Ate Logo Maputo

Adios to Maputo… Today we leave for the north. A “grande obrigado” to Bambu,  Armando for the great stay in our little abode, Taju for a great lunch and new friendship, Joaquin for the hope, the night watchmen at the parking lot, the baker who makes  the best bread in the world (no exegeration), Lina for keeping the beer cold, Ismeal for the great LP’s and visits to Radio Mocambique, Ronaldo the fruit vendor, the laundry for being clean, Nuclieo De Arte, everyone in this little neighborhood who live a great life. Poverty really is a relative term.

      The past few days, Marianne has been dragging some reed mats out into the dirt street in front of our house and hosting Art classes. All of the little kids on the street come racing over and pick up the brushes and get to work. One little girl about 3 years who we nicknamed “the warrior” started to paint all over her body! And today being Independence Day, many have been painting the flag of Mozambique. Some of their paintings, we glued to the back of old cardboard boxes and made postcards to send to people. 

      This past week we have been spending sometime at a place called Nuclio De Arte, which is an art co-operative downtown for sculptors, painters, wood carvers, etc. There is a large studio spaces that they share and sell some of their work out of the adjacent gallery. Marianne completed one painting there, and I have been busy with my pencils and sketchbook, and am enjoying it “too much” as they say here.  There is also a little bar/restaurant on the grounds, and they have live music. ON Sunday, a band called Os Gallatonos played. They are four older guys who play Marrebentu music, a traditional music from here that is impossible not to dance to….so rich…so deep.

       I also passed by Radio Mozambique this week, which is the National Radio Station. It is located inside of a beautiful old building with marble floors. How a radio station employs so many people, I do not know…but rather there than a weapons factory. We chatted with some of the engineers and disc jockeys, whom believe it or not know so much about our music back in the States. I sang the Crosby, Stills, and Nash song “Suite Judy Blue Eyes” with a great old guy named Luis. We both vented our frustration with the new emergence of too much talk radio. Don’t we hear enough talk everyday? He asked if I wanted to bring my guitar into the studio and play a bit! It is possible tomorrow I can do this, but might have to wait till the next time through Maputo; which I am sure there will be.

    On Monday, we had a lunch with a guy named Taju who owns/runs a language school here in Maputo. He is a jolly and generous man, who has taught English/Portuguese for some 40 years. We went with he, his daughter and brother to his restaurant for a nice lunch of prawns, chicken, and a lot of red wine. They invited us up to his ranch this weekend, but we had to decline as there is just too little time.