{"id":19940,"date":"2022-05-23T15:55:46","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T15:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture"},"modified":"2022-05-23T15:55:46","modified_gmt":"2022-05-23T15:55:46","slug":"maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture","title":{"rendered":"Maputo neighbourhood is \u2018living museum\u2019 of Mozambique\u2019s culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Mozambique. <\/strong><\/span>Turn a corner in Mozambique\u2019s seaside capital Maputo, and the skyline vanishes. Colonial Portuguese buildings and mid-century modernist apartment blocks give way to a maze of rutted alleys crammed with tin-roofed shacks.<\/p>\n

This is Mafalala, Maputo\u2019s most famous neighbourhood \u2014 a place enshrined in the guidebooks as the cradle of Mozambique\u2019s post-independence culture.<\/p>\n

But as a rough district in one of the world\u2019s poorest countries, residents struggle to capitalise on their community\u2019s heritage.<\/p>\n

Three years ago, a group of students and professionals decided to change that by opening a museum to preserve the district\u2019s history and culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe usually say that Mafalala is the capital of Maputo,\u201d said Ivan Laranjeira, director of the Mafalala Museum.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the heart and the soul of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mustard-yellow building stands out among a sea of sheet metal roofs.<\/p>\n

Most young people in Mafalala survive day to day, relying on informal work, unable to fully exploit their heritage and creativity.<\/p>\n

Yet the district has produced two Mozambican presidents, Samora Machel and Joaquim Chissano, legendary footballer Eusebio da Silva Ferreira, and poet Jose Craveirinha.<\/p>\n

Since the 19th century, Mafalala has attracted workers from rural Mozambique, lured by cheap rent and short commutes to the city centre.<\/p>\n

With 30 of Mozambique\u2019s languages spoken here, the district is a hub of cultural diversity.<\/p>\n

Pubs rub shoulders with mosques and evangelical churches, between concrete block walls covered with colourful murals.<\/p>\n

Tourists are welcome to take walking tours and sample the local cuisine, but they are rare.<\/p>\n

Rich heritage<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is something special in particular about Mafalala, and that is the reason why this is a historical place,\u201d said Laranjeira, flanked by black and white pictures of some of the country\u2019s greatest past leaders on the wall behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMafalala is a neighbourhood that is actually a living museum.\u201d<\/p>\n

Signs stuck in the dusty streets list some of the local attractions. Machel\u2019s house. Eusebio\u2019s birthplace. And a tribute to Craveirinha\u2019s poetry, capturing the spirit of the place.<\/p>\n

But many of the homes of the district\u2019s famous figures have fallen into ruin, or are now occupied by new residents.<\/p>\n

It was in Mafalala\u2019s alleys that revolutionary spirits were raised and nurtured against Portuguese colonisers, culminating in a decade-long war that paved the way to independence in 1975.<\/p>\n

Since then, the revolutionaries have led the country, but the euphoria of liberation has died down.<\/p>\n

Now young, barefoot players kick footballs in the sand, in front of an imposing graffiti image of Eusebio.<\/p>\n

Back at the museum, Laranjeira \u2014 who has spent the past 15 years working to preserve the history of the district \u2014 explains the items on display.<\/p>\n

One is a handmade guitar fashioned from a tin box, with strings made from motorbike spokes. It was used by earlier singers of \u201cMarrabenta,\u201d a popular national dance genre.<\/p>\n

There are traditional costumes, as well as a rag football like the one used by Eusebio, who catapulted Portugal\u2019s team to worldwide fame in the 1960s.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not only the collections on display that matter here. The museum is also a cultural education centre for the neighbourhood\u2019s youth.<\/p>\n

Music is a big part of the district\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cMafalala was a birthplace for musical creation,\u201d said rapper Danilo Malele, known by his stage name \u2018Kloro\u2019. He\u2019s composed a song dedicated to the district, called \u201cShow na mayf\u201d.<\/p>\n

The district\u2019s musical potential is thwarted by poverty, he said. Musicians \u201care not worried about doing music\u201d but \u201cstart and then leave it behind because they have other priorities\u201d.<\/p>\n

Jamal Age agrees. The 28-year-old brags that he\u2019s the best dancer in Mafalala, at least when it comes to breakdancing. But he says there\u2019s no future in it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love our culture, whether it\u2019s dancing, singing, music. But the problem is that we don\u2019t have enough money to fund these arts,\u201d Age said.<\/p>\n

When he\u2019s not dancing and recording his performances on the city\u2019s rooftops, he makes sofas in a workshop on the street.<\/p>\n

Now gentrification looms, threatening to push residents to the outskirts of the metropolis.<\/p>\n

Just a few blocks away are some of Mafalala\u2019s plushest villas and trendiest terraces \u2014 part of a grand refurbishment of the old city centre, now home to expatriates and rich elites.<\/p>\n

By<\/b><\/p>\n

Camille Laffont<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Mozambique<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Mozambique. Turn a corner in Mozambique\u2019s seaside capital Maputo, and the skyline vanishes. Colonial Portuguese buildings and mid-century modernist apartment blocks give way to a maze of rutted alleys crammed with tin-roofed shacks. This is Mafalala, Maputo\u2019s most famous neighbourhood \u2014 a place enshrined in the guidebooks as the cradle of Mozambique\u2019s post-independence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":19939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4,8,16,18],"tags":[233,281,283],"class_list":["post-19940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-culture-and-art","category-homepage-english","category-twitter","category-video","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-mozambique","tag-mozambique"],"yoast_head":"\nMaputo neighbourhood is \u2018living museum\u2019 of Mozambique\u2019s culture - Mozambique<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maputo neighbourhood is \u2018living museum\u2019 of Mozambique\u2019s culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Mozambique. Turn a corner in Mozambique\u2019s seaside capital Maputo, and the skyline vanishes. Colonial Portuguese buildings and mid-century modernist apartment blocks give way to a maze of rutted alleys crammed with tin-roofed shacks. This is Mafalala, Maputo\u2019s most famous neighbourhood \u2014 a place enshrined in the guidebooks as the cradle of Mozambique\u2019s post-independence […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mozambique\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-05-23T15:55:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Maputo neighbourhood is \u2018living museum\u2019 of Mozambique\u2019s culture\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-23T15:55:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture\"},\"wordCount\":747,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/05\/img-628baf9458f06.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Mozambique\",\"Mozambique\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"culture and art\",\"homepage-english\",\"twitter\",\"video\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture\",\"name\":\"Maputo neighbourhood is \u2018living museum\u2019 of Mozambique\u2019s culture - Mozambique\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/05\/img-628baf9458f06.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-23T15:55:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/05\/img-628baf9458f06.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/05\/img-628baf9458f06.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":683,\"caption\":\"Maputo neighbourhood is \u2018living museum\u2019 of Mozambique\u2019s culture\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Maputo neighbourhood is \u2018living museum\u2019 of Mozambique\u2019s culture\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/\",\"name\":\"Mozambique\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Maputo neighbourhood is \u2018living museum\u2019 of Mozambique\u2019s culture - Mozambique","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Maputo neighbourhood is \u2018living museum\u2019 of Mozambique\u2019s culture","og_description":"Africa-Press – Mozambique. Turn a corner in Mozambique\u2019s seaside capital Maputo, and the skyline vanishes. Colonial Portuguese buildings and mid-century modernist apartment blocks give way to a maze of rutted alleys crammed with tin-roofed shacks. This is Mafalala, Maputo\u2019s most famous neighbourhood \u2014 a place enshrined in the guidebooks as the cradle of Mozambique\u2019s post-independence […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture","og_site_name":"Mozambique","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2022-05-23T15:55:46+00:00","author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Maputo neighbourhood is \u2018living museum\u2019 of Mozambique\u2019s culture","datePublished":"2022-05-23T15:55:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture"},"wordCount":747,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/05\/img-628baf9458f06.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-Mozambique","Mozambique"],"articleSection":["all news","culture and art","homepage-english","twitter","video"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture","name":"Maputo neighbourhood is \u2018living museum\u2019 of Mozambique\u2019s culture - Mozambique","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/05\/img-628baf9458f06.jpg","datePublished":"2022-05-23T15:55:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/05\/img-628baf9458f06.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/05\/img-628baf9458f06.jpg","width":1024,"height":683,"caption":"Maputo neighbourhood is \u2018living museum\u2019 of Mozambique\u2019s culture"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-neighbourhood-is-living-museum-of-mozambiques-culture#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Maputo neighbourhood is \u2018living museum\u2019 of Mozambique\u2019s culture"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/","name":"Mozambique","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19940\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}