A Fascinating Street Life
Mozambique - A confession....
Some of you may have noted my weighted opinion toward Mozambique. Being a military bloke, I was mainly concerned about getting in there, doing the job, and getting out. I had read a little about the place before I went, so I understood some, mainly about the recent politics which had included, South Africa, Rhodesia, the Communist Bloc, and of course, the USAnians.
I did not know much of what 500yrs of Portuguese colonialism had meant, and I certainly knew nothing of the people that made up the nation of Mozambique. That changed though.....16th July 2000, a Sunday night, I attended a social gathering to farewell someone from the program, and my life changed forever. I met this lady:
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I don't know what it was but, we connected. Her name is Dina, her father has 3 wives, which resulted in 25 brothers and sisters (a smallish family in Moz). Her father is XiChope and her mother is MaShangaan (tribes of southern Moz). She grew up speaking Chope, Shangaan, Tsonga, Ronga, and Xitswa. Then she went to school and learnt Portuguese.
When we met, I could not speak Portuguese, and definitely none of her other languages. She could not speak English. We just worked it out, and a bi-lingual dictionary came in handy.
Dina had lived through the latter half of the Mozambican War, in which she had survived two convoy ambushes. She survived being schooled by Russians who insisted on ballet being taught at school, and Russian classical music. Her life had been somewhat different to mine.
I was asked to extend my deployment and I replied in the positive immediately. I eventually headed back to Australia, worked out the migration bit, and then immigrated Dina and her three kids to join me, and my two kids in Australia. We married in 2002:
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On the way to the ceremony...in the ever faithful SWB 1967 SIIA:
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and besides my overseas sojourns, we have not been apart since. Dina is the bravest girl I know, taking the risks she did to move to Australia. She has learned English, she has studied, and now she is a Registered Nurse. The kids are all succeeding and the whole lot have become Australian citizens.
Much of her family live out in the bush from Maputo and it is always a favourite of mine to go visit the town where Dina was born and catch up with the relo's....picnics by the river....you have to see the culture in practise to really understand how their society works...and how strong it really is.
The following are family shots from her home town of Magude. The river is the Incomati which flows from South Africa and Swaziland, where it is known as the Nkomati.
There are crocs in the river....kids get taken. The view is from my wife's grandma's land. She and other relatives are buried there under a beautiful mango tree, overlooking the river. The graves are always tended, and when we finished the picnic, there was a small Shangaan ceremony of remembrance done by my wife's mum. Interesting and humbling to be a part of.
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Forgive me for my indulgence in letting people better understand why I have such a passion for the country. We still maintain contact with Mozambique, not something that can be put aside, when we have such an expansive family.
We travel back when we can, and make sure we have at least a month there to do true justice in being feted by the whole family....constant partying. We have also bought land there, close to the beach, where we intend to build ourselves a house within the next couple of years. A house in Melbourne and one in Mozambique. We like variety.
A proper Land Rover man...?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dobbo
It's up there
Is it true? Is BBC is a modern day equivalent of a proper Land Rover man?
Dobbo,
Don't know about that....I do drive a proper Land Rover though.
