog – real stream of consciousness stuff rather than the considered and pre-prepared pieces I’ve been putting up every few days. But I think it’s too late now. However, for anyone who’s followed me so far, here’s a brief account of what’s been going on over the past few days.
Last weekend was dominated by the news that the projected visit by Mozambican young people to Northern Synod is off: once again the High Commission has refused visas, and frustratingly the applications went in so late that there is no time for any kind of appeal. So now we are wondering how we can learn from what has happened and find ways of getting a better result in the future.
So far as Hillian and I were concerned, the big event was the launch of the English language service, which I wrote about later in the week – but also we should record the fact that we had a little holiday. Our friend Inãcio came to Maputo looking for us, and after the Sunday afternoon service whisked us back to Xai-Xai in Gaza province for a couple of days. Inãcio was one of the first visitors to our synod back in 2004 – some may remember him as the guy who was videoing everything. When our group visited Mozambique a few weeks later we spent time in Xai-Xai, and were royally entertained by Inãcio and Estrela one evening – and ever since then they have been waiting for us to return.
We had a great time with them – and even though they were both busy working, they arranged a programme for us which managed to be both relaxing and instructive. It was good too to meet up with Meg Robb, halfway through her stint with Pastor Rosa at the Betlehem church – and Inãcio’s programme gave Meg opportunity to see more of the area than she might otherwise have done. So as well as enjoying lunch together on Xai-Xai beach and mooching round the central market (larger and yet more colourful than Maputo’s), we learned a good deal about the education system through a visit to an FE College equivalent, and had a fascinating insight into Mozambique’s provision of labour for the South African mines from Inãcio’s own boss.
It all went by too quickly, but duty beckoned – and Wednesday morning we were back in the classroom with our students. Now our final week lies before us, and somehow we are going to have to try to answer our students’ questions about the conditional tense, and how you know whether to use a simple past or the perfect, not to mention the other impossible things they will probably dream up in the next few days.
And then there is “our” final English language service next Sunday: and what will happen after that? Will the pastors on the ground pick it up and run with it? Doubting whether they will would, I suppose, betray a colonialist attitude, so I’m going to say “Of course the service will continue.” Remember, things do work in Mozambique.
John Durell
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