Elections

I wanted to post a photo of one of the political posters here, but Kevin thinks it wouldn't be wise - people can get into trouble in Africa for talking about politics! But here in Mozambique things are pretty calm.

On Wednesday, national elections were held. The current president was running again (he has served one five-year term, and is allowed to serve three terms) as well as two others, and for weeks before we saw trucks full of campaigners cruising around shouting and playing loud music. Groups of people wearing their party colors and chanting walked up and down the streets, and it was all quite interesting!

Election day itself was very quiet, and we heard reports that people had to stand in line for many, many hours to vote. But it is encouraging to hear that people do turn out to vote. The official results won't be announced for a month, but already the preliminary results say that the current president will be serving again. This is a surprise to no one, since the opposition party split this year and didn't have a strong chance. As to whether the elections are free and fair, there is some debate as to whether they are 100%, and we do hear of harrassment (and personally know those who are harrassed) but in general we believe the will of the people is heard.

We are so thankful it has been a peaceful process and enjoy talking about it with our friends here - they feel it is all very exciting (there have only been a few elections here, so people still enjoy it). It is such a big deal that kids get out of school a couple of weeks early, ane election day is a national holiday. - C

Islam Seminar

Last Saturday, the second Islam seminar finally took place. The first one was on March 7th, and was led by two converts from Islam, and coordinated by Kevin for his students. He's been planning the second one for awhile, but it had to be canceled twice for various reasons. But last Saturday, it went off without a hitch, led by the same two converts along with Kevin. This one focused on a lot more practical topics (the last one talked about what Muslims believe and that kind of thing) and it was neat for Kevin to see his students in groups discussing how to talk to their Muslim neighbors. Here, probably 35% of the population is Muslim, and most follow a kind of folk Islam and don't really understand a lot of it. Out on the coast, almost everybody is Muslim, and there is a great deal of hostility toward Christians in many areas. Colleagues of ours have been stoned when sharing the gospel, and living among the coastal peoples can very tricky. The ideal people to share Christ with the Muslims here are their friends and neighbors, but frequently the idea doesn't even enter into the minds of the local Christians. Through these seminars, Kevin hopes to give his students the information that they need along with the vision to share Christ's love with these people. - C

Manioc

Manioc is one of the main staple foods here. I wish we could say that we like it, but unfortunately we don't! I think that it is not really the favorite food of people here, either, but it is a staple because there is an ability to dry it and keep it for many months. At the top you can see a photo of it, just dug up. It can be peeled and eaten raw, which is it's tastiest form, or it can be cooked and eaten. Mostly, it is peeled and laid out to dry on rooftops, then stored for future use. In its dried state, it is pounded into a powder and then sprinkled in boiling water to make a porridge.

Here's another photo of a lady digging it up - it is the roots of a plant that can be seen in the last photo. It is a good dry-weather plant - it just doesn't grow as fast without rain, but doesn't die. You see these plants all over the place - they don't yield a lot of food (the photo pictures all that is gained from one plant) but it doesn't require any care. The leaves are also part of the diet here, and these are prepred by pounding them with a large mortar and pestle until they are in tiny pieces, then they are cooked up in a stew with onions, tomatoes, garlic, coconut milk, peanut flour, or any combination of the above. That dish is called matapa: it is full of iron, and we ask our house worker to make it occasionally because we really like it.

The Bible says "Do not store up treasures for yourselves here on earth" and I think of that often as I look at the situation of people here. It is not possible to store food long-term, except for manioc really. You can sometimes store rice, and peanuts, but frequently the bugs and rats get to them. I have tried various times to store food long-term, buying when it is cheaper, but things go bad so quickly. Potatoes cannot be stored, because it is not cold enough, and things get moldy and soft pretty quickly. Last year I kept onions for several months after buying in bulk, and these had to be laid out in the sun every week to kill the mold that wanted to grow on them.

So, it is understandable why people grow and eat manioc. Unfortunately, the starch is not very nutritious, and is mainly used as a way to fill the belly. There are quite a few people who don't understand that children need to eat more than just manioc or corn porridge, and as a result, one of the local NGO's estimates that 75% of the children of Nampula are malnourished. We also try to tell people that we know that children (and adults, too) need a wider variety in their diet, but for poor people it can be a bit difficult.

So, manioc it is. -C

Ladies Get Out of Town

Last Saturday, a friend and I planned a mini-retreat for the expatriate ladies of Nampula, at a picnic spot outside of town. This place is really the only place I know of within 100 miles that you can go and sit outside in a pretty location and not be surrounded by wide-eyed children watching your every move. We had a potluck lunch, with chicken donated by a kind single man, and then spent a couple of hours guided by my friend Cathy in some spiritual rejuvination. It really was so pleasant, and I especially liked seeing everyone relaxing and enjoying each other's company. We had women from various countries, including USA, Canada, Holland, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, South Africa, Germany, and probably some others I can't think of.


Here's a photo of some of them arriving - we had 37 ladies at the event.

The expat women of Nampula face various challenges, many of which I have outlined on this blog, and we hope to have more of this kind of thing in future to encourage them as they try to support and implement various ministries and outreach programs. - C

Inacio Gets Married!

Inacio is our part-time guard, and he got married last weekend. We were so pleased to be able to attend his wedding, and I'll upload some photos here.

The church was decorated with paper chains and cutouts, some from English magazines.



The groom arrives first and sits on a plastic chair covered with a piece of cloth. The bride and groom look totally miserable during the whole wedding. They are supposed to look that way to convey the seriousness of the event.

Here's the bride and groom sitting next to each other after taking their vows. Now they are allowed to hold hands, but they still don't look at each other. They didn't look at each other during the vows, either. They are flanked by their "godfather and godmother". This is a couple who stays next to them during the whole wedding and who are to serve as their role models, advisors and counselors. The godparents guide them in everything they are to do during the wedding, and even show them how to kiss each other, after they are married. That part was quite fun!

The service lasted several hours, and included the vows, the blessing, signing of the license, and a sermon on marriage that lasted over an hour. The boys did great, and sat on chairs looking at books and such. They really have adjusted to sitting in church here. We didn't leave the church until after 1 pm, after arriving at 8:30 am. Bride and groom didn't show until closer to 10 am, though.

After they left the church and were driven (in our car) to the drop-off point, capulanas (the traditional cloth that is used for skirts, for wraps, for everything) were laid on the ground so the bride and groom's feet wouldn't touch the dirt. After they passed, the capulana would be picked up and brought to the front of the line. You can see one being thrown here.

Entrance to the wedding was strictly controlled, as apparently people try to sneak into weddings here so they can get a free lunch (which is a big deal). The yard is cordoned off, and a bamboo structure made with black plastic on top to keep the sun off the revelers. Long tables are set up, with benches. We were part of the head tables and had plastic chairs. As we ate, about 60 people stood and watched us from over the chest-high fence. Somehow it just takes your appetite away to have people stare at you while you eat. It is something we are getting used to, though! It was a big deal to have white people at the wedding, something which conveys the idea that we have some grand importance. We don't, but some people here believe that we do since we represent money and power. Sigh.

Anyway, here is a photo of the bride presenting a piece of cake to her mother and telling her that she is leaving her house and now all of the work she did for her like laundry and cooking, she will now do for her husband. It was a very touching moment.

Another interesting part of the celebration was the feeding of the cake by the bride and groom. The groom lays his head on the bride's shoulder, and vice versa, and she feeds him a piece of cake while the master of ceremonies talks about how when he is sick and weak, she will care for him. Here is Inacio with his new wife.

After the meal, which was some very excellent chicken and rice and cookies and cake, it was time for some dancing. The second seating of guests were busy eating their rice and beans (head table people get a better meal), since there was limited seating, and the wedding party (only men) got up and did some dancing. Kevin and Toby kicked it up a little, which was enjoyed by all.

It was a wonderful wedding, and we are so pleased for Inacio and his bride as they start their new life together. He is about 27 years old and she is about 19 (normal age for a girl to marry, if not a little old). He is just finishing high school this year (thanks to our sponsorship) and she is in 7th grade and likely won't get much further once the children come. Normal for here. They are a committed Christian couple and we look forward to observing their life together. - C

Tools of the Trade

Yesterday, our neighbors brought us some really nice fish, fresh from the coast (2 1/2 hours away). I don't know what kind it was, but it was a nice light one, not too fishy. Perhaps a kind of snapper.

Anyway, I've been meaning to post with photos of some of the tools I use in my kitchen and thought this would be a good time. I made coconut fish yesterday, with a recipe given to me by a Mozambican lady in Beira (further south).

First, you start with the rice. Here, we eat only "machamba rice". A machamba is a garden, but in people's gardens they grow everything. It is much bigger than an American garden, generally. Manioc, peanuts, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, you name it. And quite a few people have rice machambas. We buy this "fresh" rice, which is dried but is much fresher than the stuff you buy in plastic packaging at the store. And ooooohhh is it good!

Anyway, to prepare it, first you put it out in a flat basket (pictured) to sort out any rocks, bugs, hulls, or anything else that you don't want to eat. I have two of these baskets in my kitchen and they are useful for anything you want to spread out and shake around (like beans, vegetables, etc.). They are sold all over town, as are all the things pictured. Probably cost less than 50 cents each. So, you sort the rice, while you put the water to boil. We don't measure a certain amount of water for a certain amount of rice. When the water comes to a boil, you pour your clean rice into a bowl and cover it with cool water, and stir it around with your hand to clean it some more, then pour out that water and handful by handful scoop your rice into the boiling water. Once it comes to a boil again, set the timer for five minutes and stir it occasionally. Throw some salt in. After five minutes, you tip the extra water out of the pot into the sink. You can save this water to give to someone with diarrhea (a frequent problem here), or just dump it down the drain. The trick is to leave just the right amount of water in the pot. Then turn the heat low, cover the pot, and let it simmer about 10 minutes. Stir it occasionally and look to make sure it is not burning. That's it.



Next is the fish dish. Usually, a fish arrives in my kitchen completely intact. Which means I have to cut off the head, scale it, and filet it. This is why we rarely eat fish, since I hate that job and unless I have someone helping me that day I don't want it! This fish arrived already cut up, though the scales were still on. Cut your fish into pieces and marinate it overnight in lemon and garlic. Leave the skin on. Next day, cut up 1/2 cup green peppers, 1/2 cup tomatoes (these are from our garden), 1/2 cup onion and throw it all into a pot with 1/4 cup oil. Meanwhile, flour and fry your fish.

Fry your vegetables for 10 minutes. Throw in 2 teaspoons of red pepper, salt and black pepper.

Now it is time for the coconut milk. To make coconut milk is a fair amount of work. First, you have to crack it open with a hammer. Toby is always eager to do this, but so far has not been successful and I have to finish it up. I'm just waiting for him to smash his finger! The water that drains out is not coconut milk. It is refreshing, but useless for cooking this dish.

Now, to grate the coconut. Here, we use a little stool. You sit on it sideways, and holding half of the coconut in your hand, you scrape it over the sharp, scalloped, rounded scraper attached to the end of the stool. Every household has one of these. Grate your coconut meat into the bowl strategically positioned below the scraper. This takes a fair amount of muscle! Every visitor I've given this job to has given up, and it has taken me some time to be able to do it without my arm being sore. It takes me about 10 minutes, but my guard can do it in five. Lately, he gets the job. By the way, I feel compelled to say that this photo makes me look like I've gained about 100 pounds, but I haven't. :-)

Once you have your coconut meat, add water to it and squeeze it in your hand so that the milk comes out of the meat. Do this until the water looks milky.

Then, it is time to pour the milk and meat out of the bowl into the strainer, which is a little wooden box with netting and chicken wire across one side. Every household also has one of these. If you don't have enough milk for your recipe (this receipe calls for 3-4 cups), add more water to the meat and squeeze it some more, then strain it into the bowl of milk.


Pour your milk into the pot with the vegetables and bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally. Then, let it boil 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn in down slightly, put the fish in the pot and let all cook together for 10 minutes. Serve over the rice. Enjoy! -C