Message from Moz

We hung on for dear life as we bumped and swayed down a dusty road near Gondola to look at paprika seedling beds. Trying desperately to keep the car in front of us in our sights, we passed all sorts of interesting villages, selling a variety of things from turkeys being held aloft, flapping their wings to mounds of gorgeous pineapples and bags of succulent litchis. We arrived at our destination in a cloud of dust to be met by a very enthusiastic group of new paprika growers. Welcomes are taken very seriously in Mozambique so there was a lots of kissing on both cheeks and hand shaking. The seedbeds were immaculate and Leonard Mapalanga who coordinates the small scale farmers was full of praise. After our business, we were invited to sit in the shade of a Mango Tree and we were offered cold orange juice or a Manica the local bottled beer. My Portuguese teacher would have had her head in her hands listening to my conversation I could not remember anything she had taught me and the only thing that came to mind was a bit of Afrikaans which would have been lost on our hosts.

After refreshments there was much gesticulation and it appeared the Dorcas and Lorenzo whose house we were at would like to show us around. First it was an inspection of the house. We tramped through the kitchen into the lounge which was very sparsely furnished other than a couch and two Chinese vases. We admired the vases then we were led to the bookcase where we were shown three Collins encyclopaedias with great reverence. Then on to the bedrooms where we gazed in fascination at Dorcas and Lorenzo's monstrous beds carved out of panga panga wood. It appeared that Dorcas would like us to inspect her chest of drawers and the contents but I drew the line at that and managed to get the entourage back into the kitchen area. Bubbling on her little gas stove was a huge pot and the most delightful smell had permeated the kitchen. I asked if I could lift the lid and I gazed at the contents in wonder. It was a dried bean dish and very obviously spicy, Dorcas seeing our interest immediately arrived with little plates and forks and invited us all to have a taste. It was absolutely delicious. I have never tasted anything so gorgeous. The secret is the coconut and chilli mix.

Unfortunately the language barrier prevented me from getting the recipe. Throughout Mozambique you can stop almost anywhere and partake of the most unbelievable food. The locals have unbelievable cooking skills and what they can produce on a little charcoal braai is beyond comprehension. After the house inspection it was to the sheds Lorenzo showed us his barn with obvious pride and his pigeons, he then threw open the doors of his garage and to our utter disbelief stood the biggest Pajero we had ever seen. As we were trying to recover from the shock and staring at him with our mouths open, Lorenzo explained the he had worked in Dubai as an electrician for 11 months and this was the result of his hard work, it looked very out of place in these very humble surroundings.

After fond farewells and more kisses we sped off to change for the next event the Chimoio Farmers Christmas party. Finding the Chimoio Farmers Christmas party was hair raising, we were hopelessly lost, but so were 100 others. We eventually arrived at something that can only be described as absolutely stunning. What a handful of farmers can do in the middle of the bush with few resources was illustrated here. An old dairy shed was decked out with the most amazing flower arrangements, Christmas lights, beautifully arranged tables and guests in all their finery. We were absolutely overwhelmed. The food was divine and you could not help this deep sense of pride invading every party of your body as you looked at these extraordinary people who had put all this together. Zimbabwe's loss is definitely Mozambique's gain. It was the party of all parties and as the Mozambique deputy Minister of Agriculture who you could see was visibly impressed said Vive Zimbabwe Farmers Vive Mozambique!!!. 

Personally, I think he must have been more impressed by the Zimbabwean Farmers dance skills and their athletic prowess on the floor all enhanced by the local brew Manica, particular mention must be made of Peter Bowen, whose wildly exuberant dance moves would have put a Zulu to shame, they were accompanied by a shrill whistle, whether this was to get his wife Victoria on to the dance floor or was just out of sheer exuberance we will never know because Victoria didn't ever respond to the call!!!! But boy I was impressed. Vive Mozambique. 

Mandy Retzlaff
Bvumba
Zimbabwe