In the Pursuit of “Lobolo”

by Nessia Fausta

1. The Candidates
I was a bit surprising when I realized that I have been in Maputo for a month. What have I obtained in a month? Have I met some ideas and willingness from other parties worth fighting for? For the whole first month I took my time investigating the construction companies; their locations, their monthly water consumption, their source of water and their future plans. At the end of my interviews, I always proposed to them for being our partners to build the pilot project of wastewater treatment plant for concrete production. Does it seem like I am searching for a spouse? It is analogically similar. I looked for their locations, asked them for a speed date, talked about their current conditions and finally showed them my intention by saying, “Will you ‘marry’ me?” Haha. Thus, perhaps it is the time for me to prepare the “lobolo”. Based on the information from my new friends here, lobolo is the term of traditional marriage proposal for the people in Southern Mozambique. In this event, the family of the groom should give some valuable gifts for the family of the bride. It usually includes a set of clothes, kapulanas (traditional cloth, usually used as a skirt or a headscarf), crops, cattle, some amount of money as a symbol of the gratitude for the bride’s parents for giving birth, educate and taking care of her, and some additional requirements which have been listed by the family of the bride. The event continues to a very big party, where people dance and celebrate the union of the couple. Continue reading

Weeks 4 and 6: Field work and results

by Frank Huijgens

Boa tarde!

After the first guided tour around the campus in week 3 with Mr. Congolo, I started preparing drawings of the existing sewer network. But I quickly realized that this was a quite difficult job. Actually the only source available was the Master Plan for UEM campus made in 2004. During the first guided tour I saw a part of the network displayed in the Master Plan and after I went back on my own in week 4 with a pencil and paper I compared the sketches with the map – fortunately both were the same. But this network only covered around 50% of the buildings. I asked Mr. Congolo some questions during the guided tour around the campus and with his answers and assumptions I made a map of the sewer network of the other buildings. Continue reading

Maputo in the first two weeks: between two sides of the sights

by Nessia Fausta

It has been two weeks since I arrived in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. After being picked up by Delio Zandamela, the very friendly international mobilization staff, I arrived in Residence 1 of Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM), my dormitory for the next 2 months. Breathing the warm air after a long journey, I slowly absorbed my daily life experiences here; the country, the city, the people, and the project itself. Continue reading