Los elefantes todavía no están seguros en Mozambique

Estoy leyendo el libro del uruguayo Mauricio Bernstein "Adiós, Niassa", de la Editorial Fin de Siglo, sobre su viaje a Mozambique en búsqueda de la reserva de Niassa con sus supuestos catorce mil elefantes.

Era el 2004, Mozambique casi recién salidito de la guerra. Uno pensaría que con los años, a medida que el país se recupera, también lo haría el número de elefantes.

Sin embargo, hoy aterriza a mi casilla de correo un artículo que resumo:

 “(2013-02-26) A Reserva do Niassa perdeu nos últimos dois anos, (2011-2012), cerca de dois mil e quinhentos elefantes, devido à caça furtiva.  ...

Segundo Lopes Pereira [médico veterinário e antigo director de conservação do Parque Nacional da Gorongosa], se o país continuar a registar os actuais índices de caça furtiva, em cinco anos, populações de elefantes, búfalos e de outros grandes antílopes, poderão atingir níveis de extinção.

... a caça furtiva na Reserva do Niassa, em particular, não somente gera impactos negativos sobre a biodiversidade como também no turismo.  ...

O uso massivo de trincheiras e laços com a ajuda de vedações que se prolongam por mais de um quilómetro de extensão, prova que a caça furtiva não é motivada pelas necessidades de subsistência das populações, mas sim por objectivos comerciais, sublinhou Lopes Pereira.

Para o conservacionista, o mais correcto seria banir totalmente a caça ao elefante, nas coutadas e nas reservas de caça. A medida, segundo ele, levaria os operadores faunísticos a explorarem outras atracções turísticas nas suas concessões e não teriam que inventar desculpas de última hora para os clientes, a quem tenham prometido o abate de elefantes com pontas pesando mais de 50 libras.”

El artículo señala que la caza no se limita a elefantes, también búfalos y otros antílopes y que algunas autoridades estarían involucradas con cazadores furtivos y el tráfico de marfil.

A la hora de evitar la caza furtiva y el tráfico no ayuda que las consecuencias no sean suficientemente severas, ni que “à ausência de métodos claros de trabalho e da fraca preparação dos elementos da Guarda Fronteira em matérias de fauna e flora”.

Para Carlos L. Pereira, “a solução do actual problema passa pela revisão de todo o sistema de fiscalização faunística e florestal, começando pela correcta selecção dos candidatos e treino dos fiscais a serem afectos nesta área.”

Mucho más fácil decirlo que hacerlo.

El artículo completo se puede leer aquí.

Where to get information about how to get rid of synthetic products in your home

Ok, that's a very long and boring title for very exciting news. A friend of mine has started a blog about freeing your home from synthetic products that are not good for you. 

I've already written about some related issues, like adobe houses and how to make them starting from some playful brick-making. And I've been meaning to write about some other related topics, like cleaning products, but never got around to do it. So, all this research she has been doing on those products comes in very handy. But I better let her tell you a bit more about it:

"I am launching my blog 'My Chemical-Free House' which helps guide you through the building, renovation or re-decorating of a VOC-free, chemical-free house.
I wanted to put this together as a guide, especially for those who are chemically sensitive or have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. However, it will be useful for anyone wishing to create a healthier environment.

I have done months of research to compile this information for the creation of my own chemical-free house that is going up soon in BC [British Columbia, Canada], and I hope that it can help others with environmental sensitivities to improve their symptoms. It has definitely helped me a lot so far to reduce indoor toxins.

It hasn't been easy to sift through all the information to find out what is really chemical-free and what is simply 'green-washing', that's why I wanted to compile the information and present it in a way that is user-friendly. With each aspect I have also sourced the most affordable options." 

The first line of defense against toxic products is information and knowledge. And having someone impartial doing the research for you, makes your life easier. You can check Corinne's blog here. 

Ideas para reutilizar botellas de plástico IV: huerta

Después de todos estos ejemplos ya estarán prontos para pasar a temas mayores. ¿Qué tal un invernadero para la huerta?

También esta la versión haragana que yo uso, menos impresionante pero bastante efectiva: un invernadero individual para cada plantita. Es ideal para proteger los brotes cuando aún están muy vulnerables, pero con una botella grande, de varios litros, sirve también para plantas más grandes.

Si insiste en un invernadero en serio pero con un acabado diferente, se puede optar por techo de tejas, es decir, tejas hechas a partir de botellas de plástico. ¿Por qué no?

Ideas para reutilizar botellas de plástico III: jardín

Después que tenemos la casa limpia y ordenada, toca salir al jardín y seguir encontrando nuevos usos para las botellas de plástico.

 Re-utilizar en el jardín 

El uso más obvio y común es el que vemos en la primera foto: como contenedor para plantas. 

En el diagrama de abajo vemos un uso un poco más sofisticado, ya que permite drenar el agua que sobra y volver a utilizarla. Es cuestión poner una parte de la botella encastrada en la otra y utilizarla de almácigo.

 

A la hora de regar las plantas, surge otra oportunidad de re-utilizar otra botella. Esta vez, se agujerea la botella, se ata la manguera al pico de la botella y voilá, un regador improvisado. Para los muy sofisticados, se puede poner la botella sobre rueditas.

Ideas para reutilizar botellas de plástico II: organización

Otros ejemplos para re-utilizar botellas dentro del hogar.

Re-utilizar en la organización

En el ejemplo siguiente una botella de shampoo termina siendo un recipiente para colgar y recargar el teléfono, práctico y decorativo.

 

Aún más simple es la solución que encontraron para cerrar bolsas de plástico de manera hermética. Super fácil de abrir y volver a cerrar.

Ideas para reutilizar botellas de plástico I: limpieza

Hay muchas ideas sobre como reutilizar las botellas de plástico - desde las más simples y obvias, hasta algunas que implican un poquito más de elaboración. En las siguientes estradas mostramos algunas para la limpieza y organización de la casa, el jardín y hasta la construcción.

Re-utilizar en la limpieza

A partir de botellas con mangos se puede sacar diferentes tipos de palitas. No se necesita nada más que un par de tijeras y cortar por la línea de puntos que muestra el diagrama.

Después, con varias botellas de bebidas y un poco más de manualidad y paciencia, puede hacerse de una escoba. Y como ya tiene la palita, ¡a barrer!

¿Dónde tirar lo barrido? En una papelera o basurero también hecho de botellas de plástico. Parece una idea particularmente buena para basureros en espacios públicos para disuadir el vandalismo.

Pueden ver otros usos en la organización de la casa, el jardín o la huerta.

Antes ya habíamos publicado ejemplos de usos de botella en la casa y el jardín o la huerta.

Good intentions gone bad: what might happen to your donated clothes

A recent video by Oxfam through an article by Do The Green Thing reminded me of something I wrote last year while in Africa about good intentions gone awry. That situation sadly happens too often in international development and for that reason, it’s up to us to do the research and inform ourselves as best as possible, ask questions, and challenge simplistic answers.

While there are some things we might never have a definite answer for, I re-post what I published earlier to show another perspective and add to the discussion:

---

“What do you think of international development?”, asked our new friend Joca. 

“Do you want the political correct answer or the cynic one?”, retorted Fadi.

The truth is, international development has been heavily criticized in the last couple of decades. And not without reason. Fortunately, I don’t think anybody is so naive anymore to buy into the “Oh, we’ll go and save the world” kind of mentality. As pitfalls and mistakes have been exposed, people and organizations have become more savvy about how to generate positive change around the world.

One clear case of good intentions gone wrong was exposed in the documentary “The T-Shirts Travels.” The film shows how secondhand clothing, given away as charity in the West, ends up in Zambia (Mozambique’s neighbor to the northwest), enriching the middle person and ruining the local clothing industry in the process.

‘Every single clothing factory in Zambia went out of business; we do not have a clothing industry left in the country because the secondhand clothes are coming in.’ Mark O’Donnell, spokesman, Zambian Manufacturers Association

You can see the PBS 50-min documentary here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iDNtwVL4sw

Want to know more about the issue? You can read about it here.

What would you like your country to be famous for?

I loved this initiative by INGO Oxfam asking people the question of the title. Another initiative to challenge the stereotypes about African (and other) countries, an issue that we commented in previous posts here and here.

I wonder if any has asked: What would Mozambicans like their country to be famous for?

Eu pergunto aos moçambicanos: O que é que eles quiseram que os estrangeiros / o mundo soubesse sobre o seu pais?

¿Por qué plantar semillas 'heirloom'?

7500 variedades de tomates

Rápido: ¿cuántos tipos de tomates puedes nombrar?

La mayoría de nosotros conocemos el tomate común para hacer salsa, el tomate perita, el tomatito cherry y hasta ahí llegamos.  En realidad existen unas 7500 variedades (según wikipedia). Lo que pasa es que generalmente sólo tenemos acceso a un puñado de variedades que se producen comercialmente.

El problema de limitarnos a unas pocas variedades lo habíamos discutido ya en otra entrada anterior sobre soberanía alimentaria.

Pero además, saben peor. Me encantó esta cita que ponen en Wikipedia en inglés (y que curiosamente no aparece en la versión en español) sobre las variedades comerciales modernas:

"The poor taste and lack of sugar in modern garden and commercial tomato varieties resulted from breeding of tomatoes which ripen uniformly red. This change occurred after discovery of a variety in the mid 20th century which ripened uniformly which was then widely cross-bred to produce attractive red fruit without the typical green ring surrounding the stem on uncross-bred varieties. Prior to general introduction of this trait tomatoes were able to produce more sugar during the process of ripening and were sweeter and more flavorful."

Y sí. Quienes producen frutas y verduras comercialmente en general están más interesados en que no se machuquen durante el translado o se vean lindas y uniformes. El sabor o si son más o menos sanos queda en tercer plano.

Cerca de 4000 especies de papas

El tema no es sólo con el tomate. Lo mismo pasa con las papas y muchas otras frutas y hortalizas que consumimos a diario.

Cuando decidí hacer mi mini-huertita en Vancouver opté por comprar semillas "heirloom" - que pueden ser traducidas como antiguas, heredadas, o como quieran llamarlas.

En Canadá y otros países hay algunas compañías que venden semillas heirloom, por ejemplo, Full Circle Seeds y Salt Spring Seeds (compramos de ésta, por correo), pero también hay bibliotecas de semillas heritage o heirloom como ésta en el Reino Unido. También hay grupos informales de intercambio como se da en Uruguay.

Ejemplos de cómo conseguir semillas de tomates, zanahorias y pepinos

Si bien están en inglés, estos cortos videos (3-7 minutos) son suficientemente claros como para mostrar diferentes procesos de cómo conseguir semillas .

En este primer video se explica cómo conseguir semillas de tomate, además de comentar por qué es importante guardar semillas.

El segundo video nos llega desde Inglaterra y explica cómo sacar semillas de zanahorias. También explica por qué es importante que no sean variedades comerciales híbridas y otros detalles valiosos. El proceso lleva un poquito más de trabajo, así que vale la pena ver el video.

 
Y finalmente, en el tercer video se muestra cómo sacar semillas de pepinos. Si bien el sonido e imagen no son buenos es suficientemente claro (y fácil) como para entender el proceso.

¿Qué estás esperando? ¡A guardar semillas!

Todo empieza con una semilla

Semillas de lechuga morada, generosa donación
de nuestro amigo Diego

Una de las ventajas de tener que estar con la pierna para arriba es que permite dedicarse 100% a actividades meditativas como la recolección de semillas.

Empezamos a juntar semillas un poco de casualidad. El suplemento de un diario traía semillas de rabanito y aunque creo que debo haber comprado rabanitos para comer solamente una o dos veces en mi vida, dije: ¿Por qué no?

Nuestro amigo Diego, horticultor de ratos libres, además de donarnos una planta de morrones y unas tunas (la primera para comer, las segundas de adorno), nos dio varios ramas con flores secas y semillas de lechuga crespa morada.

Otras semillas venían de polizones en el compost: bienvenidas fueron las plantas de zapallitos y tomates de sorpresa que van marchando estupendamente. Además está el factor sorpresa: ¿Qué tipo de zapallo y de tomate darán?

A partir de ahí he tomado una actitud más proactiva, averiguando cómo se propaga cada planta. A pesar de saber la teoría, es increíble que ni en la escuela ni en la vida (si crecimos urbanos) aprendamos sobre las particularidades y practicalidades de hacer crecer plantas.

El otro día recogí semillas de las flores secas de nuestra planta de albahaca con idea de sacar más plantitas. Somos grandes fanáticos de la pasta con pesto y la albahaca que tenemos, si bien está feliz, no da abasto. Después puse unas cáscaras brotadas de papas a ver si agarraban y en cuanto un ajo se brote, allá irá también a hacerse planta.

La estrategia no siempre fue tan aleatoria. Para algo más planificado, vean la próxima entrada sobre semillas orgánicas y variedades "heirloom" (no he encontrado una buena traducción en español, sorry).

Semillas de rabanito,
llegadas vía diario

Rojas semillas de rabanito en su
almácigo improvisado (léase: huevera reciclada)

A hiccup in the nomadic life

What could put a damper on a nomadic life? Probably few things would be worst than a leg on a cast.  Fun, fun, fun.

Want to play a "before and after"? Or "find the 1 main difference"?

BEFORE: hammock nap on a beautiful summer day

AFTER: forced sweaty vacation

So, here our excuse for the little 2-month gap in posting: a silly soccer game that ended up in lots of running around to clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, orthopedic rentals' shops and other fun activities. Plus cancelling of flights, contracts, bookings, and plans in general.

Obviously the universe wanted us to take a break to evaluate and ponder the meaning of life. Lots of time to do that at the moment.

10,000-hit mark

We've left the blog unattended lately (for a very strong reason) but it looks like others have not. Turns out we've reached the 10,000-hit mark. Don't know what it means but I like round numbers. And we were needing a reason (any reason) to celebrate. So,

10,000

yeay!

A disappointing transport plan: where are the bikes?

I recently read the transport plan for Uruguay up to 2030. It includes all the right buzz words -sustainability, quality of life, reducing impacts on energy and the environment, public safety-, but bicycles or nowhere to be seen (only one brief mention). Can't wrap my head around that omission.

Had it been 20 years ago, I would agreed people were not ready for bicycles (although there has always been a decent percentage of the population who uses bicycles for transport). But in the last years, there has been a burst in pro-bike groups, activists and bike-related shops. No reason for the government not to take advantage of that and provide the necessary infrastructure to promote that change.

The only hope is that the process goes the way it went in the Netherlands, and people keep on pushing the government to make bicycles an option. See how it worked there (English with subtitles in Spanish) in this 7-minute video:

Build them, and they'll come.

Why a good language instructor is key to really get a culture

Our first professor, Arsénio,
during a CouchSurfing event

Two years ago, when we first saw a position in Mozambique, we didn't know much about the country. A little bit more than a year later, when we first set foot in Maputo, after consulting many encyclopedias, studying several academic articles and international development reports, and reading local websites, blogs and newspapers, we had much more information, but not necessary a full understanding of the people and customs. The only Mozambican we had met up to that point was a lovely woman who chatted with us about some basics for a couple of hours during our SKWID (Skills for Working in Development) training. And that was it.

But to live and specially work in a country, you need much more than that. At this point a good language instructor becomes essential. People think a language professor is there to tell you how to say this or that, explain some grammar rules, and correct your mistakes. And to be honest, that was what many language instructors were doing in Mozambique. But a good language instructor is, more than anything, a cultural interpreter.

Cristina, my favorite Portuguese professor
in the whole world

He or she can quickly become what in Anthropology we call a "key informant," the go-to person for anything you don't understand. Why do people behave in a certain way? What's the best way to approach this subject in this situation? Would it be correct to do this or that? A good language instructor / cultural interpreter has a good grasp of the whys and hows of their culture and can explain and answer these and million other questions about the hidden dimensions of a culture and the puzzling behaviors of its people.

We were lucky when eventually we were able to have classes with two such wonderful instructors. Arsénio had training in Linguistics and came from a very traditional style of lecturing-teaching, but had a wealth of information when it came to work relationships and communication that was eye-opening. Unfortunately, he soon left for a job abroad.


After much running around, we found Cristina Chilaule*, another wonderful professor. Not only did she have a strong work ethic, but she was able to adapt immediately to our specific needs of working professionals who needed to reach a certain communication standard quickly. More importantly, she became a window to a part of Mozambican culture we had no idea about. Because she came from a completely different background, she was able to introduce us to different aspects of the local culture and give us invaluable insights into everyday life. She even managed to teach Fadi some grammar, a never-before achieved feat! (Fadi learns languages by osmosis and had so far done without any grammar).

Definitely, a highlight of our time in Mozambique.


*If you happen to be in Maputo and in need of a Portuguese professor, contact her at chilaulecristina@gmail.com

Be soft

In the spirit of the season and new year's resolutions, here's a thought:












We still believe the world to be a beautiful place.

New Year's Resolutions: Need some inspiration?

Happy & Sustainable 2012 !

Re-usable Christmas tree: re-arrange your bookcase

A tree that is books that were trees. Neat idea to spare a tree this X-mas season.

But why are we so concerned about letting trees stand where they are?

For a more sustainable X-mas, skip the tree chopping this year

Take a little look at this infographic from Earth Gauge and Vida Sustentável in Portuguese. It says:

In a year, a tree
* cools the same as 10 air con working continuously
* absorbs 2900 liters of rain water
* filters 28 kilograms of pollutants from the air.

And that's, for example, why cutting trees in cities is a very dumb idea. (Just thinking about a plan to cut lovely big trees to make way for public transit in a city I know... more on that coming soon) But I digress...


So, just use the trees that have been already cut to make newspapers or books, and for those who celebrate it, have a Happy *Sustainable* Xmas!

Graduación en el kinder: el futuro de Mozambique se ve prometedor en los ojos de estos chiquis

Quería compartir estas fotos de la ceremonia de graduación, porque las encontré fantásticas.

Me parece que hablan de la energía, esperanza y potencial que se respira alrededor de los niñitos mozambicanos que comenté hace unas semanas.

No digo nada más, las fotos creo que son más que suficientes.

Fotos sacadas por Boaventura Nguenha, miembro de la Asociación Cultural Bonga Mbilo.

Si quieren saber más de como apoyar la educación de estos pequeños, lean acá.

Fundraising for Bonga Mbilo's pre-school in Chamanculo

In a previous posting I had talked about the work that Bonga Mbilo Cultural Association was doing in the most needed areas of Maputo. Among them, a community preschool in the neighborhood of Chamanculo.

One of the issues we had been discussing with the directors was the plan to offer full-day services. For that, one major obstacle was having a place for the 4- and 5-year-olds to have their afternoon nap. They were thinking about beds, but they were too costly and took too much space. Plus who wants to deal with the mess of mattresses used by small children?

That's when I remembered the soft mats I'd seen in preschools and children rooms, those that come in the form of puzzle pieces. They would be a good option: cheaper than beds and easier to store, in addition to being more fun. I even found out (after chasing a guy who was carrying one of those pieces down the street and following him to his car to ask his wife where did they bought them...) that you could buy them in Maputo in one of the big stores. But when I found them they were very blah and too expensive. What to do? Find an alternative!

I had also seen around yoga and camping mats for a better price, some with pretty, cheerful colors and some child-like-enough designs. Still easy to clean and store. We calculated that we would need about 30 mats for the 60 children that the preschool was receiving each day. Mats it is. Now, time to fund-raise!

With little time to organize a proper fundraising, I picked everything around the house I thought I could sell. Lucky for us, lovely couple Limaya Bokassa and Andrés Panera were settling in their new apartment and agreed to buy some of the stuff to support the kids. (Thank you guys! You rock!)

My donation of the one mat I had and the money gathered through the selling of household stuff turned into 5 mats. We still have a way to go to gather the 30 mats needed, but it's a start.

The rest of the household stuff were donated to Bonga Mbilo in the hopes that a garage-sale-style of fundraising event could bring a little bit more $ to buy the rest of the mats. Let's hope next year, the organization will be able to offer a safe place for the children to stay all day long.

An organic and a recycled Xmas: sustainable Christmas trees

You probably know about how millions of trees are cut and end up in the landfills every Christmas year after serving as decorations for a couple of weeks. An easy way to avoid such waste is to opt for other type of trees that will serve the same function without harming the environment.

This week, I came across two examples I loved.

This one on the right is made out of used paper. It came into being thanks to the magic hands of my very talented friend Minati, who we have previously encountered in this blog doing beautiful objects with paper. A lot of used paper, a stapler, and voilà: a perfectly fine Christmas tree.

The instructions, according to tree-maker Minati are: "about 50 pages (more is better). I wanted a big tree, so I glued newspapers together into a book first, let it set, and then folded. If you want to get the kids involved, let them do the folding first, and then glue! Otherwise just give them magazines and let them make their own little trees!"

If you need more detailed instructions than that (I know I do!), you can check them here.

In a way you don't get more tree-like than that: a tree that became paper that became a tree. *Like* circles.

Photos of tree (c) Minati Baro

The other example I run into takes all the prizes in my book for creativity and sustainability: a Fungal Christmas Tree!

It was created on a petri dish out of fungi. Definitely, the first time I see something like it. The geeky-quotient makes it appropriate for The Big Bang Theory show, but I don't think one can get more sustainable than that.


Curious about how it was done? Here's the only info I have:

Top: Talaromyces stipitatus
Tree: Aspergillus nidulans
Ornaments: Penicillium marneffei
Trunk: Aspergillus terreus.

The instructions for that one? You'll have to ask a biologist about that. 

If anyone has the information on who came up with it, or anything to add about how it's done, please share.


If you would like a less work-intensive option, check here.

Orchestra out of recycled instruments: what a treat

If you have been reading the blog, you know we love it when things (whether coffee bags, plastic bottles, magazines and newspapers or supermarket carts) get a second life  instead of ending in the landfill.

I just found another superb example on how out of an oil can, a fork, a meat tenderer and other random objects found in a landfill, a community in Paraguay have been making violins, cellos and other instruments, creating an orchestra out of recycled materials: The Recycled Orchestra. Isn't that cool or what? 

Here is a photo of the violins:
 

Violins out of recycled materials.

From their look you wouldn't imagine how great they sound. Don't believe me? Check it in this short video:

They are making a documentary about it called Landfill Harmonic. If you want to find out more you can visit them on Facebook or on their website. Looking forward to seeing the documentary when it comes out.

Meet the team

The core team during visioning for the organization and ICT training

Director Enosse Michangula

Boaventura

Epifanea

Desaparecidos en acción: el por qué del prolongado silencio

Como habrán notado, las entradas en los últimos meses mermaron a un promedio de una por mes. Una vergüenza. Factor contribuyente es que Fadi ha practicamente abandonado el blog, pero la razón principal -si han estado atentos ya lo saben-, es que marchamos a África a salvar el mundo. Bueno, no tan así.

Marchamos a Mozambique a ofrecer nuestros servicios y conocimientos acumulados en 30 años de estudios y 20 de trabajo. Pueden ver un poco de lo que hicimos (todavía vamos a estar agregando cosas por un tiempo) en mi blog y en el de Fadi.

El estímulo detrás de esta iniciativa que veníamos preparando hace tiempo fue la idea de que la sustentabilidad va más allá de plantar un par de verduras en tu jardín y cambiar el auto por la bici. Un mundo realmente sustentablemente no es tal si sólo se limita a un grupete de gente que puede darse el lujo de reducir su consumo a voluntad, tener acceso a agua, aire y alimentos libres de contaminación y otros privilegios. Mientras haya gente que se muera de enfermedades evitables y por ignorancia, esté circunscrita a una dieta insuficiente o insalubre, no pueda acceder a información ni tenga voz -ya sea en su comunidad, su país, o el mundo-, pues de sustentabilidad nada.

Con esa idea marchamos a aportar nuestros dos granitos de arena a uno de los países más sufridos en este momento. Siglos de colonialismo, dos décadas de guerras en los últimos 40 años (primero de independencia y después una guerra civil), desastres naturales y muchos otros obstáculos han dejado a Mozambique un poco baqueteado. En los últimos años viene despegando, al menos en términos económicos y en los números, debido a inversiones de todos lados y mucha plata para "desarrollo". Eso, por supuesto, genera toda otra serie de problemas. Siguiendo el lema de nuestro blog de "ver qué pasa" cuando uno intenta hacer lo que cree que está bien, terminamos descubriendo de primera mano cuáles son esos problemas. Pero eso quedará para otra entrada...

En las próximas entradas retomaremos los temas que veníamos trabajando: alternativas en la construcción, la alimentación, el transporte y otras cosas interesantes que nos vayamos encontrando en el camino.

Mozaico Moz (4): nada se salva (y un detour a Swaziland)

En Maputo los mozaicos no son sólo para las paredes. El que aparece en esta foto es de una de las mesa en el patio del Centro de Cultura Franco-Mozambicano.

Y las pinturas tampoco se limitan a los murales: no se salvan ni las macetas ni los floreros. En la foto de abajo, los tres personajes aparecen pintados en un par de maceteros a la entrada de un restaurante en Macaneta, una localidad a unos 30 kms. de Maputo



Es que si hay algo que se toman en serio acá es el arte. Curiosamente, no ocurre lo mismo en Botswana, ni en Swaziland, según nos contaban unos colegas de CS. Uno de ellos, Dane, es quien dirige el proyecto de arte Yebo! ArtReach. En este proyecto Dane trabaja con jóvenes sordos de un liceo de Swaziland mostrándoles diferentes técnicas e incentivándolos a que se expresen a través de las artes visuales. Ha tenido excelentes resultados, incluyendo el mural que pueden ver aquí.

Junto a sus padres, Dane maneja además una galería donde se promueven artistas locales y regionales, se dictan talleres de arte y además se pueden comprar materiales para pintar (quienes están en Maputo, saben que acceder a materiales para arte es un problema). Si andan por el Valle de Ezulwini, recomiendo la visita a la galería que está en una región hermosa y está junto a un restaurant / cafetería.

Quedaron pendientes una visita mía al liceo y una visita de Dane a Maputo para colaborar en alguno de los posibles proyectos que incorporan las artes, expresión, lectura, escritura y otras tantas cosas... espero que todavía haya oportunidad en algún futuro no muy lejano.

About life and death

My grandma died today. She was 2 months short of being 100 years old.

For the past 6 months I've been living in a country where that longevity is inconceivable. In Mozambique, life expectancy hovers around 40 years old. That would be me. In Mozambique, only 3% of the population makes it past 65 years old. That's my parents. In Mozambique, almost half the population is under 15 years old. In the countries I come from, the age structure for the population looks like an inverted pyramid: there are many more older people than younger ones, and the population is growing older. Not in Mozambique.

Three generations

Let me translate this into images. In Uruguay, it means getting into a bus and be surrounded by a sea of white and grey heads. Mozambique, on the other hand, looks more like the swarm of hundreds of bouncing, laughing, dancing 6- and 7-year-olds at the primary school near our apartment. Those differences in the demographics of a country's population have huge consequences in everyday life, the choices one makes, the problems a society faces.

During the past 6 months I found myself often in the (for me) unusual situation of being the oldest and most experienced in the room. I also found myself turning around to look with tenderness at the rare white-haired, wrinkled person I passed by on the streets. I wanted to go, hug them, and say: "Good for you! You made it!" They would truly deserve it: surviving to an advance age is not easy here. According to UNICEF Moçambique, for a child to make it pass their 5th birthday, they'll have to overcome from "birth complications to pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, to a lack of clean water and sanitation, to nutrition problems." I wouldn't have made it.

Yet, despite how difficult it is to reach old age, old people don't seem to be valued. Too often, an old person in Mozambique is a marginalized person, someone who can become a victim accused of witchcraft. I'm guessing that has something to do with scarce resources that makes older people be seen as a burden, or a freak of nature - but I'm still wrapping my head around that one.

And then, there's the crazy number of children and young people. That means that the country is vibrating with new energy, pure promise and potential. The buzz is contagious, but it also means you have to provide education and jobs for all these kids or face a potential time bomb in the not-so-distant future. According to the CIA World Factbook "[c]ountries with young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools ... The age structure can also be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment can lead to unrest." When you pair that with the adult population dying of AIDS at an alarming rate, leaving so many orphaned children behind, well...

I had studied and written about these issues before, but living around that reality, you learn what those numbers and statistics mean at an individual level. You learn that funerals are such a common social occasion. That you might from one day to another become responsible for raising 3 or 4 other children from a relative who just passed away. In that context, planning doesn't make that much sense at all. Anything you try to accomplish needs to be filtered through the lenses of what a Mozambican life span is, because, if you expect to die at 40 your priorities are likely to be very different than if you expect to live up to a 100.

And the fourth generation - spanning 98 years.