Ilha de Mozambique

I've been wanting to write about the Island of Mozambique but needed time to digest the experience because it is a bit like walking around in a living museum.   

Note to Readers:  The formatting on this post sucks but I've spent as much time on it as I am going to do so if it is too hard to read, don't. 

It is off the coast of northern Mozambique between Mozambique Channel and Mossuril Bay which is where Coral Lodge is located.   Prior to 1898, it was the capital of colonial  Portuguese East Africa.  It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It has a permanent population of approximately 14,000 people with many more who were born on the island but moved away because of the lack of jobs and good education.

Here is a short history I found on Wikipedia  which gives an overview of the island.  I found it interesting.  

The Portuguese established a port and a naval base in 1507 and built the  Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte  in 1522, now considered the oldest European building in the Southern Hemisphere.

                       

The above two photos are from the inside of the church.  We were told that only senior church and administrative officials were buried in the church (much like the floor of Westminster Abby).

During the 16th century, the  Fort Sao Sebastiao  was built (see two photos below), and the Portuguese settlement (now known as Stone Town ) became the capital of Portuguese East Africa.  

       

The island also became an important Missionary centre for the region and was considered an important site logistically. It withstood Dutch attacks in 1607 and 1608 because of its location and strategic importance to their interest in Indonesia.   After the wars with the Dutch it  remained a major post for the Portuguese on their trips to India (remember Goa and other parts of southern India were Portuguese colonies at one time) . It also was a place where sailors waited until the trade winds were suitable for traveling east to  the orient or back to Portugal. Apparently sailors often had to wait 6 or more months on the island before the winds changed and they could leave.                       

And, it was the trading centre of  slaves, spices and gold. 

The door below is where they herded slaves into ships at the bottom of the fort.

The fort is now a museum and a place where archeology students are gathering and cataloguing artifacts from the numerous ship wrecks that are found nearby. Its a fascinating project, full of pottery shards from China, Portugal, Holland and countless pieces from the old sailing ships and other bits from the 16th and 17th century.  

Apart from the ancient fortifications, only half of the town is stone-built. The hospital, a majestic neo-classical building constructed in 1877 by the Portuguese, with a garden decorated with ponds and fountains, was repainted white after the Mozambican Civil War. For many years, it was the biggest hospital south of the Sahara.

With the opening of the Suez Canal, the island's fortunes waned. In 1898, the capital was moved to Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) on the mainland. By the middle of the 20th century, the new harbour of Nacala took most of the remaining business.

Today a good portion of the population is muslim.  There are two mosques on the island and one Hindu Temple that is serviced by a lovely man .  We visited both although we couldn't take photos inside.

 The two photos below give you a feel of what it was like at the big mosque. 

  

The Hindu temple illustrates the interesting confluence of cultures that existed here in the past.  It was a delightful stop on a very hot day.

One of the most interesting things, at least to me, was the Memorial Garden near our hotel that was dedicated to all the people who were sent around the world to be slaves.  We were told it was the site of where they loaded the people on to boats.

    

And, of course, there was the sea and sand which was amazing and tons of fun. 

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Currently there are almost no tourists visiting the island because of covid and there is little local travel.  The town, which relies solely on tourism is definitely suffering economically. Lots of closed shops.  While some of the major sites have been repaired, a significant part of the island's historic architectural integrity has deteriorated and still requires repair and reconstruction work.    

It was interesting being there without many other tourists because we got a feel of what the island must have been like in the past but it was troubling to see all the street kids and the groups of people sitting in the shade (what little there was) waiting.  Now that is just a fleeting impression because many people fish there and seafood is plentiful and delish!  The photo below is a good example of a local fishing boat.  You can't see the nets but they are made from rope of some kind with cork floats and the men throw them out from the boats - no mechanical fishing boats here. 

I'm gonna leave this post with a link to a National Geographic site that gives more of the history of the island.  It was written some years ago but most of the issues identified in the article continue. 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/island-of-mozambique-unesco-world-heritage-site