Category Archives: information

One full month in Maputo!

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by Jesper

After spending most of our last weekend inside or in close proximity of our residence we are receiving more and more comments from people urging us to explore more of Maputo and its surroundings. Of course we all agree, we are not visiting Mozambique to merely sit in a study room for two or three months. That is why this week we planned a visit to the agricultural zone of Maputo and the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Infulene. For the weekend we planned a travel to the nearby island of Inhaca, which is famous for its beautiful beaches and restaurants serving well-priced fresh lobster. Monday and Tuesday are regular days when we wake up around 7am after a rooster has been urging us to get up for some 2 hours. We visit the canteen for a bread to the side of either a cup of sweet tea or even sweeter milk. Followed by a cup of coffee sometimes accompanied with some shared pastry. Continue reading →

Liliche!

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by Iana

Good morning! Or “Lichile!” in Shangana, one of the local languages spoken in Mozambique. It has been three weeks in Maputo and, as time goes by, the taste of the unknown has become somehow familiar and enjoyable in our neighborhood. Simone, the Italian, early mornings, stops by the coffee place and updates us about the cultural activities in Maputo; José, the owner of the Café, Mozambican and son of Portuguese, talks about the most varied subjects, from pastry recipes to the Portuguese colonization. Fernando, who studies medicine and lives in the same building, is always around the residence, almost ubiquitously, unless at the end of the afternoon, when he goes to the mosque, because it is Ramadan. All the street vendors, who sell anything that you can imagine (expect for a laptop charger I really needed) are already part of our daily landscape. Greeting and recognizing people in public places are starting to be regular. Yes, we realize Maputo city is small and welcoming. Continue reading →

First weeks in Maputo

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by Jesper

Travel and arrival
On Friday 3rd of June we arrived happy and healthy after a long flight with very extensive meals served by our friends from Turkish Airlines. Our stops in Istanbul and Johannesburg had both been very smooth. We boarded our final plane and set foot on Mozambican ground for the first time. We are a group of three master students all working on our thesis. Our backgrounds however are very different. Iana recognized a lot of things from the place where she lived her childhood in Brazil and she can communicate very well with Mozambicans since she speaks Portuguese fluently. Jay-El also explained that the climate and general atmosphere reminded him of his home country the Philippines. For me, Jesper, as a Dutchman, everything about Maputo is very new and different from the cities and countries that I know. Continue reading →

In the Pursuit of “Lobolo”

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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

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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

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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 →

Weeks 1-3: Getting used and getting started in Maputo

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by Frank

Three weeks ago, on the 31th of January, I arrived at Maputo International Airport. From then on I would be here alone for the next 11 weeks, working on solutions for water reclamation at the campus of Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM). Exciting! Continue reading →

Last weeks in Maputo

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By Jesse Salet and Hidde Schijfsma

In our last weeks in Maputo the focus of our work was on the developing and environmentally sustainable solution for the sewer produced within UEM Campus. Continue reading →

Week 2 and 3 in Maputo

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By Hidde Schijfsma and Jesse Salet

The more time we spend here in Maputo, the more we learn about this amazing city and the more we get used to the habits of the people over here. Continue reading →