"OUT OF AFRICA"........once upon a time - Part 1

Reminiscences of our sojourn in the 'dark continent'

It was 1987 and the month was June.We had just completed three delightful years in West Berlin (where my husband was posted as Consul General in the Indian Consulate) when we received the glad tidings of my husband being posted as Ambassador to Mozambique with concurrent accreditation to Swaziland..
Those were the days before we had access to the internet and the first thing our children did was to locate these countries in their atlas.I must confess I had no clue about the existence of these countries and Africa to me was truly the 'dark continent' that I gathered from the geography classes at school.
We were perpetually on a roller coaster ride prior to our departure as we were presented conflicting views by other diplomatic colleagues who had tread those paths to fly their country's flags there.We heard about the safaris and the natural beauty of the continent and also about the power cuts that lasted for days and the lack of basic foodstuff like even a loaf of bread.Our Foreign Service tribe have been blessed with built in thermostats and we are accustomed to adapt and take the bitter with the sweet , so that was not disconcerting.
Today , as I press the rewind button,it seems as if it were a million years ago, nevertheless we have a valuable treasure chest of memories.After three years in Germany we did feel initially that we had travelled back on the legendary Time Machine instead of Air India and had disembarked in a country where things were very laid back.However, it was an enriching experience.
Mozambique is located in Southern Africa and shares a border with the countries of South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe,Swaziland and Zambia. Mozambique, blessed with palm fringed white beaches and pristine reefs , has a long coastline washed by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. The capital , Maputo where we were stationed used to be known by the flamboyant ,romantic name of Lorenzo Maeques after the Portugese navigator who first set foot there leading to the consequent colonization by Portugal in the 15th century.Lorenzo Marques, the coastal haven stood as a classic African colonial outpost that was elevated as a premier destination of wealthy Europeans.Portugese remained the official language of Mozambique even after gaining independence in June 1975.
For us "Guten Tag" (Good Day in German ) soon gave way to "Bom Dias" (Good Day in Portugese).We landed armed with the set of Liguaphone cassettes to master Portugese ofcourse !
The majestic Indian Embassy Residence was located in a very idyllic location.It was purchased by the Government Of India when the Mission was first established.The vast expanse of the Indian Ocean could be viewed from all the windows and naturally the view was breathtaking and was also the envy of all other diplomatic colleagues. We generously shared the lawns with other diplomats who wished to host their cultural events .......the camaraderie we all shared was unique to say the least.
There was a large Indian community from Gujarat and a smaller one from Goa.They were all second and third generations families.It was a quaint sight to see a Hansa Behn or a Lakshmi Behn in their 'seedha pallu' colourful bandhini sarees chattering away in Portugese nineteen to the dozen. Except for learning the language of the land they had adopted as their own, they were very conservative Hindus ( they had their own temple premises) zealously guarding their Indian culture
and observing all the religious fasts and festivals.
Mozambicans are the friendliest souls inhabiting planet earth and we do not remember any occasion where a Mozambican lost his or her temper or had an argument.Despite the impact of the poverty and hardships of the Civil War that raged for a full sixteen years, they always had a ready smile.Mozambique can be aptly called the Land of Smiles.They have great admiration for Mahatma Gandhi and Indira Gandhi bordering on worship. We met many M ozambicans who expressed their shock and sorrow at the gruesome fate that befell Indira Gandhi.
During our home leave, we visited Goa and were struck by the similarities in Mozambique and Goa.The Portugese had established their suzeranity in identical geographical locations, though in two different continents -- Africa and Asia.Even the drive from the airport to the city was so identical and except for racial differences you could mistake Goa for Mozambique.During the initial years, Mozambique was governed from Goa by the Portugese.
Since my Husband was accredited as India's High Commissioner to Swaziland I had the good fortune of accompanying him while he made his official visits every three or four months. Swaziland.....the name has a fairy tale aura about it. And so it was,we discovered when we arrived in this tiny mountain kingdom that borders South Africa and Mozambique.We used to travel by the one and only aircraft that the country had --- the 'Royal Swazi Airways' ; those were the years 1987 - 1990. It was a short flight of 30 minutes.We had to necessarily travel by air as the route by road was not safe due to the Civil War.
Swaziland is southern Africa's smallest state with a population of less than a million people. The King of Swaziland is the cornerstone to the maintenance of traditional culture and customs and his persona is woven into every aspect of Swazi lifestyle. Under the leadership of King Sobhuza 11 (1899 - 1982) , the world's longest reigning monarch, Swaziland received its independence from Britain in 1968.After his death, the present King Mswati 11 one of his numerous sons was crowned soveregn head of the country. The late king had more than seventy wives. The present king has sixteen wives at the age of 37 now, we read.
..............Continued

 

My dear Devikutty,

Glad to know you found the write up about Africa interesting. We had a lovely three year stint there........Mozambique and Swaziland.Our elder daughter did her final years of schooling in Swaziland which boasts of very good English schools. She did her IB (International Baccaulaureate Course ...a little higher than "A" levels from Waterford School which was the best boarding school there).Prince Charles is the patron and it maintained very good standards.
The Potugese influence is very pronounced in Mozambique and Portugese is the official language.The large Indian community is predominantly Gujarati And "Khem Cho" goes hand in hand with "Comme Esta" ! It was quaint to see the Gujaratis communicating in Portugese with each other.....I'm sure if a Russian or a Japanese were to see this present exchange in English between us both they would find it quaint too.This is what colonisation does !! Just as we consider knowledge of English
a barometer to measure a person's level of competence, they in Mozambique...even the Gujaratis who went to local schools....considered knowing Portugese very important.It meant they had undergone a formal education and are literate.So our knowing Malayalam or their knowing Gujarati was not counted!
Sawzilands royal matrimonial traditions are very like all royal lineages of ancient cultures.Our royal clans had huge harems too.Whereas here they are all only part of history there the practice still continues.Swaziland is so small a nation that they still cling on to these customs to retain their individuality as the Queen Mother emphasized.
As for the King .....he would visit only his favourites we were told.Where is the question of him having to put up with anything? the poor wives just vegetated in their lavish homes though every luxury was provided for and they were lucky if he met them at least once a year !! It is definitely a very sorry state of affairs emotionally speaking.

Warm regards,
PAULINA:wave

 

Greetings to Her Royal Highness ,Queen of the Kingdom Of Masti MagicBow
Your loyal and devoted subject:bowdown cannot thank Her Majesty enough nor express how honoured and grateful she is that Her Majesty has rushed to a loyal senior citizen's aid by posting such exquisite pictures of the Reed Dance and other interesting angles to illustrate the article on Africa.
Am deeply indebted and shall always remain a true citizen of Your Kingdom of Masti Magic !
Big Laugh

Aruna Habibi,
It was such a pleasant surprise to see your quick action . I had just logged off at tea time and when I returned I saw such a beautiful spread of colourful pictures. Thanks a zillion dearie.
I'm far behind times ....1987-1990 there were no digital cameras and all I have are photo albums and video cassettes of our memorable experiences.
warm regards
PAULINA:wave