It seems globalization has diluted or thinned the borders although Culture shock remains in place.
The journey from Peru to Africa allowed me to become immersed in Mozambican culture. Nevertheless, due to my limited understanding of the cultural codes, I found in its history and above all in emotions and sensations, a way of encountering myself through this culture.
Mafalala is a neighbourhood where the seeds of independence were planted, it embraced Mozambicans with limited rights but eager to make the dream of freedom a reality.
Young people from Mafalala have been putting in value the neighborhood through a community tourism project “Mafala Map”. When we participated in this initiative, we toured Mafalala and saw a woman who was selling badjias (a dish made of beans). ‘Bom dia’ she said through her eyes and smile. She was there, sitting on a straw mat, wearing capulanas (fabric women tie to their waist) and warmed with a mucume (fabric used in ceremonies tied in the centre by a lace) she was in front of her house built of wood and zinc as if she were waiting for the guests that never ended up coming, but were only passing through.
A Senhora de Mafalala with her smile of gratitude, the mixture of Black, Malagasy, Indian and Portuguese made me connect to the history and sentiment of that country during the period I was there.