The Austrian Photomagazine “FotoObjektiv” published the Series “Die Stadt des Fahrrads”(The city of the bicycles). It is about the bicycletaxis in the mozambican City Quelimane.
The Austrian weekly Newspaper published the Series “cycling in winter”.
The Austrian Photomagazine published the Series “Western Cape in distortion”. I took this series with my Nokia phone, after my Nice Nikon Camera got stolen.
AARGH.at Western Cape in distortion
The whole series can be viewed here.
I was cycling in Austria recently and I passed there:
I had a picture in my mind, which I took almost two years ago in Harare, Zimbabwe. I thought, who has more? Austria or Zimbabwe?
The Austrian monthly magazine DATUM published in the september 2011 edition eight pictures of the Hotel Chuabo in Quelimane.
So, now it is over for real. I left my home in Mozambique already and I am on my way from Capetown to Vienna. I will write a few lines in German, because this is the language, where I can express my feelings best.
Ich habe eine traurige Mitteilung zu machen. Afrika verlässt mich. Die Abreise von Afrika ist für heute geplant. Afrika ist ja ziemlich groß und deswegen weiß sie noch nicht, wie sie in den Flieger reinkommt, aber die Emirates haben eh 30 kg Gepäck. Das wird schon gehen.
Vor drei Jahren hat mich Afrika besucht und hat beschlossen ein bisschen zu bleiben. Für mich hat es sich ausgezahlt, weil sie ja echt schon viel erlebt hat, die Afrika! So war mir nie fad, immer wenn ich etwas wissen wollte hat Afrika mir eine ganze Geschichte erzählt. Fakten, das war eher nichts für sie, sie mochte eher Geschichten. Und wieviele Sprachen die spricht, 6500 oder so. Da kommt Afrika manchmal durcheinander.
Das beste an Afrika ist sicher das Rad, dass sie vom Herrn Indien gekauft hat. Sie und transportiert mit diesem eher schlichtem Rad mehr als die Europa mit ihrem supervollgefedertem 3000 Euro Mountainbike. Die Europa hat halt auch ein Auto für die Einkäufe beim Billa. Aber Afrika beklagt sich deswegen eher wenig. Ist ja nicht weit und sie macht das ja für die Familie, von der sie reichlich hat. Die will sie wieder besuchen und deswegen wirds Zeit, hat sie gemeint. Wir haben via Internet einen Flug gebucht. Für Heute.
Also liebe Afrika, ich wünsche dir einen schönen Flug und wir sehn uns.
This is the last photo of the week from Afrika. An open road in Klein Karoo, Western Cape is maybe the best metaphor for my life.
when he is back, I want to see him…
Last August, I visited Nhangombe, a village, consisting of the chief, Senhor Domingos, his three wives and a lot of kids. My intention was to find out more about the history of the central region of Mozambique. But this is another story.
By accident I ran into a ceremony in Nhangombe, in honor of the father of the chief of Nhangombe, who died in 1973. His spirit still lives in the forest, but this very night it will be present in the village.
The ladies were singing in Sena, the local dialect. I was very glad to have the opportunity to be part of this ceremony and the people of Nhangombe were pleased, too. They allowed me to record their music. At this time I found the rhythm very fascinating.
Later I asked a friend to help me translate the songs from Sena into Portuguese. They sung about their lives, the war and about me – the stranger.
I found the song Mana, Mana very touching. It is about a wife, whose husband was forced to leave and fight in the war, and she, left alone, was crying for him.
Here the lyrics.
Mana Mana(Sister, Sister)
Sister, Sister I heard that my husband is in Beira, when he is back, I want to see him…
yes, yes, yes, tell me if it is true.
Sister, I heard that my husband is in Marromeu, come back…
Sister, I heard that my husband is in Caia, come back…
Sister, tell him, that I cry for him.
Sister, I heard that my husband is in Dondo.
I heard that he doesn´t have legs anymore.
If you meet him, tell him I want to see him.
With legs or without legs, I want to see him.
What did the war do?
What did I do?
What should I do?
The war is a sin!
Even with cut off legs, I want to see him!
Even if he is walking on his bottom, he must come so that I can see him!
Even with cut off hands, I want to see him!
Even if it is just gossip, I want to see him!
but listen for yourself…
The distance of only 330 km makes a more than 10h trip.
This time I just went to Inhaminga, 7h, 186 km, 110 Meticais (2,5 Euros)
The Sena railway was built in the 1920ies.
“Chibalo” – forced labour on the local population – made this railway
possible. The main reason to build the railway was to transport wood and sugar from the British dominated Malawi and the sugar factory in Marromeu. 1986 it was destroyed by the RENAMO: They flipped the whole railway tracks upside down with their bare hands. After 25 years it was reopened in 2009.
Going to inhaminga from Enlumen on Vimeo.
Chissungue is a small community close to Beira in central Mozambique. I met Joao and Eusebe there. They are active at the catholic church there and teach children and adults in alphabetism.
Their dream is producing a disc. Fortunately, I brought my soundrecorder. So we ended up at the church of Chissungue, making music after dinner and with petroleum light.
Studio Chissungue from Gerald Henzinger on Vimeo.
Austria needs more activism. The SlutWalk on the 22. of October was one good start. This demonstration was against sexism and dresscodes.
The message was: It´s a dress, not a yes!
Vienna is joining in the occupy wallstreet movement.