Maputo, Mozambique

March 28

10,446 miles from The Dalles

I’ve always thought of Mozambique as a mysterious southern Africa country that I would never visit. After stops in Mombasa and Nosy Be, it feels that we may already have seen it. Developed as a trading area on the Swahili coast, it appears to be a different country only because someone drew lines there. Within the population of 35 million, there are 2000 ethnic groups and 46 languages. We get so accustomed to everyone speaking English at home that it’s hard to imagine the diversity.

Maputo was settled by Bantus who focused on agriculture and cattle. In the 7th through 11th centuries, it became a trading center for traders from Somalia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Arabia, Persia, and Indian merchants. Vasco de Gama landed there and laid the foundation for Portuguese settlers. The Portuguese developed a system of land grants to Portuguese who then were responsible for managing their plantations. In the 19th century, private companies financed by British entered to manage mines and plantations. They operated with slaves and forced labor. Their goods made it to Maputo for trade.

A war for independence from 1964 to 1975 resulted in independence in 1975. With little preparation to govern and such a diverse population, it’s not surprising that there was a Civil War from 1977 to 1992. Elections were held in 1994. So, a very young country and one with governmental challenges.

The economy is based on fishing, agriculture, chemical manufacturing, aluminum and oil and now, tourism. In 2013, 50 percent of the people were engaged in agriculture. There is a great deal of income inequality and heavy debt. It’s one of the poorer countries and scores low internationally in measures of GDP per capita, human development, life expectancy and food insecurity. But, they keep reproducing, with 5.5 kids per woman.

The UK had a recent level 4 (the highest) advisory against travel to certain areas in Mozambique– not Maputo– (against any non-essential travel to these parts). The US is at level 3, owing to health issues, crime, civil unrest, and terrorism. The American advisory was written in December 2024, following protests and civil unrest. Here is an excerpt:

If you decide to travel to Mozambique:

Avoid all but emergency travel between sunset and sunrise.
Avoid demonstrations and crowds
Have evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government assistance
Have travel documents up to date and easily accessible.
Keep a low profile.
Be aware of your surroundings.

The Australian government advises:

We advise: Reconsider your need to travel to Mozambique overall due to the volatile security situation and the threat of terrorism, violent crime and kidnapping. Higher levels apply in some parts of the country.

If I were the type of person to do so, I bet I could cause some real turmoil between now and disembarkation tomorrow.

Our excursion was a low key trip around town with brief stops at the train station, a central market, a fort, and, finally, an impressive craft market. Whether by intention or not, we avoided any low income neighborhoods; the parts of the city we visited were attractive. At every stop, we were visited by street merchants with key chains, hats, belts, refrigerator magnets, etc. Starting prices for everything were $10-$20. We didn’t buy much, but I suspect most items would sell for $2-3. The craft market was loaded with baskets, paintings, textiles, carvings, etc. But, we don’t need much. We returned to the ship for naps to help battle colds that are sweeping the ship. Karla has arranged a birthday party for me at 5:30. I hope that people bring cards with money in them.