Best of December Again

 

I have at least four reasons to remember this particular December. Here they are by chronological order:

 

Macaneta

December started the good way with a very special 1st. That day we went to Macaneta beach to toast summer. I know it was a little late for that, but summer was that late this year.

 

Our welcome picnic was great. We had smoked salmon and homemade tuna paste sandwiches, chips, strawberries and bubbles to toast. Our “ritual” is quite simple: we toast and drink, but the first and last bits are spilled over the ground. As for the rest, Paul and I use to finish the bottle with no sacrifice.

 

We had picked a quiet solitary rectangle of sand but you know how it is… People are gregarious by nature. When we looked, most of the holidayers from the ferry had decided to “camp” around us.

 

Here I have to remind that when we toast in Marracuene we are not celebrating war or lords of war but warriors who fought with courage. By sharing with them, I am sure they understand our admiration for brave people. Cheers!

 

Homecoming

One of the best things in December is always the boys’ homecoming. It’s that time of the year and we have three flashing trees to remember it: one artificial tree inside, one real tree outside and another artificial tree also outside.

 

TD was able to get a couple of days to stay and JP was lucky to have holidays from November 7 to January 2. It feels right to watch the three together, despite their different paths. Cheers!

 

Photography

I’ve been trying to learn a little of photography but I picked the wrong subject. Now I am focused on the subject and lost from my initial intention. I’ve already written about my photographic journey so far. Cheers!

 

Swimming pool

We have been on standby for a job. Because of that we can’t, or don’t feel like, planning holidays or weekends outside Maputo. Besides, the weather has been a little instable and the boys expect us to be here for most of December.

 

Now that I am not dancing and tae boing, the only thing left is the swimming pool. All I can say is that it has been fun in more than a sense. Cheers!

Learning Photography

 

I swear it started right. I have the books and people to ask the questions. I’m talking about learning a little more about photography besides clicking a compact camera.

 

Since I was mugged on the marginal loosing my first digital camera, a very good one despite being a little old, I can’t go out for pictures with the same light attitude. In order to pick a subject I had two options: table lamps or my persona. I picked the last one and troubles began.

 

Perhaps explain first that I have five mirrors at home: two downstairs (living and bathroom) and three upstairs (1 corridor and 2 bathroom). I should sell them to Snow White stepmother because they are a flattering quintet. I don’t know if you have the same problem that I have, but my mirrors only show my good side. On the contrary, I frequently look terrible on the photos: red eyes, twisted expressions… The usual disaster.

 

At first it was pretty difficult. Still with lots of limitations, I can say that I’ve been improving. Up to this moment I have taken terrible pictures, but I also could take some acceptable ones.

 

Here are some notes about this experience: 1) Where am I? Perhaps because I don’t use a tripod (and somewhere I have one), the major difficulty I face is finding myself. Sometimes I get hilarious results! 2) I forget about the flash when I don’t get proper light. 3) I’ve been unable to take a full picture, but I guess this problem has to do with the lenses I am currently using. The result it’s like a puzzle of me. 4) I usually shoot 6 to 12 pictures in a row. I keep aiming to the perfect picture, but the best ones are usually the firsts. The perfect picture never happens. 5) Ten seconds to place myself in the right position? Give me a break! It takes me more than 10 seconds to cross the room where I usually stay. 6) Despite trying, I usually hate pictures of myself showing jewels or nail lacquer.

 

Photos show a lot in terms of details. That is kind of useful if I want to address a couple of problems. As far as I am concluding, they are extremely revealing. One moment they show some best feature in you. The next moment they show someone that you can’t even recognize. They are never able to show who you really are.

 

My cameras and mirrors don’t speak the same language. Because my contact with mirrors is eye to eye, they always say to me: “Hi girl, you look good today!” Cameras are more like to say: “Hi there! Look, you forget to take the plaster and now you will have a silly rectangle on your shoulder for most of this summer…”

 

Cameras may be less flattering, since they underline aspects that mirrors don’t. Being so critical about this particular subject, as I am, photos can become a good allied in identifying the rights and wrongs.

 

I don’t know about you, but mirrors are too assertive for my own taste. Having five of them it’s almost like having a private orchestra of flattery.

Schemes and Doubts

 

As we can’t do a lot in terms of summer before middle January, we have been content with a swimming pool near the sea. For me it’s the water, the sun… For Paul, the restaurant…

 

The first day of sun, when I was wisely using my sunblock, Paul calls me with unusual urgency. The matter was urgent, indeed. The food was over the table and Paul likes food and company. In that order. I stop what I was doing. Sometimes, I’m just like him. When I see a serving plate full of juicy prawns. For instance. My place on the table is under the sun. I forget about the sun block and start my summer with some curious patterns on my skin. I should have known better!

 

We have been returning to the same club. Last week, on our way to the swimming pool, Paul remarked that he misses the old Seabell, the one that writes about the sea… I thought about it. I don’t miss writing because I never stop writing. But I was in a very good mood, so it crossed my mind: “Why not? It’s summer. Life is almost perfect… Why not, indeed?”

 

As usual, I book places near the pool while Paul picks a good table. Five minutes later it’s raining. I have to sit at the table with Paul.

 

“You know something? I forgot the reading and the phones!” he complains.

 

Without a good read and the news, Paul starts to tell about one of his actual favorite subjects. Laying down my very interesting book, I follow him instead of reading, taking pictures of passing by boats or imagining some sea related subject to write about.

 

As Paul described to me, ten years ago two individuals related with South African and Zimbabwean finances met in London. Following that meeting, they created a company called Central African Mining Exploration Company (CAMEC) with the goal of capitalizing on African riches, mainly platinum, cobalt and copper. CAMEC has several shareholders, including big financial names from Switzerland and the USA. The company is quoted on the London stock exchange.

 

As any company does, its main objective is realizing quick, large profits. To what extend they are decided to go to make their shareholders happy is our concern. Someone close to Mugabe is one of CAMEC shareholders. He reached that position through a business deal for cobalt and copper concession in the south Katanga (DRC). Meanwhile, the DRC government has suspended that mining licence due to suspicions of corruption involving the deal.

 

In business, one day you loose, one day you win. CAMEC, for instance, is winning big in Mozambique. Locally, they are involved in agriculture and mining research. CAMEC has established a local company called ProCana. ProCana has four shareholders, being CAMEC one of them, and a capital value of less than E1.000 (one thousand euros). A private local company has also a share valued in USD50 (fifty American dollars) and a third shareholder has an interest value of USD10. No, it’s not my mistake… Do read ten dollars!

 

Despite being a “ghost” company, ProCana has obtained from the Mozambican government a licence for the exploitation of 30km2 (30.000 hectares) of fertile land near the Massingir dam to produce ethanol.

 

Can you believe it? How could a company with a capital of less than E1.000 obtain such facilities? How serious is a government capable of such? I am not talking about some secret arrangement but an open deal, solemnly blessed by the highest Mozambican authorities.

 

No wonder some established South African companies worry about such scams. What kind of companies are these whose capital can’t guarantee its operation for more than two or three hours? What is behind all this?

 

As the above is not a joke but facts, this deal sounds more like some kind of magic box trick or, even better, a Christmas gift to some lucky London stock exchange shareholders.

………………

 

Before the food I want to do something that I really enjoyed when I was a little one. Swimming while it’s raining! Inside the pool there are only three teens and a group of children. They seem to enjoy the rain the same way I used to enjoy it, and still do.

 

It was a perfect day. The only doubt disturbing me for a while was: “How can I feel motivated to write about the sea, if I came to the sea to hear Paul’s political insights?”

Perspectives

 

Since December 19 we have a new president for the oldest and most powerful African party. His involvement in a major corruption scandal didn’t change the outcome of the election. Why could someone with his name besmirched by corruption still deserve the trust of the majority? Perhaps for too many reasons. I can guess at least a couple of them.

 

In fact, the scandal around the arms deal revealed the corruption nature of all parts. The ones selling and the ones buying. The ones in favor of one supplier and the ones in favor of the others. This is a strong reason. Why punish one individual when it seems like they all have done the same, only the paying source being different?

 

Besides, is corruption that grave? Ethic says it is. Praxis says it’s not. For Africans, and I start to feel a bit the same way, what people point out as corruption it’s nothing else but a form of payment for a rented service.

 

Everybody has a price. The question is the actions. If someone intends to act a certain way and someone else says that intends to pay him for that, why not accept that money? At the end, only the individual being paid can know at which extend he is selling his soul for a couple of coins.

 

In such poor countries, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear: “He received money to facilitate the arms deal? Good for him! I wish I had the same luck!”

 

One thing is truth: for each case of corruption there is an army of poor individuals dreaming about having some kind of opportunity, and that includes corruption.

 

Note: The coins on the picture are chocolate made. Well, they can be very tempting too…

The Party

 

Socialist countries have a very resilient class of individuals. They seem to exist everywhere, either in socialist or ex-socialist countries. Here, the sure way to recognize them is by the word “chefe” (chief). If you are someone, you are chief. If you are chief, no matter how insignificant your status in the overall picture, you are someone and you don’t have a thing to worry about except for the hierarchy of chiefs.

 

Chiefs grow like weed and can be found in every single sector of such society. They can be small chiefs or big chiefs. One thing is for sure: if you are a chief, you can dream of becoming The Chief. That means that in a socialist or ex-socialist country the head-of-state is selected among the existing chiefs.

 

Now if you say or think that the same happens in different regimes, I have to explain a few things. Socialism usually creates a very bad habit: chiefs look at the state properties and affairs like their own. Even with the end of socialism, if you look around you will see that a good number of actual head-of-states were someday that type of chief.

 

Most of them still behave like socialist chiefs in most situations, while taking advantage in every way of the more liberal capitalist procedures. Perhaps I should give you an example by now. What can I think of a head-of-state who has interest in more than twenty companies? How can he be good defending the interest of a nation if he has to defend his personal interest in all those companies?

 

This is a new kind of party, born from old socialism. We could call it “party of chiefs”. The main aspect of such party is having a lot of chiefs and, above all, having The Chief, the one chief that truly benefits from maintaining the authoritarian methods of socialism, at the same time that embraces the capitalism that makes him richer and richer.

 

The object pictured above is one of various existing symbols of African power. It is used by traditional chiefs to keep away the flies and show their superior status.

Abc of CB

 

CB stands for Cahora Bassa, a giant in the middle of nowhere, right in the heart of one of the poorest countries in the world. I’ve been feeling like writing about the subject, facts and comments. More recently I decided to stick with the facts. So here are just a few:

 

1. The construction of Cahora Bassa was a way of strengthening the relation between two old regimes: Portuguese colonial fascism and South African apartheid. The deal was plain and simple: Portugal was supposed to build the dam and the ever growing South African economy should buy, transform and consume the production – reselling part of it to Mozambique.

 

2. A single South African factory in the Richards Bay area consumes more power supplied by CB than the entire Mozambique.

 

3. Cahora Bassa didn’t, and still doesn’t, make sense as it was built in a country without the capacity of taking full advantage of the power supplied by it.

 

4. Cahora Bassa was managed by a consortium with Portuguese majority. Since November 27, Mozambique controls 85% of the company.

 

5. Three years ago, South Africa started to have problems with the Portuguese management since they wanted to raise the selling price.

 

6. The idea of transferring the control of the dam to Mozambique came from a consultant company linked to a South African powerful financial group. Nothing wrong with it, except if we take in consideration the image of Mozambique in some South African circles.

 

7. The dam has to be seen in a local and regional context. It is important that Southern Africa and especially Mozambique come out of the economical apathy to a undeniable path of grow, in such a way that Cahora Bassa and other similar infra-structures can be fully used by regional countries for the benefit of Southern African people.

Panem et Circenses

 

It takes to know a socialist country to fully understand how propaganda is crucial to politicians. They seem to feed and survive on it, even when the gluttony is not that noticeable.

 

During the last weeks, in Mozambique, I’ve been watching a well-orchestrated campaign remembering old times. The objective is promoting the present government and the opportunity is the Cahora Bassa dam.

 

Mozambique is now controlling Hidroeléctrica Cahora Bassa, an enterprise operating the second largest African dam. The campaign sounded a bit too much for me, especially with sentences like “Cahora Bassa is ours!” and “Second independence!” repeated to the exhaustion.

 

I’m not saying here that Mozambicans have no reasons to celebrate, because they do. But why celebrate so noisily, to the point of having various heads of state present, like neighbour Robert Mugabe? After all it is just the acquisition of an enterprise, no doubt important but anyway just an enterprise.

 

Do Mozambicans have reasons to celebrate? It depends. The large majority shouldn’t be celebrating. This acquisition was made possible through a loan involving a Portuguese and a French bank. The amount of USD750 millions is supposed to be paid during the next 15 years. There are details of this deal still in secrecy…

 

The enterprise using and paying for CB energy is the South African Eskom, but South Africa doesn’t seem very impressed with this deal if we take in consideration the way it was present at the event.

 

If South Africa is not going to make things easy, the ones paying for this deal are the ones who were singing “Cahora Bassa is ours!”: Mozambicans and others living in Mozambique.

 

I would celebrate with everybody if I was told: 1) Mozambique is going to have more and better energy. 2) Mozambicans are going to spend less in electricity. For someone paying a monthly bill of US50 to US300, depending on air conditioner use or not, I would like very much to hear something like that.

 

Having said that, I have to admit that there are Mozambicans who have strong reasons to celebrate. I’m talking about the ones now sitting on the administration board. With salaries in the order of so many zeros, I guess they shouted slogans until their throats went soar.

 

Putting it in panem et circenses terms, it looks like Cahora Bassa it’s all about circus.

Shopping Amid the Mayhem

 

Like so many people do, he decided to shop early to avoid the usual confusion going on from the end of November to the end of December. But that shopping trip turned into a nightmare when he, a South African police inspector, saw four men armed with riffles coming out from the front shop jewelers. He tried to apprehend the suspects but they fired at him. A furious exchange of gunfire took place right in the middle of one of the biggest and busiest Durban shopping centers.

 

He was shot and the four-armed men ran in different directions with R1.5 million of watches and cash, leaving a trail of blood behind. Around 30 shots were fired, 5 of them hitting the inspector’s chest. He only survived because an emergency surgery on his lungs was carried out on the spot, before rushing him to an helicopter.

 

Shop owners, in panic, lowered steel grills to protect their premises and staff, while police dogs searched the perimeter of the shopping complex and a police helicopter circled overhead.

 

All this happened a little after 9am on November 15, the same day we decided to shop – precisely a month ago. I was there, too close to feel like a lucky survivor, once again aware of how violence is such a terrible price to pay for living in the paradisiacal side of Africa.

 

We left the Pavillion before 11am to Musgrave, hopefully a quieter place for shopping and lunching. It was a wise move because the next day we read the follow up of the shooting drama we had witnessed…

Shoplifting Amid the Mayhem

 

It was more like a bad movie than real life at the Pavillion Shopping Centre yesterday when gunmen clashed with a lone brave police officer.

 

Hours later The Daily News was told that a hostage-taking drama was unfolding at the same mall.

 

When we arrived at the centre it was crawling with uniformed and plain-clothed policemen.

 

Many of the shops were still closed at 11am.

 

The crime scene was secured with yellow and black tape, and police cordoned off a section outside Edgars near the information desk as a temporary “command centre”.

 

Rumours were spreading like wild fire. Among them was that the robbers had sought refuge in Woolworths and the staff were being held hostage. Others included that there had been a robbery at Mr. Price, and also at Arthur Kaplan Jewellers at Gateaway Shopping Centre and uShaka Marine World.

 

When the dust of confusion settled, police and centre management denied all the claims and blamed them on “rumour-mongering”.

 

Sighing with relief, we headed for the centre’s exit, believing the drama to be over. It was then that chaos erupted as screaming customers and off-duty staff hurled past us to the exits. Plain-clothed, gun-wielding police officers ran around, darting here and there, while I stood against a pillar, unsure of what was happening.

 

The centre went on an immediate lock down with shops closing doors all around us.

 

A horde of police and security swooped the area, chasing and apprehending a man who turned out to be a shoplifter.

 

As one shopper quipped: “He’s picked a very bad day to pinch a CD.” T. Martens-Daily News

Best of November Again

 

There is no month in my life without bests and worsts, but I must be a positive kind of person since I sit to write about the subject and I just can remember the good.

 

This particular November I have a list of happy events, and each one of them could be a best. To make it a little more interesting, you guess which one I picked. Here they are: 1) Visiting JP in Richards Bay where he leads a group of divers doing an important environmental job. 2) Completing my beginners dance course. 3) Spending some rainy days in a place that I really like. 4) Going to the concert where TD’s group presented for the first time their second album, supposed to be out in February. 4) Reading a critic who rated a book I co-wrote as a five stars work. 5) My afternoon bougainvillea walks.

 

I think it is a bit obvious which one I picked. Did you guess it?