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Mom decided to stay on board, but Jackie, Linda and I were
keen to see the sights of Maputo, despite the heat (37°C).
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(Looking at the tour description above, I don't believe we went
to the St. Sebastian Fort,
but we did go to the downtown fortress, which isn't mentioned)
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We boarded our minibus at the port.
It was pleasant enough and it was air-conditioned, which was the
main thing.
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It was interesting to see many tuk
tuks in the city. I was reminded of Delhi for a moment, although
the traffic was nowhere near as bad as Delhi! |
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We paused outside the imposing railway
station, the first visible sign of Maputo's colonial past,
although we didn't get off the bus to take a look... something
to do with it being under renovation (or was that just the
museum inside it?). |
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"Praça dos
Trabalhadores (Workers’ Square) is in front of the
railway station. Here, there is a memorial to Portuguese
and Mozambicans who fought during World War I. On top of
the monument, there is a statue of a lady holding a snake
with her right hand, popularly known as Senhora da Cobra
("snake lady")." |
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After a short drive, we arrived
at the central market, where we were given twenty minutes to explore.
Jackie made a few purchases! |
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"The Municipal (Central)
Market is situated in the downtown area “Baixa”
of Maputo City, along 25 de Setembro Avenue, the former
Republic Avenue. The Market was built between 1901 and 1903,
replacing an old wooden market that stood in its place previously.
Fruit, cashew nuts, fish, meat, aromatic herbs and spices
as well as handcraft and souvenirs and all available for
sale." |
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Buildings opposite the central market. |
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Our next stop was at The Fortress,
Nossa Senhora da Conceição. |
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Our lovely guide gave us a demonstration
of the flexible "capulana", which is a type of
a sarong worn primarily in Mozambique but also in other
areas of south-eastern Africa. It is a length of material,
about 2 metres by 1 metre which can be used as a headdress
(when would-be brides meet their prospective mothers-in-law),
as a wrap-around skirt (for modesty when having comfort
stops along the roadside), as a dress and even used to carry
babies on mothers backs. It is considered a complete piece
of clothing. |
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"The Fortress, (Nossa
Senhora da Conceição) is located next to the
Maputo Fishing Harbour and is one of the most important
and historical monuments in Maputo. The history of the Fort
stems from around 1721, when Dutch settlers established
Lagoa Fortress on the right bank of the Espírito
Santo River, (The Maputo River) at the Ponta Mahone, (Catembe).
This was abandoned in 1730 and then re-established by Austrian
settlers in 1777 and used for the slave trade. This was
in turn destroyed in 1781 by a Portuguese expedition coming
from Goa. In order to protect the Portuguese trade and commerce
in the area a basic fort area was established on the left
hand side of the Bay in 1782. Later this military establishment
was transformed into a fully fledged Fortress and its construction
concluded in 1787. In 1796 the Fortress was attacked by
French pirates who, although unsuccessful in holding on
to it, severely damaged its infrastructure. The Fortress
was rebuilt by Tenant Luis José and inaugurated on
the 25th August 1799.
The building, as it stands now, was built in 1940 and is
currently used as the Museum of Military history. The construction
design (a squared plan built of red blocks) is typical of
many other Portuguese Forts spread around the East African
Coast. Inside there is a distinctive painting of Ngungunhane,
who was one of the main leaders in the colonial resistance
war. The Fort also houses his coffin, which was laid to
rest here after having been deported and executed in Portugal.
Additionally there are statues of Mouzinho de Albuquerque
and António Enes, who were icons of the colonial
presence in Mozambique. In acknowledgement of its architectural
and historic importance the Fortress was classified as a
Mozambican Cultural Heritage Monument in 2002; as such it
is protected by the Law of Protection of Cultural Heritage." |
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I was quite impressed by this post
1975 revolutionary ceramic work. |
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We drove past the Continental Cafe
(with a recommendation that we return later if possible), as well
as the Tunduro Botanical Gardens. |
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"The Municipal Council building is located
in the upper part of Independence Square, formerly known
as Mouzinho de Albuquerque Square and was also known in
the colonial period as “Paços of Municipal
Council of Lourenço Marques”.
Construction began in 1914 and was eventually
completed in 1945. The “City Palace” as it
was also known, is a beautiful example of period neoclassical
architecture and combines numerous styles: the frontal
part has classic elements; straight lines and composed
columns, these are based on Ionic and Corinthic styles.
The external walls are paired and made of bricks of cement,
these form air boxes for insulating against sound, heat
and external humidity.
Besides being a very attractive building,
it houses the Municipal Council Offices of the Mayor and
town council.
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"The statue of Marshal
Samora Moises Machel is located in front of the Tunduro
Garden and beside the Iron House. On 25th June 1975, Mozambique
got its independence from Portugal and he became the first
President. He died on the 19th of October 1986 when the
plane he was travelling in crashed in Mbuzini, South Africa.
The accident was thought to have been pilot error, but there
was also speculation of the possible involvement of the
South African Government, which was never proved." |
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"Close to the Municipal Council Building
there is the Holy Cathedral, opened on the 15th August
1944.
Of the numerous Christian churches existing in the city,
the cathedral stands out, not only because of its beauty
and architectural importance, but also because of its
spectacular white colour and the form of its cross."
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"The Iron House: Originally constructed
in Avenida Josina Machel, but now located near the Tunduro
Botanical Garden and the Statue of Samora Machel, the
Iron House is one of the most unusual and fascinating
buildings in Maputo. The building itself is entirely produced
of steel and was designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel
(the same Architectural Engineer who designed the world
famous landmarks of The Statue of Liberty in New York
and the Eiffel Tower in Paris).
The Iron house was completed in 1892 and
commissioned by the Portuguese Colonial Governor from
Belgium. It was originally designed to be the residence
of the General Governor of Mozambique; Although designed
as a residence it was never occupied as such, due to the
hot and humid subtropical climate in Maputo. After completion
in 1892, it was initially used as a judicial court building
and thereafter found many uses, varying from a teaching
college for Nuns to a municipal land works and planning
office. It was moved from its construction site in 1974
to its present location and the Iron house once again
had many and varied tenants. Today it is used by the National
Directorate for Cultural Heritage."
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During the tour, our guide took
charge of one of the kids in the group, who was getting a bit fractious.
It worked! |
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Here are some images of modern Maputo,
taken from the minibus. |
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The Josina Machel Secondary School |
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"The Natural History
Museum, located in Avenue Travessia do Zambeze. This impressive
building has housed the National History Museum since 1933.
The building is built in the Neo-Manuelino architectural
of the early 20th century and was finished around 1911.
It changed its name in 1975 from the Dr Álvaro de
Castro Museum (he was the General Governor of Mozambique)
to the Natural History Museum. The Museum also possesses
an important collection of antique sculptures, representing
the various ethnic groups of Mozambique." |
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Some of the exhibits were quite
graphic! |
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"One of the main attractions
is what is believed to be a unique complete collection of
elephant foetusus, showing the gestation of a foetus from
conception to birth." |
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A coelacanth, once thought to be
extinct. |
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Driving past the legendary Polana
Hotel. |
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Somewhere around here, we were instructed
to put away our cameras, because we were passing the presidential
palace. As we drove past, we could only see high walls anyway.
We were told that no pedestrians were allowed to walk on
that side of the road and that if anybody wanted to walk
past, they had to cross to the other side. An armed man
patrolling nearby reinforced the message! |
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Our last stop was at the Feima craft
market. By this time we were all feeling hot and tired, so our visit
was limited to ten minutes. |
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There was time enough for Jackie to
nab herself a bargain wooden box! We felt so sorry for the
vendor after bargaining him down, that we gave him a bit
more for it in the end. It looked like we were the only
customers there that day. |
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Some interesting roadside murals,
as we headed back to the port along the coast road. |
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Interesting to see the Standard
Bank there and a building nearby which appeared to be the anti-corruption
headquarters! |
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Seeing the railway station again,
we knew that we were almost back at the ship. |
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I had always wanted to visit this city. It was one of
those exotic sounding places that I had heard of as a
child. Although somewhat tatty and depressed in parts,
I got the impression that it has turned a corner and is
starting to regain some of its previous prosperity. I
hope so, anyway.
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