TIA: This is Africa
I had planned to write a note about being Grannie in Residence, a not always so easy job to a 5 year old boy that is energetic and mischievous. In fact, this past week has been a challenge but I'll save all this for another day except to say that his latest stunt is that he just managed to pull one of his curtains down tonite during a "Time Out" for naughty behaviour. But dang he is cute and as the saying goes, when he is good he is really good....
Grannie business aside, I had my first real taste of TIA this week. Serves me right for feeling confident about navigating life here in Mozambique. Feeling confident after a month? Well, to be honest I do rely on Sierra who has lived in Africa at least 2 x before and thus moves around the city and countryside with gusto in her giant SUV. I also rely on Alvaro, the driver, who grew up here, knows where to go to get what we might need, how to navigate the insane traffic here (especially when it rains).
Changing political economics aside, some things don't seem to change and cultural realities have a way of kicking us by times to wake up.
My kick in the pants came this past weekend when one of Sierra's friends (he is a Logistics Manager for a large shipping company) and I were chatting and I mentioned in passing that I had a three month visa. He said, are you sure? And he went on to say that Mozambique visas require you to leave the country every thirty days. I was sure my visa said "three months" and headed upstairs to find my passport.
OMG! I looked and yes the visa is for three months but it also says, in Portuguese and in very small print, that one needs to leave the country every 30 days to renew the visa. Why? TIA
What to do?
Sierra's friend David said I had two options:
1. Pay the fine of 2000 mzn per overstay day ($40 cnd) and exit, repay for a visa (about $200 CND) and come back in. Note: The closest border is to South Africa which is about 1 and 1/2 hr. drive from Maptuo. Given I've already been here at least 4 days over the 30 days my fine will be at least $160 CND plus visa renewal costs, plus 3 hours of driving and who knows how long and how much hassle at the border, and a day away from work for Sierra because I wouldn't even attempt this without somebody who can speak Portuguese, English and can be tough if necessary. Or,
2. Work with a woman he knew who can arrange to "validate the exit visa" here in Maputo instead of leaving the country. According to David, getting my visa validated in Maputo will give me the 30 days as if I had exited and came back in. However, Sierra has to write a notarized letter outlining that I am visiting her, she has a job, I am sick and as a result couldn't leave the country (je suis mal a la tete???), plus copies of my passport, my visa, her work permit and visa and a copy of my return ticket all of which she needs to submit to immigration. And, of course, we will need to pay the women he knows a "little something".
Seriously!!! This is all a scam. The government is deliberately vague - as in a person is issued a 90 day visa but has to exit every 30 days and the exit requirement is not explained and is written in small print below the dates of the 90 day visa. Further, there is relatively high fine one needs to pay in the event one doesn't leave the country every 30 days. Clearly an easy tax grab. Apparently this happens all the time. In other words, if someone leaves the country after 90 days the border guards ask for 120,000 mzn fine ($2400 CND) and then they negotiate a thousand dollar bribe instead of the fine. This likely means $1000 for the border guard and 0 for the government, or maybe government gets some and the guard skims off the top. TIA
We considered both options and decided on Option 2. We called David's contact, Paulina, whose contact card says Migracao but she isn't actually a civil servant. She is just a bribe broker, apparently it is a noble profession here in Mozambique, but David said she is "reliable". TIA.
Paulina says to Sierra she will meet her at the Notary. We are unclear what this Paulina actually does but agree that we will see. Meanwhile, we print off the necessary papers, draft a letter saying I am her dependent and have been ill (vague disease but I am considered old, we are in the land of few vaccines and COVID) and, as insurance, she calls a flirty guy that she met at Immigration when she applied for Malakhi's dependent visa but no answer. She hoped he might be able to speed up the process knowing how African bureaucracy works.
I need to digress for a moment (keep reading, its part of my TIA rant), there has been a great deal of research done by various international aid groups, the UN, and universities on bureaucratic corruption in Africa, particularly that is is related to government regulation and economic activities.
" ... In societies where civil service compensation levels are relatively low, a significant part of the public employee's total compensation may be derived from engagement in outside activities, resulting in a significant increase in bureaucratic corruption (Mbaku 1991a)."
I get it, folks need money and when civil servants are poorly paid in countries with inefficient, and non self-enforcing constitutional rules, opportunistic behaviour is pervasive. Bribes and rule bending are a way of life. It sucks, its inefficient and a hinderance to economic growth and good governance but getting it - as in understanding it from an intellectual perspective - and living it are two different things. As I said, TIA.
So, off we go to the Notary. Paulina was there and Sierra was ushered to the front of the line. Maybe David's "reliable" contact can work miracles. Next stop is Immigration. Paulina calls as we are driving to Immigration to say that she has spoken to the immigration official who is responsible for prioritizing visa issue about my situation and he will take care of us.
I would have liked to take a photo of the building but there were too many police types around. It is definitely basic and the sidewalks around it are falling apart. After passing guards by the gate we enter this large waiting room. Sierra seats me and waits in line to speak to this immigration official. After 15 minutes in line she gets to him and he says "who is Paulina, never heard of her".
The photo below is of the Waiting Room in Immigration.
The immigration Gate Keeper, in addition to not knowing the"reliable" Paulina, informs Sierra that he needs to see the contract that she has with the Ministry of Health in addition to her work visa before she can pass GO and speak to somebody who can "fix" my visa situation. We head back home to pick it up. On the way Sierra's contact at Immigration returns her call. He offers to help and she is to call him we when return. She tells me after the call that her modus operandi for success in Africa is to smile, flirt with officials and that it helps to have a big bootie. I would add being determined and not taking No for an answer is also part of her bag of tricks.
We return and after Sierra speaks with her contact she is immediately gets past the Gate Keeper and is ushered into the inner sanctum. I stay outside in the waiting room (less COVID exposure) for about an hour. Sierra returns and says " come with me and look old and sick". I oblige and we head into a cramped office with no ventilation. She asks a guard who is outside the office for a seat for me and I weakly sit down on a stool that he rolled out.
After 15 minutes that seemed like 4 hours the person before us left and we were called to speak to the immigration official who is responsible for issuing visas. I understood nothing but watched Sierra smile and speak with unusual deference to the official. He looked at me, filled in the form, took my photo and then took my passport (I can pick it up today). I paid $200 USD and was informed that I will get a 60 day visa but will need to leave the country in 30 days to get it renewed. No fine for my "overstay" because I was sick. Besides I am "old" and it seems nobody hassles old people here.
Moral of the story: TIA. Read the small print and double check all government issued documents before travelling to Africa. This is not Kansas Dorothy. It is also essential to have a Sierra who knows how to navigate the byzantine labyrinth of African government bureaucracy. And a shout out to her contact in immigration because without him we'd still be waiting to see somebody. I'm buying that guy a bottle of wine.
I will add, given my recent failed attempt to vote in the federal election at the Canadian High Commission, Canada could learn a thing or two from Sierra of how to get things done, although a smile and a big bootie aren't exactly a sustainable strategy for foreign policy :))
ps. As for Paulina, we didn't pay her
And here is an additional factoid : The average life expectancy in Mozambique is 55-60. That means I am often the oldest person in the room as I was today. Few people have grey hair or wrinkles and those who are certainly don't walk around in jeans and a T shirt, run after their grandkids or shop in the markets. Its kinda a strange sensation being treated as "old" given I live in a part of Canada with many seniors older than I am. Here I'm considered a "Sage" what ever that means.
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