Chapter 2 - Mozambique

My life revolves around waves and where to find them. So naturally, each place I visit holds its special charm, a unique blend of surf culture people and, of course, food. Trips to me usually fall within three distinct categories the comfortable ones, places, you know, easy to get to, where familiar faces make it feel just like home. Then there are the places that live up to the hype. Places like Bali, California, or the Canary Islands offer something other places don't. I can't really pinpoint exactly what it is. There isn't a particular thing that stands out, but rather a combination of reasons that make me want to return time and time again. It's the third category that's perhaps the most exciting one. It hosts mysterious off the beaten path destinations rooted in culture and history, places like Morocco or the Basque country, for example. Some might even argue for a fourth category the under-the-radar gems like the Banda Aceh region in Indonesia or the southern atolls in the Maldives. And then there is Mozambique, a country that defies categorisation fitting into all of the above and none at the same time. Hey, welcome back. I'm Sonny Fassler, you host of Duct Tape Theory. Today's episode takes us from Bali, an island affectionately known as the Island of Gods in Southeast Asia to Southeast Africa. 

 U3 

 1:34 

 Mozambique, a land that whispers tales of Portuguese colonization echoes the somber notes of civil war and radiates the vibrant rhythm of its unique culture. Picture a land where 50,000 year old human footprints bend across landscapes that Vasco da Gama once hailed, a land that has embraced and resisted, grown and bled. Mozambique's history is a captivating tale of contrasts and harmonies, where symbols of power and defiance unite with whispers of peace and resilience, from raging civil wars to Portuguese occupation to the sway of the Swahili and the resonating bead of the mayor band Banda music. Mozambique's tale is one of complexity and paradox a nation whose flag bears the bold imprint of an AK 47, not as a call to arms, but as a lasting symbol of a fierce struggle for independence. Yet this same land has also embraced peace, transforming instruments of war into tools for life. Through the Creative Guns for Work program, the Southeast African nation welcomes the shadow of the past and pairs them with the hopes of tomorrow. But there is more to Mozambique than its complex history. The rich cultural landscape is dotted with over a dozen major ethnic communities within its borders, such as the Makua and Tonga tribes. The McCune clan, or the people of Shannon, Shona and Sana. A wealth of languages sing through the streets with Portuguese inherited from the colonial rule as the official language, yet enriched by over 40 different indigenous languages like a makua chin, Nana and Chisinau painting a linguistic mural that's uniquely Mozambican. Then there are the unique xylophone orchestras of the chop, the literary genius of Miyamoto, the timeless art of the day, and a culinary fusion that dances on the palate. From the nation's capital of Maputo to the Unesco World Heritage site of Mozambique Island. Once the capital of colonial Portuguese East Africa. Mozambique is a country of color, culture and history. Its people are a proud reminder of the African spirit, strength and resilience. Yet Mozambique's journey is also scarred by tragedy. The brutal civil war that left a million people dead. The lingering mystery of Samora Marcelo's death, natural disasters that have rocketed its coasts and the unending struggle with poverty, inequality and corruption. Through it all, though, Mozambique stands a country striving, surviving and celebrating. But my words are merely a surface glance to understand the true complexity, beauty and strength of Mozambique, I'm joined by four friends who call the Southeast African nation divided into two topographical regions by December's river home, offering a deep dive into a world where action sports intersect with daily life, culture and history. Vincent Cho or Imani Cho, is the pride of Mozambique surf culture. His good pal Pedro Perrineau, a racecar driver who went from racing and parking lots to the European Le Monde racing series, is made from the same cloth. And then there are people like Nobita Morimoto, a Japanese national who made Mozambique her home in 2010, working alongside Miniato as the administrator of Tofu Surf Club, an offshoot of South Africa's Surfers Not Street Children, a world renowned organization that empowers street children and children at risk 310 miles, or roughly 500km south of tofu Surf Club in Maputo, an unfolding narrative has begun to cement this place, a far cry from the sea's embrace. The city's asphalt has birthed its own form of rebellion. Martin Lucic, through his organization Skate World Better, has been making an undeniable mark on its urban terrain. His name has been instrumental in solidifying the nation's thriving skate scene by creating spaces where passion meets purpose. He rallied an international crew of skaters and volunteers leading the establishment of two major skate parks in the capital. But beyond just venues for skating, these parks serve as communal hubs, places of shared determination and unity, instilling pride in the city's youth and giving them a tangible representation of collaboration and ambition. These names and stories echo many others throughout the country. There is a growing sense of hope as individuals take a stand and create their own legacies, inspiring future generations to rise up and transform, whether it's on foot, on land or in the water. And one young man who embodies this transformation more than perhaps any other is Sungmin Cho, better known as many Cho risen to stardom thanks to stabs documentary Chasing the Unicorn. Minnie's journey is as contrasting as Mozambique's landscape. Born and Indian born to a South Korean dad and a mozambican mother, he spends his younger years in South Africa far away from the ocean. Yet fate had its plans intertwining his life with Mozambique's coastline once again after his family returned, escaping South Africa's Santa phobic tensions. At the age of 14, while many of his peers were deep into their sporting passions, many was just beginning his flirtation with the waves. Without formal lessons, an old surfboard gifted to him, he taught himself, finding solace and escape from reality in the water. Many story is one of highs and lows from the challenges of his early life to the recognition he now enjoys on the international stage. While he holds a distinct position as Mozambique's first professional surfer, he's quick to highlight that he doesn't want to be the only one, but instead the first of many, a sentiment that underlines many Chos humble and friendly character that has made him one of Africa's favorite surfer. As we steer toward new promising dawns for Mozambique, we witness a fusion of individual dreams and collective aspirations. This isn't just a chronicle of one man's journey, but an insight into a country on the cusp of a transformative era. Told through the lens of Sungmin Cho, affectionately known as the Mozambican surfer. 

 U4 

 7:25 

 Funny enough, I never lived around the ocean when I was I was born here in Yemen, which is like a village. And then my parents moved to South Africa for better economic situation. So work and all that stuff. And 

 U1 

 7:38 

 then we lived there for about ten years. And then in 2012 there was a, a lot of xenophobic attacks. Um, I don't think a lot of people know about xenophobic attacks, but it was when, you know, the, the local 1s South African residents were chasing out the non local South African residents, so they were attacked. Well, the, the attacks were aimed a lot towards Mozambicans at one point. And so my mom got really scared. And so that kind of changed our lives because we had to move from South Africa because we lived in a mining town in South Africa, Rustenburg. So a lot of migrants from all over, you know, African migrant Zimbabweans and, you know, people coming from all over Mozambicans there, working there. And so in 2012, we moved back to Mozambique. It was not our choice. Um, and prejudice never surfed, never knew what surfing was. You know, I never grew up around the ocean. I'd go down to the beach for a holiday and, and stuff. Um, moved back to Mozambique and then, yeah, for the first two years, you know, from 2012 to 2014, I never really surfed. I, you know, I was one of those kids that would hang out on the beach all the time because there's nothing else to do in this little village. I'd play football with. My brothers grew up playing football, but I did watch the surfers. And I've always asked my parents, you know, ask my mom, like, can I learn how to surf? Can I go surfing? But it's not the cheapest thing to learn and to do. And so I, you know, never had the means to do it. In 2014, there was a guy who 

 U4 

 9:09 

 he had seen me go to the beach every single day, you know, going down, playing soccer. And then he gave me a surfboard. Um, so, yeah, five, eight, neon trippy, looking for it. But it was pretty fun. Um, and then, yeah, in his exact words, pardon my language, but he said, get the fuck out there. Like South African guy, pretty funny guy. And so he gave me the board and then I went out 

 U1 

 9:29 

 there and, um, you know, try to learn how to surf with my brothers. You know, we had, we had one board between three of us, and we all like swapping and changing, but it's just like weeks of paddling and not getting waves. Uh, 

 U4 

 9:41 

 you know, we never had lessons. We never knew what we're doing, 

 U1 

 9:44 

 but, um, you know, that's the only way you can learn. You got to start somewhere. And so, yeah, for. For time, we were just paddling, learning, trying, not really getting up in waves. And then, um, there was a guy here who was surfing with his longboard, and he saw me, like, probably saw me struggling. And so he pointed me over and he was like, um. 

 U4 

 10:04 

 Top on my board because he had this like nine foot single log. He's like, Hop on my board. Close your eyes and push runs away and just stand up, 

 U1 

 10:11 

 you know? Um, 

 U4 

 10:13 

 I was kind of confused at why he told me to close, close my eyes. But then I realized it was because, like, I didn't even know which foot I put at the back. So I close my eyes and he pushed me away. He said, Stand up. It's like, you know, instinctively just stand up what's most comfortable to you. And so I stood up. Then I figured out like, oh, I'm a, you know, regular footer. And then from there, that's kind of where the surf journey took off. 

 U1 

 10:33 

 Um, and then at 15, I started, you know, growing up here, it's not we moved here with nothing, you know, so we didn't have much. It's not, you know, the cheapest place to live in, especially if you, you know, you have brothers in a in a family. It's not cheap. And so we had to all start working young. So I started working at 15. I started working at a surf shop, um, giving surfing lessons and. You know, making some extra cash just to make sure that, you know, the family can stay supported because we have a young we had a younger brother who was still going to school. My older brother was working as well. My mom obviously doesn't work. So we just had to make sure that we could support the family. Um, 

 U4 

 11:10 

 so then, yeah, at some point I think surfing became this escape for me because then, you know, like there would be a lot of stresses and pressures of like, you know, working and studying and, you know, surfing is as, as cliche as many people say. It is like the moment you get into the ocean, everything kind of just disappears. You know, like 

 U1 

 11:30 

 you 

 U4 

 11:32 

 it's hard. Like you you can't believe how the moment you step in the water and the water touches like it's gone. Everything, you know, I'd never think about like, oh, tomorrow I have to work or what am I going to do next? It's just like I went away if I want the next wave, you know? So it's like it became this escape. And so I think it being an escape and me trying to be like constantly trying to escape that life. I was surfing so much. And so I got consumed by surfing. And it was like the best thing ever. And then I remember that, you know, as I progressed because I was surfing so much, I progress at a very fast rate. Remember, I was surfing in the bay and 

 U1 

 12:06 

 then, um, I kind of got this one little, you know, close up barrel. And I saw like the vision of the barrel for the first time, and then that was it. I was like, This is it like, I want to do this? You know? And yeah, it kind of consumed me. And then, you know, over time, surfing and training, I never thought about doing surfing as like a job, you know, I was always like, This is fun. You know, maybe I could do it like, semi-professional if that's a thing. And then I Googled it up, You know, one day I was like, Let me Google it and see like, if there's any other Mozambican professional surfers. And I never found there's never been one. I never it was like, you know, I Googled it. I was like. I remember because I Googled it and I looked at it and there was no one. And I was like, That's my goal. That's my goal. I'm going to become the first ever Mozambican professional surfer in the world. You know, like, that'll make history. And so that was it. I was set on that. Like, I'm going to train hard surf and become the first. 

 U4 

 12:59 

 You know, I didn't think it was possible. I didn't think it was possible at some point. But I was like, you know what? This is my goal. This is my dream, you know, 

 U1 

 13:04 

 And I'm going to 

 U4 

 13:06 

 make sure I do whatever it takes to get there, you know? And so I served hard. I trained hard, and there was a lot of pro surfers coming. And you're like guys like Jordy and all those guys, they would come in and I would see them every year, you know, and. The first couple of years, obviously, like, you know, because I was still learning, they they didn't really take notice. But then over time, like they started to notice like, wow, we're coming back and he's getting better and better and better and he's getting good, you know? And so that's when I also realized, like, I think I'm progressing at like a fast rate because I only started surfing at 14. And for a professional level, that's very, very, very late, you know? But I think I made up for it with the amount of like time I put in the water. I was a surfing. I was so burnt, like I was dark blonde hair, just surfing every single day, whatever the conditions were. And so, yeah, that was that was it. I was like, you know what? Like I can stamp my my place in history by becoming the first ever Mozambican surfer. And I did. But then. Kind of was like, This is cool, but I don't want to be. There's a lot of guys who become the first but then just fade away, you know? So I didn't want to be the first and then that's it. Like, you know, I wanted to be the first one. I wanted to pave the way for surfing in Mozambique. 

 U1 

 14:14 

 I want many more other kids to come through and become professional surfers, you know? Wanted, you know, since surfing became an Olympic sport, that was like another goal. I'm like, that would be sick. You know, if we get a team to go to the Olympics and then also just be the most decorated surfer in Mozambique. And that could be that could mean anything. You know, like it doesn't mean that you have to win a bunch of contests. For me, it's like, you know, being the most decorated means like, you know, you know, putting out movies or kind of growing the community, you know, that that that's a big part of it because surfing is so new in Mozambique, you know. And so, yeah, that's kind of that's kind of the path that I'm going down now, you know, because I see surfing is taking off here in Mozambique and man, it's been picked up by like all the locals like in Yemen. Interview Live is probably the one place in Mozambique where you'll see the highest concentration of local surfers. You see so many local surfers in the water. And I think that kind of also goes back to like it's so easy to surf here. The water is so warm, the waves are good. You know, it doesn't take much for a kid to get into the water, you know, And so when you give them the means of surfing, you know, like the equipment, they don't need anything else. You know, they're only wetsuits. They don't need to, you know, get all this other stuff. You just give them the surfboards and they just go out there and they get good. They get good really quick, you know, because where I live in Tokyo here, everything revolves around the ocean. You know, there's a lot of diving, there's a lot of surfing, there's a lot of marine tourism, you know. And so once you get once you get your foot into the ocean here, you're good because you're going to place yourself in this town in some way because that's kind of where the majority of the tourism is from. You know, Mozambique with its political history. You know, there was a big civil war here. And I think Mozambique gained independence from the Portuguese in 1976. And so. 1s Most of the times with with colonization. I think this is my personal opinion. Like little sometimes colonization things get left behind, you know, like. 1s In Mozambique. Nothing was left behind. It was completely destroyed, you know, And so Mozambique had to start rebuilding from the bottom up. And so, um, you know, something like surfing, uh, it's so. It's so new. Well, first of all, I think just sports in general. In Mozambique, there's still not a lot of support for sports. You know, when I when I started surfing here in Mozambique and I became the first professional surfer, I went to represent Mozambique outside, I didn't get the support from, you know, government or from from, you know, companies here locally. Um, and 

 U4 

 16:46 

 it kind of confused me. I didn't understand why. 

 U1 

 16:49 

 Uh, but first of all, I think surfing is so new in Mozambique. One, um, 

 U4 

 16:53 

 it's not really a sport that. Like Mozambicans kind of, you know, like in Mozambique. The sports that are really big are like football. Um, basketball. 

 U1 

 17:05 

 They, 

 U4 

 17:05 

 they are I think Mozambique does some, like, sailing stuff and they're pretty good. But surfing is just this new sport that that's never been, you know, it's only been something when, when I spoke to Mozambicans and asked them they like and guys from, you know, years ago, they said that surfing was something that tourists only did. You know, it was only things that tourists would do and not Mozambicans. And so that's why, like it was never recognized as like a sport in Mozambique. 

 U1 

 17:30 

 Um, and so. 1s I've 

 U4 

 17:34 

 tried to find sponsorship in Mozambique and it's very difficult because brands just don't know how to market surfing or market the beach, which is the craziest thing because everywhere else in the world, like that's 

 U1 

 17:44 

 the cool thing, like the beach and surfing and brands in Mozambique just don't see that yet. But that's changing now, you know, and I think also with the movie now, people are starting to see that, you know, surf tourism in Mozambique is pretty huge. And I think the government is maybe starting to. I know like tourism, you know, the the heads of tourism are starting to realize that while surfing is actually something that's bringing a lot of people into our country, people are flying, you know, and they noticed this because people are flying in, you know, coming to surf. It used to be that here in Dover, they used to be a lot of people coming into dives primarily. But now 

 U4 

 18:17 

 I think the surf tourism and the dive tourism is kind of head to head, if not maybe more surf tourism coming in here. And so. 

 U1 

 18:26 

 It's hard to talk about how there's no support, but I think it's changing. And and I would like to think that that's, you know, partly because like people like myself and also the surfing club, you know, that I run the charity, you know, seeing that Mozambicans are starting to take the sport in, you know, and that I think the big thing that changed as well is that when surfing became an Olympic sport, finally did, like the sports secretaries and stuff, see that, oh wow, this is a sport we have we have this here in Mozambique. We actually have good waves and this potential that maybe we can have a team or something like that. So yeah, and I also think that surf hasn't been entirely explored in Mozambique. Like you have the name brand spots, you know, like you have bonded water, you have, you have tofino here, but there's so many more spots that we don't know yet. And that could be, you 

 U4 

 19:16 

 know, could be good. And so I think also that's a very interesting thing, that surf exploration could be. You know, the future of surf exploration is Mozambican. You know, maybe Mozambicans will be going out hunting those ways because obviously these name brand spots is going to get crowded. And everyone naturally, when it gets crowded, you want to go find something new. And I think, 

 U1 

 19:34 

 um, yeah, I think, you know, in the future there'll be many more spots, many more local surfers, um, surfing up here. So I think, uh. For me. I feel like the way surfing is moving in Mozambique and that's a good thing. Like I always say that because we're such a new surfing community. It was such a new like surfing the surfing culture so new we can look at the other countries or the other places that have made those mistakes and we don't make those mistakes. We kind of fix those mistakes, you know, so we can see like, okay, surfing in other countries is is is predominantly run by non-local surfers. We want to change that. We want to have local surfers running the surf industry and all that stuff, you know, because also when Mozambican government sees that that's what they want to see. They want to see the most beacons owning, you know, the surfing community, the surfing culture, you know, things like that. You know, we we we can see the mistakes of the industry that have been made from other places and then try and fix that here, you know, and run surfing in a way that's more like, you know, sustainable, that it 

 U4 

 20:34 

 benefits the locals. And so. 1s I hope that the stereotype will change because like a lot of the surface here, you know, they're they're surfing and they're taking care of themselves. And, you know, it's it's changing their life. And so, like it all comes back to, you know, the charity that I run here to for surf club. People can see that surfing has taken these kids off the streets, you know, because the kids used to hang on the streets. They used to be you know, they had a lot of free time on their hands. The moment you engage them into surfing, they get so consumed by surfing that they're surfing. They want to surf all day, you know, And it's an afterschool program. So the kids go to school, they come back after school, they go surf. After that, they're tired. They want to go home and sleep and go to school the next day, you know. And so it changes the lives of kids. And you can see that surfing has like a positive impact, you know, on on the kids here in Mozambique. And not only here think, you know, a lot of places. And so. 

 U1 

 21:26 

 Yeah, I hope that the stereotype for that change is in that there'll be more support and slowly, slowly support is starting to come in more and more and brands are starting to see like, okay, surfing is cool. Surfing is a really cool thing in Mozambique. The locals are doing it, you know, So maybe we should support it more. Maybe we should try and do some more stuff around surfing. And so in my time growing up, that was never a thing. And they were just like you, one surfer like. What is that? But now they're like, okay, wow. There's like a whole wave of Mozambican surface. So something is happening here. And so, you know, there's a I don't know the exact statistic, but I think the majority of people in Mozambique here are young, under the age of like 30, you know, So there's a lot of young people here. And so there's a big market for surfing and for advertising, surfing. And, you know, I think it's there's a lot of potential. For example, I think now that Mozambicans, like they're starting to realize that they, you know, they need to take ownership of of you know because for a long time what we had was not ours, you know. And so that's what I see. I see a lot of Mozambique is starting to take ownership and starting to, like, really understand that this is their land, this is their place. They've have you know, they have roots here going many, 

 U4 

 22:40 

 many years back. And also they need to take ownership of their land and their own place. And so you see more Mozambicans, you know, trying to place themselves in like important positions here that that that, you know, will change any decisions that are made. Um, they are there to make sure that they have their say because sometimes decisions are made for. 

 U1 

 23:02 

 Like the good of tourism, but it doesn't really. It benefits tourism, but it doesn't benefit the local communities that are living in the outskirts, you know. And so it's always it's always good for that. They have this like a community voice. And so I think, um, in terms of I'm very big with, with sports, you know, And so in terms of sports in Mozambique, like one, I want to see a national team, like a competitive national team, I want to see a team in the Olympics for surfing, hopefully myself included, if I'm not too old. 

 U4 

 23:30 

 Um, and just sportsman like Mozambique has so much potential with like, athletes, you know, like, I have friends who are like, I have a friend who's a football player. He's such a good football player. You know, Um, there's also Pedro, who's a friend of mine who's, you know, he does the, the racing. And so you'd never expect the Mozambican to be racing, you know, But there's this, all these little interesting athletes or sports that, that, that happening in Mozambique that I just don't think Mozambique notice you know I think the Mozambican 

 U1 

 24:01 

 I don't know they they have their eyes on like the typical sports football basketball but there are some really good athletes in some different sports. You know, like I think that surfing is very different as well, you know, And I see myself as being, you know, up there with a lot of other kids coming through my friend who races, you know, then I have this kite surfers, you know, that are coming out through through Mozambique. So. There is a future for extreme sports. You know, it's just I think it'll be pushed once we have the support and the facilities to train, to be able to to nurture that sport. And so it's still new. You know, people like like 

 U4 

 24:36 

 Pedro, he's he's paving the way for racing. You know, maybe more kids will see that and they'll be like, Damn, I want to go into racing, you know, the sky surface. Maybe the kids will be like, I want to do Kitesurfing. And I'm hoping that, you know, people seeing like myself and the locals seeing me surfing, they like, I want to become a professional surfer, you know? And so, 

 U3 

 24:55 

 um, my hopes is just to, like, you know, that Mozambique just become a competitive nation in sports, just like, you know, because I'm very proud and very patriotic about being Mozambican here, Indian. But so I'm from India, which is a little bit north of Maputo. The capital is Maputo. It's a little bit north here in number. And we have a saying this goes back many, many, many years. I don't know who gave us that that saying, but it's true in Yemen is that the border which means the land of good people and that that like you can see that through everyone all the people here in Yemen, they're very they're very kind, very warm, very welcoming. You know, um, so a big part of 

 U4 

 25:33 

 home is the people. And I want to see Mozambique winning, you know, and all these things. And so there's another guy, Noel, also Skater, he is a great skater. You know, I think he traveled to to I'm not sure if it's Dubai or Abu Dhabi. I'm not too sure. But, you know, he was doing Olympic qualifiers. And so, man, there's just so many there's so many good athletes here that just, you know, I think with enough support, we can get out there. 

 U3 

 26:06 

 As we leave behind to finish a point and the intimate storytelling of miniato. We had towards the circuit the asphalt where speed, precision and heritage unite. Here a different narrative unfolds, combining Mozambique's intricate past with its pulsating present and her Pedro Perrineau. When one envisions Mozambique racing circuits are in the first that comes to mind. Yet Pedro, with every lap he completes, writes a new chapter for his homeland. Just as the ancient dhows sailed the Mozambican coast, Pedro races with the weight of two proud nations, Mozambique and Portugal, beating in his chest. In the vast tapestry of the African continent, Mozambique emerges its patterns, both radiant and subdued. Each strand narrating a tale that spans centuries. Its eastern coastline grazed by the Indian Ocean, remembers the ships narrating stories of trade and exploration, yet move inland. And the land resonates with history at every turn. Here at Vasco da Gama legacy remains and remnants of the Portuguese empire linger. Cities like Maputo, formerly known as Rancho Marquez, resonate with the sound of earlier times, while old landmarks like the San Sebastian Fortress stand a silent witness to a time when Mozambique and Portugal's destinies were inseparably intertwined. This nation, nestled in Southeast Africa, has endured much the scars of prolonged civil war and the reminders of Portuguese colonization evident in the heart and soul of its cities. But Mozambique's true essence lies in its resilience, its people exemplifying endurance, adaptability and a spirit that refuses to surrender. It's within this rich backdrop that the story of Pedro Perrineau takes flight as one of only two Mozambican race car drivers. Pedro's journey on the track reflects the broader progression of his homeland. His dual heritage is an eloquent reminder of the symbiotic relationship between Mozambique and Portugal, a bond forged in history and tested in adversity. In Pedro, we see the embodiment of Mozambique's past, present and future as his car roars to life. It's not just the engine you hear, but the collective heartbeat of a nation, a symphony of its struggles, triumphs and unrelenting hope. As we dive deep into the very essence of what it means to be Mozambican in a rapidly evolving world. 

 U1 

 28:32 

 Mozambique. 2s I was born in Mozambique, and 2s I'm actually very proud of this. Actually. Many people are born in South Africa and then they come to Mozambique. I'm glad it's my principal decision of me actually being born there. And I was raised there since ever. 1s So I grew up there until I was 11. 1s When I was 11, we had the little a little problem with. 2s But it was like only one one year 1s where that was happening. So I kind of moved to Portugal and also to, to pursue my career because. We were put to use to reconsider. What can I say? It's not even a track. It was a parking lot made, and the track was made of old, like truck tires around to make a layout and we'd tape and then we would go around that. 2s So I grew up there, right? Yeah, I studied there. I chose that to have like, lots of languages, like in England, but was different in that. Different every. If you go to different places and built up a different dialect. Like I said, poetry isn't the main road. But then we have the native dialects, which are difficult. Chandana is the main one. And. 2s Poetry is the main language 

 U3 

 30:06 

 and even English. If you go to the touristic places like Buzzard or two of 3s those places actually is for Portuguese. So and in the middle of all of this. 1s We need to remember that 17% of that country 1s is Islamic as well. 1s Though some people know 2s quite a lot. First of all, of course, as everybody knows, unfortunately, one of the poorest countries in the world, you know, in terms of capital. But on the other hand, is super rich in minerals and nature. 1s Uh, it's. You have everything. You know, you have the City of Lockport. So, you know, a normal city where I'm actually from where we live. And you have, uh, have so many things. You have a beautiful beach, You have tofu, for example. It's my favorite place to be in. You have Benguela Island. You have. You have, uh, just islands around with beautiful, like blue water, like skyway, which is raising the energy level called luge, which is as well. In the north. You have places, if you like, to 1s be more in nature and like forest type tailless beach. So you kind of get everything around there if you really explore and go through, it's an adventure. 1s It's still because it's not explored yet, which I think is good because if you're a tourist and you go there, you get like a real experience, like nothing is made out. I think that's that's also amazing. Yes. I don't know. And you have so many places. You also have Ponta, for example. I love surfing since ever and for searching for example is. Something else, sir. We know a couple of places that maybe not everyone knows, which is good for us. Just beautiful barrows, Long ways, everything you are. 1s In general in a beautiful country. The food is amazing. People are nice. I would describe it firstly as a unique. 1s Because it's the way I've traveled to Asia. I went to America, south North. I went to Europe a lot, just a lot of places around the world, actually. Lucky enough to say that. And it's just unique to. 1s That's way different 

 U1 

 32:46 

 to people. They actually stopped to help you. Like they lose their entire little life. Since you're around there, you don't know what's happening. They will lose time to help you, but you need to get wherever you are to get or to get the information you want to get. Um, it's, uh. It's just destroying the people, the environment. 1s The beauty of it is like, to be honest, every time I'm there, I don't feel like it's real. Or maybe it's strange to hear that, but I actually like it. It's a movie and we're just enjoying time and time passes through with family. Friends. Um, just passes through like. Like it's a movie literally near the main characters just enjoying life around there. 1s I personally stay more time on the South, not south, but around Middle South. But I've traveled on the others as well. On the north, there's more like. 1s We're like, remote. You know what I mean? Like less civilization. And you still have 1s old beliefs and people that live in little cabanas, you know, and they grow up with their own beliefs, which is pretty cool still to see that because it's like native. 1s That's from zero. They don't have information from around the world like most of us have. 1s They speak their own language as well. 1s I actually haven't learned in the North. This is difficult. 1s It's more remote in the north and then it's more vegetation is green. Everything's green. You have lots of animals. 2s It's pretty neat. Pretty cool. And then when you come down, the way you come down, it starts to being less vegetation, more beach kind of thing, more Paradise. And when you reach this Maputo, it's just the 

 U3 

 34:42 

 city is actually 

 U2 

 34:43 

 small, you know, but it's lots of people live in there. Because it's a nice city already. It's slowly building up because, you know, 1s the Portuguese went there, right. And made it a colony. So from there on. 1s Had to build their own thing step by step with making their own rules kind of thing. And I think it's always it's growing. Everything is growing. I mean, in Mozambique, you still do see a lot of Portugal and there's a lot of Portuguese people living there. 1s Of course, I actually need to be able to race with both flags always. 1s Which is, I think it's openness, boundaries, to be honest. This one was against yelling in the flag because then we can say we have the games that representing the can against the other and they have side by side look, but it's in Mozambique. You see a lot of Portuguese people. Everybody speaks Portuguese because it's a language still. And I don't think. There is much hate, you know. It's it would be normal to have because they call it the colonizer country. But it's not. There's not much hate about it. I think people have moved on, but people are amazing when you talk about Mozambique and Portugal. They always go like, oh, I really want to go there. Or they say, My father, my grandfather was from there. I'm always getting 1s my father my grandfather's rosary when there used to be a colony, you know, and that I heard also stories from my family, of course, the older generation. Right. And they say would even feel better to be in a puta at that time. And Lisbon was beautiful and all this. First thing people say is, isn't it dangerous? First thing straight away. 1s I mean, the only because that's the propaganda, you know, that goes around the world because from the very north, like almost in thirds 

 U1 

 36:48 

 India, which doesn't touch most people, of course. So there was a bit of war because, well, gas and everything happened. 1s And then people will see that. So in their mind, a stereotype. Mozambique Africa is dangerous. This is what they say. And I have to talk through even say that you've done well in paid off. I tell them that look. A White House and literally open. If you guys want to go in, you can. It's real close at anything. It's open. So it's very safe. And it's called the abortion, which means the. 1s They're good people. 1s We're going through stereotypes along roads and also we think we live. 2s Through the middle of nowhere. 1s I've got Go Where? They're locked on the TV from one of the poorest countries. It's kind of strange, but I was lucky enough to to go to Portugal and start from there. 1s Would of course help from my family and from 1s some some companies in Portugal and involved in the. And somehow I know. Somehow I got to. 2s It can. Six. My first race in Portugal. And then people were like, 1s okay, this is trash. 1s It's not 1s just racing in general. What is sports in general? It's like 0.0% of people in the world can do it and do it. So yeah, to have one for Mozambique. And actually it requires a lot of financial support because one of the expensive. 1s Where it's in the world. It's it's, you know, it's the truth. Everybody knows about it. 1s I should clean it. Was that my bungalow? It was certainly something dirty. 3s He raced him and was American. The only track we have. 1s Right at this 1s track. There exists their karting track. I used to see him around. I actually used to u12 sports. Are you still seeing it? It's like. 1s I think I could train this. I remember one day in the garage we were there. They would race for fun. You know, it's not this competition is what I do nowadays. And what are your friends like sitting in the car? They're like, okay. And then I tried. We gave a little lap like I was five, six, something like that. Just the baby car. It's quite slow, nothing special. But after that I was like, I like this. So that kind of started there in the parking lots when I was seven. And there was no race here. We had, you know, my competition from now. They were they were already in ridge tracks, international tracks and everything with tires, engine manufacturers, all this kind of crazy thing that was just there, like pure it's pure enjoyment at the time was really. Feeling there was no data. Like, see now, like crazy. Just lines crossing everything to understand what's happening. The car didn't understand anything or it was just pure feeling and enjoyment of it. And it was like that that starts. 2s I'm sure in there on. We could deal with them until now and I hope to continue so because I love representing a country where there's almost at represented in sports luckily we have millions are shaved out which I like to see and. 1s I like to see just people that we grew up in a different environment. You know, we didn't have everything like this. So it's nice to see everyone, specifically people growing up and representing our country. The best way outside the 

 U3 

 40:52 

 border. From the adrenaline charged race tracks with Pedro Perrineau, we shift gears, turning our sights to the heartbeat of Mobutu's urban landscape. Here, the narrative changes tempo but not intensity. If you listen closely past the immediate noise or fleeting interests, the real lifeline of any place reveals itself stories. It's at the beauty. My faith attractions may decline and people move on, but stories they stay repeating long past the memories of those who once told them. Meet Martin Lutz, part skateboarder, part dreamer and full time storyteller. Have you ever tried to build a skate park in the midst of bureaucracy, politics and occasional skepticism? Martin Through his Skate World Better Initiative with a gang of volunteers did exactly that. He's the mastermind behind the transformation of neglected patches in Maputo into skate parks that simultaneously serve as youth centres, talent hubs and local hangout spots. Now, as thrilling as a tale of building skate parks might sound, what's truly captivating are his stories wrapped within stories filled with suspense, laughter and moments that defy believe. Yet beyond these tales, what emerges is Martin's undeniable faith in skateboarding as a force of unity, a bridge over the divides of background and belief. And although his dream was ambitious, even naive at times, it certainly wasn't an impossible one. Where there is a will, there's a way, they say, and Martin is living proof of exactly that. 

 U1 

 42:23 

 Know that I've always wanted to work in an NGO world and I actually don't. I have my own company. I build skateparks commercially here around Europe, but I always knew that I would like to do some development in Africa in terms of actually building something there. You know, I studied African studies in Copenhagen. That was my major program, my master's program. I don't know how that's how we ask. Europeans call it. So it was my master's program in African studies. And within that we had to choose a project which we presented eventually, and that was our last exam sort of. So we didn't really, you know, draw a paper asking What's the history of Botswana? And after that it was more about fostering a project that we that we were having to do for the whole period of this program. That means two years and different people had different ideas. But I knew that I would like to do something in Africa which requires an actual building and construction because there's loads of organizations that, you know, invest money and do stuff, but then the results are not really tangible, you cannot touch it. So I was like, Hey, I don't want to be one of those. I want to do something that you can fucking touch. And my affinity to skateboarding is very obvious. So I just realized that actually building skate parks as a means of some sort of a development help doing it for the children, bringing skateboards. Um, it's pretty sick and I'm obviously not the first person who've ever done that, 1s but I got inspired by other organizations. But generally most important thing is that I was very sure my focus is going to be only on Africa and nothing but Africa. I'm not saying I'm building a skatepark somewhere else at some point, but there will be a commercial project if I do that, you know. But. Whenever I go to Africa to do I mean, whenever I go somewhere to do it for free. It's in Africa. It's in Africa. So I was set on that and then I was looking for a particular country and I always had a huge affinity to Portugal. I've spent a bunch of time there. You told me you're coming from a server background, so I also surf. I started surfing like before I started skateboarding actually, because I used to go to Portugal with my dad very often. So I started when I was like 5 or 7 when I was in Reseda and finishing all these areas over there, which I'm sure you know. And so I wanted I was since forever very interested in everything that has to go, has to do with Portugal including its. 

 U5 

 44:56 

 Like colonial experience, let's say. So I was like, okay, let me see what. Even though Portugal has the worst fucking colonial experience out of all the countries, sort of, you know, it's definitely worse than France. Definitely worse than than, than UK, probably Belgium is worse, but whatever. 

 U1 

 45:14 

 But I was like. 

 U2 

 45:16 

 Cool. I'll keep it Portuguese also for the reason that I just like the language. I like the culture and I don't know, I just want to check it out. So my eyes were on Angola and Mozambique, and then I just checked out what's happening in Mozambique and I checked out what's happening in Angola. And I found out that Angola just has a brand new skatepark built by this organization called Concrete Jungle Foundation. So I was like, well, then this leaves out Mozambique free of any skate parks. Then I should do it there. And I literally go on Google and I just try to look around what's happening there regarding the skate scene. And I bumped into a guy called Francisco who up until this day and I've done more projects now happens to be the best partner I've had. He's just. 

 U1 

 46:02 

 He's actually an IT guy, so he's more of a middle class guy. He doesn't he's not really like a super, super poor shaman or something like that. He's actually doing pretty well. He has a really nice house, but he's not greedy, you know? And even though he could move to a nicer area and he could probably pay his kids a good school in South Africa, he's more like, Nah, fuck that. I'm buying a big house with a big property. And one day I would love to have a like a schoolyard over there. 

 U5 

 46:31 

 Maybe a skate park. I'll see what happens. Because he loves everything. He loves everything since day one. And, um. And he just did that. And he summons street kids from all over, and he lets them be there, and he lets them do whatever they want to do. He's doing some free schooling for them and all of that. And 

 U1 

 46:52 

 he's 

 U5 

 46:53 

 like, This program is called Skate education, which means skateboarding and education. And he, like he has these claims how if you skate, you don't really have time or the need to to drink beer or do drugs and stuff like that. So he's kind of taking all these street kids and trying to give them a little bit of a purpose instead of like spending time trying to spend time somehow. And what do we do? We don't have anything. So let's sniff this glue, you know? And then we start chatting and everything, and he's like, Hey, my yard is at your disposal. Like I have a yard. I can get all the. He's also very, like, smart with how things are going. It was like, let me know in advance, show me stuff, what it should look like and stuff, and I'm going to go get the paperwork because Mozambique is a very different country. I've chosen the the most difficult country bureaucratically in all of terms is, let's 

 U4 

 47:46 

 say for the first project, 

 U5 

 47:48 

 which I didn't know by then, because I wanted to, 

 U1 

 47:52 

 uh, make it clear that we brought a bunch of our tools, a lot of our equipment. I brought like 100 skateboards. So I flew in with a crew of 30 people and each of us had like 50 kilos of their own tools and shit. So obviously it couldn't happen that we would just get through the airport, sit in a car and go, you know, obviously there was like a whole fucking army coming in. That's like, Why are you what are you doing here? 30. 

 U5 

 48:18 

 So right at the airport, I already had like a couple hour negotiations going on. Um, but all these. All these pieces of puzzles were just falling together pretty good. That they're not. There's nothing there. I'm very interested in the country. Uh, even before going there, I knew a lot about what was going on there. Like, you know, from the history perspective. And I just. I just. I would. I dare saying that I know more about Africa than just an average person because I was studying it, obviously. But even without those studies, I've always had affinity to this continent and I've always, you know, watched documentary. So if there was a documentary about Latvia, I would be down to watch it. But if there was a documentary about Zimbabwe, I'm fucking definitely watching it, you know? So 

 U1 

 49:03 

 I was like, 

 U5 

 49:05 

 I'm stoked. I'm going there. I know actually a lot of a lot about this country and I'm finally having a chance to spend my time there. I just decided that I want to do this and I felt like it's a it's a great idea. And it was because it turned my life around. And now I live off of that sort of in Mozambique. I flew there two months before we started the project and I was my own plug doing that. I was just learning how to do stuff. So I was running around the country or more like around the city. Finding where I can get those materials, where I can get wood, where I can get rebar or like any kind of metal where I can get this and that. How much it all costs. I was trying to calculate it. I was trying to design it. I. Obviously I was working with designers at that time where doing work for me. Um, 

 U1 

 49:54 

 and when I had a good idea of how much it will cost and how we will be building that actually then there was a moment of actually making sure that all the people can land in, because I flew there with a group of two guys or three guys actually in advance. So that was kind of easy. But then when everybody was landing with the boards and all that, it was sure that it's going to be a lot of trouble. So and also for them to come there, it was impossible to get them working visa. But if they come on just a tourist visa, then they cannot stay in a house. They would have to go straight to a hotel. So we had to find our ways around all that. So what I did is that I found a guy who was helping me the whole time because I found him in Copenhagen. Actually, he was his dad, uh, 

 U5 

 50:45 

 is a mozambican. And he's like, he's a mozambican too, but he lives in Denmark his whole life. So this dude, his name is called. It was like, I'll help you with this project. It sounds super good, and I love that you're doing it in our country. In my country. So let's, let's, let's do it. And through this dude, we rented a house, which he rented on his company, sort of. I mean, he had a companies that had a company. So it kind of happened. I mean, became like a, like a company's office. But the truth was that 35 people who came for a month to build skatepark were living there. So that's how we hacked it, because otherwise everybody would have to go to a hotel because a whole different money and all that. So we had a house like that. 

 U1 

 51:29 

 But all the people who are coming there would normally have to come and stay in a hotel. And the hotel sort of gives you a guarantee that you can get the entrance visa. I mean, I don't know how you are entering, but normally you should have like a you either have a hotel stay and then that's fine because they are sort of inviting you or you need to have an invitation letter from somebody telling, hey, my friend Joey, I met him over there and he's coming to my wedding for five days. So you can also do that. And that's how you get people into the country. So I had to meet 35 Mozambicans to get them, write me an invitation letter for 35 volunteers coming down there. Everybody coming for a wedding or something, or like a funeral or rather a wedding, you know, happy 

 U5 

 52:14 

 events or all. 

 U1 

 52:15 

 And. 

 U5 

 52:17 

 And I got 35 letters and I send those letters to my guys and they went to Mozambique and embassy, whether it was in America or Japan or Sweden or Berlin or UK, and they got them their stamps even before they landed. So that we we were double sure that, you know, they actually have the stamp already that they will not be relying on, on a dude who's on the airport waiting and like checking their bags and disputing like, are you really going to a wedding with all those drills? So 

 U1 

 52:49 

 that was that was like a 

 U5 

 52:50 

 lot of bureaucratic bullshit that I had to do, which I technically was hacking it all, but there was 

 U1 

 52:57 

 no. Official way. But in my head I wasn't feeling bad because I knew that I'm doing something good. I'm not trying to start a heroin business in the country. I'm trying to build a skatepark here for the local kids. And even if the officers were stopping me and giving me fines or like I was bribing them, I was like, Guys, I'm doing this for your kids. Like your son might as well be shredding in that park. But they were, you know, they weren't giving a fuck about that at that moment. Like we built two, by the way, at the same time. We built two projects there. I wasn't really paying attention to how steep will this quarter pipe be because that was not the point. The point was to make sure that we even can start and we have the money and there is no police on our back on our ass. And that was a process that took me pretty much a year and a couple of months to get to a point when I took a shovel and we started again. And then the building process on its own to like three weeks, that was like this, you know, like these, like ants running around and just we build it quick. 

 U5 

 54:03 

 And I am stoked that I can claim that that from like €50,000 that I would get from United Nations, I accept for the flight ticket. I leave all this money in Africa and they circulate in the African economy. But our like the main goal of of this whole thing 

 U1 

 54:23 

 is. 1s Obviously to create something that if I speak with Skater, I call it the skate park. If I speak with another NGO or European Union, I call it a youth center, because the idea is not only to build a skate park so that it can be skated, even though that's obviously a great part about it. And I'm not going to say that it's not there. I'm stoked that if 

 U5 

 54:51 

 you know guys from us, like really six skaters go to Mozambique on a safe trip or whatever, they can check out the skate park and they can skate it. So it is it can still be exposed to some really good skateboarding. And I'm glad that I can help put Mozambican skateboarding on the map at least a little bit. But it's not the main point really. It's not the main point. The main point is to create 

 U1 

 55:16 

 a space 

 U5 

 55:17 

 where you can go, you can feel 

 U1 

 55:21 

 safe, 

 U4 

 55:22 

 like no one's going to fuck with you, no one's going to give you any trouble because this is your space and the space should be 

 U5 

 55:29 

 serving multiple, 

 U1 

 55:33 

 multiple stuff 1s where all of them are on the verge of education but play at the same time. Um, where skateboarding, we chose that as something very specific because we know how to build a skate. 1s Uh, it sounds very as a good story. So getting the money for it is possible and all of that. And it's just, it just makes it like making a house with a playground sounds better than just the house. But why not do a playground, which will be a skate park? Because it can facilitate all the other things, like it's all concrete. So you can take a piece of chalk and fucking draw everywhere. Do you know it's a huge outside blackboard? Sort of. So that's one thing. There is definitely going to be a wall somewhere so you can screen on that wall, you can play movies, you can do whatever, whatever, whatever. 

 U5 

 56:25 

 Some of the obstacles will definitely be elevated. So ultimately you have a podium there. You can definitely have a concert. You can be doing some like, 

 U1 

 56:35 

 uh, 1s speeches, you can be doing lectures, you can be doing all kinds of things. So the space on its own is very multifunctional. But since we left, 

 U5 

 56:45 

 uh, I would say 

 U4 

 56:46 

 that. You know, more people found out about that. There is a skate park there and more people found out about the there's Francisco there. So they started supporting him more. They starting to send him more equipment. They started to bring him on TEDTalks and they started to like pay him case so that he can do it better, send him material, support him whenever he really he takes like two kids that are really talented from from Mozambique. He takes them and he flies with them around championships. There was a there was a like World Cup of skateboarding happening in Rome and he flew there with those two kids. So since then it's been moving and it's a I guess it's a mixture of everything. Like us building the park definitely helped because they can skate it better, they skate better through that, they get better clips and the clips are seen by someone and this someone is interested in helping them fly to Rome to skate the competition. So it has, you know, everything has a relation to something. Next, I've I've learned everything I needed to learn on this on this first project. I really did like in terms of logistics and in terms of organization. This whole thing, of course, about how building, how to build this and that. Like I say, there's always new ways which you can be learning. But in terms of how should I make sure we go there, it goes smooth and we fly back. I learned everything in this first project. So Mozambique to me is forever very 

 U5 

 58:25 

 close. And that's one lesson I want to tell you. Um, final thing. 

 U1 

 58:30 

 I 

 U5 

 58:32 

 did this project and 

 U1 

 58:33 

 then. 

 U3 

 58:34 

 I'm sure that Mozambique forever is going to be something very unique, very unique in my life because that's it all started there. Like my my close affinity to Africa, my my nowadays job. It's all based off of that project in Mozambique, pretty much. And for a couple of years 

 U5 

 58:51 

 I wasn't really paying too much attention to Mozambique. I was focusing on other countries because I have projects starting up there. And in the meantime we did Zambia, we did first. We're doing Ethiopia now. But now in this last month you approached me with this, and a week ago, or like ten days ago, there was a visit of the Mozambican president to the Czech Republic. And the office of the Czech president called me and they're like, Hey, we would like to invite you to the official dinner with this president. We would like to have you as a host. So I was there among ten people with two presidents of my country and fucking Mozambique who were sitting having a desk. And I was telling them what I'm telling you now, except for the bribes 

 U1 

 59:34 

 was insane. Yeah, yeah, 

 U5 

 59:36 

 yeah. So it's interesting that Mozambique to my life recently, uh, in such a strong way and sick. I love it. 

 U1 

 59:45 

 How? 19s Because. 17s Right now 

 U3 

 60:24 

 as we say goodbye to Martin and the streets of Maputo, we're headed to a place called Inhambane, also known as Terra de Boer, or the land of good people. There we meet up with Nina Morimoto, who takes us deep into the steady pulse of Mozambique. The very lifeblood of any nation isn't just found in its physical landscapes or notable figures. It's resonating in its culture culture with all its colors, flavors and sounds. It's the script by which every individual lives, loves, clashes and reconciles by culture is complex, solidified, and tradition that often disagrees with modern times. Yet it is the fabric that binds together a common thread of identity. In Mozambique, culture intertwines with tales of merriment. The beats, the vibrant and spiritual dance of magical legends whispered around campfires about the Great Lake Niassa and the culinary delight of Matata, a dish that's a tribute to the country's coastlines and rich agriculture. But the world seldom sees beyond the surface. Seldom here is the lesser known songs or taste, the hidden culinary gems. So in our pursuit of these treasures, we turn to Nina Morimoto, an embodiment of cultural fusion. Nobita hails from the busy streets of Singapore, holding the traditions of her Japanese heritage close to her heart. It was a professional calling that led her to Mozambique. But it's the nation's soulful embrace, its rich flavors and the warmth of its people that anchored her as the administrator of Tofu Surf Club, a diversion program that ensures that kids stay out of trouble. And in school, she doesn't just immerse herself in the culture, she becomes its keeper, ensuring the next generation navigates the delicate balance between age old traditions and the siren call of the new world. In this segment, we don't just explore culture through Nina's eyes. We live, breathe, and let it wash all over us. 

 U2 

 62:14 

 I am Japanese by heritage, but my parents emigrated to Singapore, so I was born in Singapore and I grew up there mainly my whole childhood. And then I studied marine biology in Australia, in Brisbane and after university I was traveling around working and in 2009 I contacted some people that I knew from the university that I was studying at, who I knew were in Mozambique in a place called Tofu and back then it was like this little shack on the beach, like a very small research centre focusing primarily on manta rays and whale sharks. So this little strip of coastline and Indian is unique on the planet. It's, you know, as far as the, the migratory patterns and the ecology behaviour of these two megafauna. And they had just started some research program studying, you know, the movement patterns and why the why we see them so much here all year round, which is which doesn't really occur in many other places around the world. So I left my job and I flew to South Africa and then onwards to I'd never been to Africa before, ever. I didn't speak Portuguese. I didn't know anybody. I just knew Simon, the main guy from from university that I knew. And that was all. And I landed in about April 2009, and I worked with them for about half a year. I think I was their research assistant. And then, long story short. 

 U1 

 63:40 

 It wasn't paying the bills. I needed to find a little job. I'd run out of all my savings. And then back then I met Craig, who is now my husband, and 14, 15 years later, I'm still here and have a little restaurant and breakfast. Two small kids. And yeah, 1s growing up with a little family by the beach here in Tokyo, which is, I guess, you know, when you live somewhere for so long, you can take it for granted sometimes. But I'm very well aware that it's definitely a little piece of Paradise. Still pretty pristine. Untouched. Beautiful place, beautiful people. Mozambique in general is is a wonderful place. The Mozambican people are a great people. So, yeah, I'm still here. Yeah. I think from early on I had had well, back then I wasn't really thinking so much of the future was just sort of taking it month, month by month, you know, and then month by month became year by year. Guess And then 

 U2 

 64:38 

 I couldn't really describe a specific moment when I decided, okay, this is my place for life. Even now, who knows if I'll still be here in five, ten years time. But yeah, I love it here. I really love living 

 U4 

 64:52 

 into a full 

 U2 

 64:53 

 in in this part of the world. I think Africa has really captured my heart and I know that I could never approve my husband's roots out of Africa. He's very deeply entrenched. You know, he South African. But I don't think he could ever live out of this continent. So, yeah, 

 U3 

 65:09 

 look, I grew up in Singapore, which is like the metropolis of the metropolis. You know, it's it's high rises and buildings and traffic all in this teeny, tiny, rhombus shaped island of, like, 20 by 40km or something. Super dense, super busy and think for me, Africa like meant psychologically. When I think about it, you know, just to imagine that between here and Morocco, it's like one vast continent that is uninterrupted. You know, it's just like the will, like it sounds so cliche, but that feeling of being in a place that is still so big and so untouched and so wild and I know a lot of it isn't. But in Mozambique especially, you know, for example, here we have a national park which is quite new. There's still importing all the animals in from around subsaharan Africa called Gorongosa National Park, and mean the little area that people can visit is like literally the tip of the park and the rest of it is still undeveloped. It's like thickest, most beautiful pristine forest that, you know, think people will still discover new species there. Like I just don't think there's so many places left on this earth like that and think that's for me, a very appealing to to raise my children in this kind of environment, you know, where they can run on the streets, no shoes, two minutes of the beach, you know, playing with all other kids, just being like very in touch with with like the real world, with the people, you know, like, I like that. I mean, unfortunately, because of the archipelago that, you know, in the channel, as far as waves go, it's not so easy. It's not like South Africa where the whole coastline has waves breaking those islands up north kind of stop the wave, you know, the waves from breaking further north of Yemen province. But even between here and down to Maputo, you know, there's so many beach break sandbars when point break slabs. But I'm 

 U2 

 67:06 

 sure of, if not ever never been ridden you know very barely visited by surfers at all. So and surfing in this country is a brand new sport like we are literally seeing the first generation of surfers come out of, you know, growing up on the beaches and learning how to surf. Not like in South Africa, where, you know, I don't know. What was the endless summer film like? 

 U1 

 67:29 

 You know, they've had exactly. They've had like nearly half a century of surf culture. And here it's just starting, which is really exciting actually, you know, like I think generally in the East, for example. 1s Like family values and like the whole family thing is really, really strong, you know, being close to your family, but looking after your parents until they're old age and so on and so forth. I find a lot of similarities here with that. Think the Mozambicans? Maybe it's just generally also an African culture. Maybe they're also very family oriented, very tight knit families, and they tend to live in communities where like a big plot of land is like all their family lived there, you know, the uncles, aunts, like the all the relatives, they all live in this in this one same area. And every child was brought. I guess that's a cliche. You know, it takes a village to raise a child. Every child is being looked after by multiple aunts and uncles, which also allows the parents to go out and work, you know, if they have young children like a super, super tight knit family, sort of not not a nuclear family, but you know what I mean? Like very close, close communities. Yeah, I think it's I think it's one of those things that I often think, you know, in Asia it's the same Families are very close. You look up to your parents way into their older ages and so on and so forth. So it's nice. And actually it's funny to go a little 

 U2 

 68:55 

 bit off topic, but when I first arrived in Tokyo and was my first shop ride from the airport to tofu, I looked around and reminded me so much of Southeast Asia, I don't know what it was. Obviously the people look different, but vegetation, the landscape, the color of the sand, the dirt, the bushes on the side of the road. It reminded me so much of Southeast Asia. Indonesia, you know, felt instantly at home when I first arrived. But I mean, even in a nearby city, there's still there's still a lot of remnants of the war and old railroad tracks where trains used to take slaves away and in places where they used to. There's like these chains and handcuffs still attached to the stone walls where they kept prisoners. And I mean, there's a lot of monuments, not a lot. There's a couple of monuments around. And tofu where there's one place for assassinating a myth is whether it's true or not. But it is an official government 

 U1 

 69:48 

 monument that during the war they would it's horrific for who people down. It's this sort of crevice into the ocean to to kill them, you know. And there's another monument where it's the monument of bones where they buried like it's like a kind of a mass grave of bones of people who died during the during the Civil War and have friends who remember when they were young running and hiding, you know, from people that were chasing them. I mean, it's but I guess tofu is a bit of a bubble existence. You know, it's this ex-pat expat town. It's very international. And in many ways we are quite removed from probably the the real Mozambican life. I mean, we're not far from it, but everyone here, for example, speaks English. There's restaurants with all different cuisines available. It's very touristic because of the diving and the surfing. So, I mean, in the ten years that I've been here, in 14 years that I've been here, I've definitely seen development in this town itself, which is nice. Even throughout Covid, we survived it and definitely on the whole town. It's a tourist town. He survived, you know, on on people traveling to come here. But definitely there are a lot of 

 U2 

 71:04 

 plaques on the sides of buildings. And, you know. 1s You will see if you look. You see remnants of of the war. And people here think because of that are such peaceful people. They're just really mellow, non-aggressive. They barely raise their voices at each other over anything. You know, if there's ever a problem in the community that will all meet with the elders under the tree and sit for the whole day to hash it out and like these this type of these type of people, they're just just lovely, lovely people, really nice. Especially in India. They call it the land of the good people. 1s And it was named that by Gama when he stops in Indian Bombay to get supplies for his boats. 

 U3 

 71:48 

 It's like a daily thing in small if you look everywhere, everyone is just always smiling, always willing to help, you know, always greeting you. Kids are always waving at. You mean it's just one of those places that it's a give and take, You know, everyone is so giving. And like, for example, this is a like a very small example, but I have a privileged enough to have a nanny that looks after my two children because I work a lot at the restaurant at late at night in the sun, so on. And she's just the most amazing woman. Like she's literally like their second mother. You know, when I look at people like and and I see how much she loves my children, just like she loves her own. I feel so much gratitude, you know, like this is this is these people. This is how they are. They they just take you in and they love you wholeheartedly. And they're all like that, most of them. That's the crazy part. You know, you you drive through if you drive through from between here in Yamba and you'll just see like, everybody waving and smiling. It's crazy. You just don't think you get in big cities or even in Maputo. Maybe that doesn't happen. Maybe it's like a small village thing. But yeah, it's nice. And there are so many dialects that are being spoken in this province, like so the province, the provincial border lines are obviously man made lines on the map, but the actual reality of the languages that exist completely cross border, you know. So somebody here speaks Chandana, which is the Maputo dialect. But a lot of people in South Africa also understand Ghana 2s is spoken by the people there is specific to Indian province, and it's a very, very, very small population. Somebody told me that it was like the the smallest. But I'm not 

 U1 

 73:38 

 saying this right. The smallest number of people that speak this language, that still have a Bible in that language, does that make sense? Yeah. Like these Bibles will one day not exist anymore in this big language and. 1s It's funny because, you know, I have I have run a restaurant and I have some stuff that from other 

 U2 

 73:56 

 other provinces. They come here and they don't understand. They just don't they don't speak English. They don't understand. They don't understand jungle because they're not from here. It's a very isolated it's not a widespread language and think it's sad, you know, like all dying languages should be preserved. And I hope that there will be some kind of movement or something to to preserve it. And the national language here is Portuguese. So there's a lot of people that don't even speak Portuguese that only speak it. Onda Mozambicans can be so superstitious. Not all of them, but I've heard that it's particularly strong and runs very deep in in Anbar province. They really they really believe in it very strongly. And sometimes it's tricky to navigate this, you know, without being disrespectful. I always try. I'm always very careful of what I say and how to approach things when when it starts to affect work. I'm like, okay, guys, you know, I understand what you're saying, but there has to be a way that we can resolve this. One of the kitchen ladies come and say, Well, someone's put a spell on me. They're stopping me from sleeping at night. They come into my dreams. I don't rest. You know, Recently I had one of my best guys, like the most wonderful, wonderful guy that works for me. Like super intelligent, super friendly, like wonderful person. Like really one of my favorite staff members. He left because he was convinced that there were other his colleagues, other guys who work with us that were trying to like, put evil spells on him and making him sick and making his family sick. And we tried for months to convince him that this was not the case. But he hasn't go back to work anywhere between from Maputo down in the south to about like two thirds of the country up north is very, very poorly oriented provinces. So Frelimo is a ruling party here in Mozambique, and they are quite a Marxist socialist party as opposed to Renamo, who are more prevalent up in the northern parts of Mozambique who are very anti-communist and very strong sort of workers union type vibe, you know, so very much like cooperatives and but yeah, it is becoming more and more capitalist now. Definitely think especially with all the LNG mining 

 U1 

 76:12 

 and 

 U2 

 76:14 

 well that's all gone out the window now. But yeah, there's, there's a lot of affluence in markets these 

 U1 

 76:19 

 days. My 

 U3 

 76:21 

 conversation with Nuyina quickly shifted from Mozambique's languages and the political landscape to the heart and soul of the region. Tofu Served Club, a diversion program where it serves as the administrator that ensures that kids, both girls and boys, stay out of trouble in school and in the ocean. 

 U2 

 76:37 

 So the club is, I'm sure many mentioned it's not a surf club as such. It's more of a mentorship program that is to sort of guide youths away from the bad ways, you know, starting to drink too early or experimenting with drugs too early, these kind of things, which happens a lot because a lot of these kids, they don't they either don't have both parents or they don't don't have one parent or they don't have either parents and they're being brought up by a grandmother and aunt or something. So they may not necessarily have, you know, the the home support that one would expect. And so it's yeah, it's a diversion program. And for me, what really touches me is the girls girls part of it. So it's very almost I'm going to say they're very sexist here. Girls are brought up to clean the house, wash dishes, have children, tend to the garden, grow the lettuce and the vegetables, and that's it. So we have community about five, 5 or 7km from here called Asa. And we have quite a few girls that come daily from Bubble Asa 2 to 12 to come to the surf club. And it was a struggle at the beginning because a lot of their fathers and their mothers didn't want them to come because tofu was the tourist town where it was overrun with foreigners and they didn't want their young daughters going, you know, seven kilometers up the road to the beach because they thought it was dangerous or not good for them. Bad influence. But slowly but surely, the girls the girls have to program is developing and the girls have the confidence to realize that they also are. We can have the same opportunities as the boys, you know, they can also learn how to serve. They can also play football on the beach. They can also do all the same things that their male counterparts can also do. And it's really nice to see that and more so it's nice to see the acceptance of their families Now they're allowed to come to do those things that they were not allowed to previously. So I really hope that is going to make a change and impact 

 U3 

 78:41 

 for the young girls of 

 U2 

 78:43 

 this area. Anyway, it's really nice to see. We 1s definitely see a change in, first of all, numbers like the club had a certain thing they started with like maybe I mean, it does fluctuate because it's not mandatory. You know, kids can come with kids. Kids cannot come. The only the only condition is that they still attend school. As long as they go to school, they can come to the club and they're all welcome. But there's so many more kids now than there used to be, so many more girls than they used to be. And there's definitely like a sense of belonging, which I think is really important. It's not, you know, like the journey, not not the destination, their sense of belonging, their sense of teamwork that they that they're always interacting with the same groups of maybe sharing, sharing the same passions of surfing or being outdoors or playing team games together or doing activities at the surf club. So outside of school and outside of family life, they have found like a little haven. You know where they are. They feel safe, they feel comfortable, they like going there. They have lots of fun. And out of the program we've got like, yeah, a few kids that are have jobs now. One is like one of the top lifeguards, which is also another community project that we're running. Working in restaurants. Yeah, it's good. I'm really happy with how the program is running. I think it's it's really it's one of those programs that makes differences difference. The difference in a very subtle way. You know, it's not like fanfare type stuff. It's like very at a very intimate level, like the kids trusting the team to, you know, maybe 1s tell them of a problem at home that we can help them with, you know, maybe their mother or father is struggling financially or whatever. 

 U1 

 80:29 

 In our journey across Mozambique, we've traveled not just through its vast landscapes and busy cities, but through time stories in the very soul of a nation. We've been captivated by many shows Resilience. Pedro Perrin's drive the passionate tales of Martin Luther and the Embrace of Culture by Ngobeni. The true essence of Mozambique, however, isn't just found in the tales of these incredible individuals, but in the everyday stories and rhythm of its people. An African proverb says a canoe does not know who is king. When it turns over, everyone gets wet. This profound wisdom reminds us that at the core, we all share the same human experiences, emotions, challenges and dreams, irrespective of where we come from or titles we hold. And Mozambique, with its rich fabric of history and culture, has been a testament to this universal truth. As we leave Mozambique, the merry band of beads still ring in our ears, the flavor of linger in our tongues and the stories that vibrant heartbeats of this nation remain etched in our memories. Our journey here might be drawing to a close, but the spirit of adventure pulses strongly within. As I leave Mozambique, I already have my heart set on the next destination. Where may I be? I don't know just yet. But one thing is for certain. Wherever the next chapter unfolds, I invite you to be part of it. 

 U3 

 81:50 

 I'm Sunny Fassler, and you're listening to Duct Tape Theory. So long.