bobole OUR STORIES
Compiled by students of the American International School of Mozambique
bobole Stories from the people of Bobole, gathered and compiled by Service Learning Students from the Am erican International School of Mozam bique
This collection of stories and photographs is dedicated to the wonderful people of the Bobole community.
preface By Some Clever Clogs My first sea voyage lasted an hour and a half when I left Ireland with Pat and Paul and sailed from Larne in the North of Ireland to Stranraer in Scotland. Since then I had been back and forth across the Irish Sea and on occasions across the English Channel to holiday in Europe but the voyage from Southampton to Cape Town was an altogether new experience. The voyage lasted eleven days and the Athlone Castle was a large and awe inspiring ship, manned by a crew who went out of their way to attend to the needs and interests of their passengers.
Many of the passengers, like myself, were young people setting out to start a new life in what was then known as the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Others were British visitors to South Africa and South African visitors to Europe returning home. The passenger age range was wide and my mother, who was in her fifties, had no problem making friends on the boat; we both enjoyed ourselves to the full, mixing with passengers of our own age and interests. The entertainment provided was great, the sea was calm, the sky was blue and the spirit of adventure
Mozambique
Bobole
Maputo
contents The War
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Our Srories
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Name 1
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Name 2
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Name 3
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Name 4
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Name 5
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The Children & Youth of Bobole
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Name 1
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Name 2
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Name 3
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Name 4
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Name
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The Future
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the war My first sea voyage lasted an hour and a half when I left Ireland with Pat and Paul and sailed from Larne in the North of Ireland to Stranraer in Scotland. Since then I had been back and forth across the Irish Sea and on occasions across the English Channel to holiday in Europe but the voyage from Southampton to Cape Town was an altogether new experience. The voyage lasted eleven days and the Athlone Castle was a large and awe inspiring ship, manned by a crew who went out of their way to attend to the needs and interests of their passengers.
Englebert Huperdick
Many of the passengers, like myself, were young people setting out to start a new life in what was then known as the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Others were British visitors to South Africa and South African visitors to Europe returning home. The passenger age range was wide and my mother, who was in her fifties, had no problem making friends on the boat; we both enjoyed ourselves to the full, mixing with passengers of our own age and interests. The entertainment provided was great, the sea was calm, the sky was blue and the spirit of adventure was abroad!
Englebert Huperdick
our stories celeste I grew up in Inhambane, with my parents and five brothers. When I was young, our country was in the middle of a war and people were being killed everywhere. You didn't find time to sit or to sleep. Both parties, Frelimo and Renamo, frequently raided the villages and killed many people. They decapitated them, shot them, or burned them. I was a young mother during that time - fifteen years old - and there were times I had to run away quickly, taking my baby and everything I had with me. My whole family was killed. All my brothers and my parents. Soldiers shot them and slit their throats. I survived because I was out in the bush chopping wood to use to rebuild our home, which had been burned down by soldiers. When I came back, I realized I had no father anymore, no mother, no siblings. I was completely alone with my baby. So I decided to leave Inhambane - I couldn't stay in my village any longer. I stole food from a banana plantation, which I felt very bad about, but I had to survive and keep my baby alive, and that was the only way to do it. I came here, to Bobole. Along the way, I saw many war victims. The blood of the dead was splattered across the road. But I had no time to rest or mourn. If I didn’t keep going, I would die. I traveled by myself with my little daughter. I wanted to go all the way to Maputo at first, but I had no family to support me, and it was hard to start a life in Maputo all by myself, so I decided to stay here. I worked for somebody for a couple of months, and when I had a bit of money, I started farming vegetables. That is how I survived. I think I was about seventeen years old when the war ended. I don't know exactly how old I was, because I had no birth certificate and had not been able to go to school.
I grew up in Inhambane, with my parents and five brothers. When I was young, our country was in the middle of a war and people were being killed everywhere. You didn't find time to sit or to sleep. Both parties, Frelimo and Renamo, frequently raided the villages and killed many people. They decapitated them, shot them, or burned them. I was a young mother during that time - fifteen years old - and there were times I had to run away quickly, taking my baby and everything I had with me. My whole family was killed. All my brothers and my parents. Soldiers shot them and slit their throats. I survived because I was out in the bush chopping wood to use to rebuild our home, which had been burned down by soldiers. When I came back, I realized I had no father anymore, no mother, no siblings. I was completely
alone with my baby. So I decided to leave Inhambane - I couldn't stay in my village any longer. I stole food from a banana plantation, which I felt very bad about, but I had to survive and keep my baby alive, and that was the only way to do it. I came here, to Bobole. Along the way, I saw many war victims. The blood of the dead was splattered across the road. But I had no time to rest or mourn. If I didn’t keep going, I would die. I traveled by myself with
my little daughter. I wanted to go all the way to Maputo at first, but I had no family to support me, and it was hard to start a life in Maputo all by myself, so I decided to stay here. I worked for somebody for a couple of months, and when I had a bit of money, I started farming vegetables. That is how I survived. I think I was about seventeen years old when the war ended. I don't know exactly how old I was, because I had no birth certificate and had not been able to go to school. I think I was about seventeen years old when the war ended. I don't know exactly how old I was, because I had no birth certificate and had not been able to go to school.
agosto Agosto is a Bobole native. He was born in this community and raised by parents who were subsistence farmers. At the time he was born, the area was still sparsely populated - very few houses, which were all very far apart. There was only one school in the area, where he received a primary education up to the fourth grade. He explains that fourth grade then was considered very hard - the equivalent of the ninth grade in the current curriculum. After completing fourth grade, for Agosto to continue with his education, he would have had to travel very far to a different school, so he opted instead to help his family at their farm. In 1987 Agosto got married. At that time the civil war was raging and he found he had no choice but to join the army. Fortunately he was not sent far away, but was stationed in a nearby area where he fulfilled his wartime obligations. After the war ended he left the army and returned to work at the farm which he inherited from his parents. He still works this farm today, alongside his wife, his niece and his aunt.
Agosto is a Bobole native. He was born in this community and raised by parents who were subsistence farmers. At the time he was born, the area was still sparsely populated - very few houses, which were all very far apart. There was only one school in the area, where he received a primary education up to
the fourth grade. He explains that fourth grade then was considered very hard - the equivalent of the ninth grade in the current curriculum. After completing fourth grade, for Agosto to continue with his education, he would have had to travel very far to a different school, so he opted instead to help his family at their farm. In 1987 Agosto got married. At that time the civil war was raging and he found he had no choice but to join the army. Fortunately he was not sent far away, but was stationed in a nearby area where he fulfilled his wartime obligations. After the war ended he left the army and returned to work at the farm which he inherited from his parents. He still works this farm today, alongside his wife, his niece and his aunt.
alberto
“A vida esta normal, o unico problema é esta chuva, que nao esta a ajuda. Porque quando cairessa chuva, nos vamos poder continuar a sementer e a trabalhar para poder produzir e vender as minhas macarocas, meu feijao e meu amendoim.”
“Vendo aqui mesmo em minha casa, Bobole, mas se tiver muito posso ate chegar a ir a Maputo.” “Fico a apereciar a minha mulher e brincar com a minha familia” “Life is fine, although the only problem is this rain. Because when this rain falls, we will be able to continue to sow and work to produce and sell my macarocas, beans and peanuts.” “My market is right here in Bobole, but if I have too much I take them to Maputo.” “When it rains I just stay home with my wife and enjoy being with my family.”
katia We are fine living here, but the problem is that we have bad, sandy roads and no water. We do our best to keep the roads clear but the machinery that is needed to fix the roads so that cars can pass, need water to operate. We are in crisis. This also causes a problem for schoolchildren getting to school. Because of the bad
roads, they have to walk. The older students manage and can look after themselves, but it is very hard to get younger children to school on time.
Aqui nos estamos bem mas a crise que nos temos é agua, estradas, porque a gente faz um esforço para limpar as estradas mas não e tao fácil porque é preciso vir aquelas maquinas que conseguem tirar tudo principalmente, e por areal para ficar uma estrada boa onde carros podem entrar. Nos estamos nesse crise. Temos falta de agua. As crianças também, não conse-
guem sair daqui para la por causa da escola e são primarias, e os segundarias, ja são pessoas adultos que conseguem jantar sozinhos, mas agora as crianças que ainda são novos, e difícil porque encontrar horário para eles, para acordar ir para escola, e difícil porque não ha como caminhar