Mabu

We woke up to beautiful rural views of the Mabu surroundings and continued our explorations of the landscape. We followed an overgrown track towards an even more remote area, however fallen trunks too large to shift by hand blocked the way, so we continued the journey on foot, sliding all over the mud. We eventually reached a tree nursery site raising native vegetation, next to a beautiful river spot where we refreshed and filled bottles from the clean mountain water.

Gen Z is very interesting to observe isn’t it. The project has recruited two interns in their early 20s, who will bring some good energy to the team. After we ditched the vehicles and were tramping through the thick bush, one of the interns turned around to face me with a neutral expression and handed me her phone on video mode. I came to realise I was supposed to be recording her walking through the bush so she could post it on Instagram as a reel. Which I dutifully did until she relieved me of the phone (blankly), whilst I wondered why the back of her head, my unsteady hand and tree branches akimbo would make for interesting content. Much as someone would be well within their rights to wonder why these blips could be considered interesting content. Gen Z probably believes that older Millennials just scraping into the category are peculiar for their preference to be left to their own devices. Each to one’s own.

The journey back to Mocuba was both interesting and laborious, a description which could be applied to most journeys I take in northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania. The road was very churned up due to recent heavy rains. Along a narrow steep stretch of muddy road, a truck with tyres that should have been replaced years before was struggling to climb the incline. For two hours a group of local men had been assisting with the ascent, placing timber poles in front of the wheels, and managing to push the vehicle a few metres before the wheels span into the mud once more. Repeat ad infinitum. We arrived toward the end of the process, and it was tiring enough. Later in the Lugela district headquarters, Easter processions blocked the road and we had to perform a detour.

An unusual Good Friday but stomping around the African bush and being forced offline are two positive elements for a rewarding day.

By nightfall we were arriving back to the bright lights of Mocuba for the last night of this trip to Zambézia. The accommodation is adjoined by a wildly loud restaurant with a Friday night DJ and decks which boomed into the early hours. When I went to investigate why the owners were trying to destroy the ear drums of their lodgers, the only clientele in the bar appeared to be the owner’s family. Not a sensible business move.