Maputo, Mozambique - 1 of 2

We went on a walking tour that went through the city of Maputo. The city was interesting and colorful but sadly needed a lot of updating. Since Independence in 1975 when the Portuguese left an already poor Country after 400 years, so did the financial resources, and there has been very little infrastructure improvement. There are half-built buildings from 50 years ago that make parts of the city look quite sad and the economy as well as the people suffer. During COVID, the economy weakened and the government did not help businesses so therefore many closed permanently. Maputo, a port city on the Indian Ocean where 4 rivers converge near the southern end of the country with just over 1 million people (in 134 sq miles) although Mozambique total is 34 million. It has been the capital and largest city in Mozambique since its Independence in 1975 and Portuguese along with African languages (Bantu and Tsonga) are spoken here.

We toured the Portuguese Fort, Fortaleza de Maputo, built between 1851-1867 with the town that grew around the Fort. The culture of the colonization was represented here by the statues, armaments, the history of its leaders and the sealed, carved wooden coffin of Ngungunhane, the last great chief of the African Kingdom of Gaza during the colonial period (see photos).

Here is an interesting “fact”. At the entrance of the fort there is a tree (see photo) named kigela pinnata (OR kiegla Africana). It is a famous tree where the King waited for deportation as he was captured and waiting to be deported. The tree has the power (as explained in detail by our guide) to cure anti-inflammatory issues, asthma, used to restore “skin's firmness and improve the elasticity of the skin” in men for certain “parts”, and for other erectile dysfunction issues.Read more