Article March 1, 2004 Issue

Through a spiritual lens— under a lowering sky

MAPUTO BAY, MOZAMBIQUE, 1991

Paul Shippey

As a boy, I sometimes sailed boats off the white, palm-fringed beaches of Mozambique. But after civil war broke out there in 1974, what had once been an idyllic Indian Ocean haven for vacationers from neighboring lands was suddenly off-limits, and the country became a nightmare for those living within its borders

I sneaked back as a journalist in 1992 to find that protracted fighting had taken its toll on the infrastructure and on those who lived in its capital, Maputo. Yet, there were occasional glimmers of hope amidst this sea of destruction.

This roadside shot of a local fisherman racing to shore ahead of a tropical storm offers the viewer some insight into the beauty of the region. I was pleased to find a semblance of normality a few miles from the city as locals went about their daily lives, seemingly oblivious to the devastation around them. A peace accord was signed a couple of months after my visit, and the country has been on the road to recovery ever since. Vacationers have returned...

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

SENTINEL WATCH

Who me? A candidate?