Safari Notes: Rediscovering Mozambique

-
Mozambique is one of those countries that has always interested me a lot. A friend of mine once mentioned to me in the early 1980s, how very fertile land was very cheap there - and there were large tracts of it; I dreamed of going to Mozambique and buying some piece of land. And maybe, moving and settling there. But just like most dreams, other things come in and re-direct course.

I still remember very clearly, how I followed the bloody war for liberation there and the eventual independence in 1975 from the Portuguese; its leader - Samora Machel was one of my heroes then, then came the visionary Joaquim Chissano and now there is Armando Guebuzza. Mozambique, is still very poor; and relies heavily on foreign donors and assistance.

It has other issues too, but compared to what it was just a few years ago, Mozambique has very much improved. Best of all: it has peace now. Families can live in peace and children can go to school; people can carry on with normal life.

A few days ago, when I read this:

'In southeast Africa, on the shores of the Indian Ocean, a jewel emerges from the ruins of war. Mozambique, once torn by civil strife, is rebuilding itself and has never looked more appealing to tourists. With a growing economy and natural wonders from mountains to sea to wildlife-rich parks, this former Portuguese colony offers diversions for visitors of all interests and nationalities.

Mozambique is situated on Africa's largest coastal plain. The mighty Zambezi River flows down from the Inyanga mountains in the west to the beaches of the Indian Ocean. In between, fascinating cities, colonial-era towns, and national parks and wildlife reserves provide glimpses into the life and history of Mozambique and its people.

Mozambique's first inhabitants were San hunters and gatherers. Between the first and fourth centuries AD, Bantu-speaking peoples migrated into the area. In the late 1400s, Portuguese explorers reached Mozambique and established trading posts and forts along the coast. The country became independent in 1975, but was overrun by civil war and economic collapse for more than a decade. Since the 1990s, Mozambique has known peace and has fostered a multi-party political system, market-based economy, and free elections.'

I was filled with joy and relief. Though my dream for a piece of Mozambique didn't come true; the dreams of Mondlane, Machel and Chissano are taking shape. And though it is still only a glow, there is light now in Mozambique.

More on Mozambique:
Studies
Travel

Popular posts from this blog

The Albatross

-
Image
They have have been called the grandest living flying machine on Earth . No wonder: the Albatross has a wing span of 3 meters and a body mass of up to 12 kilograms. They can live for up to as long as 60 years. But as they have one of the lowest reproductive rates of any birds and as they are being hunted and killed, they may become extinct. Biologists have discovered that swordfish, tuna and other fishing fleets, are catching these birds while fishing, and are killing more that tens of thousands of these birds every year. In a couple of decades many species may be wiped out unless urgent action is taken . More: British Antarctic Survey , Save The Albatross , Endangered , National Geographic , WWF , Facts , petcaretips , Earthlife , antarcticaconnection , coolantarctica , Wikipedia , Encarta , Ecuador Travel , Books
Read more

Rwanda Genocide Deniers

-
Image
It's very shocking and extremely disturbing that, there are some people who deny that there was Genocide in Rwanda ; there are those who have been trying hard to spread lies and propaganda and twist real facts and the truth about the Rwandan genocide; there are those who deny that , it took meticulous planning - resulting in about 800,000 Tutsis and some Hutus, systematically being brutally butchered, in Rwanda, in 1994: .........thousands of children butchered individually, by machete. And the massacres at hundreds of churches, mostly Catholic churches at that. Not to mention the systematic gang rapes of Tutsi women and girls which led the international tribunal to define rape as an act of genocide when part of an extermination campaign. The genocide, while it coincided with the civil war and was clearly driven by the politics around the conflict, was mostly carried out by civilians against civilians far from the front. There was no "other side". There were the murde...
Read more

Dinder National Park Sudan

-
Image
Dinder - Sudan Situated in the East of the country, very close to the Ethiopian border, about 400 km. (205 mi.) south-east of Khartoum - Sudan's capital city, is Dinder National Park (DNP) - some times called Dinda ( In Arabic: محميه الدندر ) . Covering about 6,475 sq. km. (2,500 sq. mi.) - some estimates say the park covers a much larger area; which would make it one of the largest in Africa. Established in 1935, it is the most important wildlife reserve in Northern Sudan. It is one of the two parks in the country  designated as Biosphere Reserves . The other is Radom National Park (RNP) in southern Darfur. The park, in Dinder District, Sennar State, like all game parks and reserves in Sudan, is confronted with several threatening problems such as trespassing livestock, poaching, increased human settlements and encroachment in the surrounding areas. Like all game parks and reserves in Sudan, you can hardly find any detailed information on the park. Photos of it, too, are v...
Read more