that's amore

Maputo is the home of awkward lovers.  The Italians may say they perfected romance but the Mozambicans have embraced it.  Valentine's Day the city was red with roses.  Stained and scuffed five gallon buckets full of roses were on every corner, trash-filled or not.  Hopeful boys carried them.  Happy girls received them.  It seemed there was hardly a person in town without some version of a flower in his or her hand.  I saw a little barefoot boy, maybe 4 or 5, carrying a small red rose behind his back, walking towards his mother.  I noticed a man, wearing his pressed best, holding carefully wrapped buds as he strutted towards whomever he was determined to woo.  He passed by some guys sitting on the sidewalk who weren't going to let him get away without some teasing.  

 

The people here aren't shy when it comes to natural affection.  Its a common thing to see any two people holding hands; guy-girl, girl-girl, guy-guy.  They have a culture based on 'community'.  It seems they have a constant need to be in contact with someone else.  Even when its ridiculously hot outside they are practically sitting on top of each other, hugging each other, talking, laughing, joking.  Here i'm wondering where i can go to get the best breeze and some serious personal space and they just want to be with each other.  They are quick to laugh and from what i've observed they are quick to get over arguments too.  I saw two guys arguing over an item that actually belonged to the first guy.  Not even twenty minutes later the second guy apologized and gave it back.  They posses an easy going, laid back spirit which sometimes can be mistaken for laziness, (i'm sure there are cases of it here) but for the most part they are good workers.  They have there own sense of style.  A Western influence is evident here, especially among the younger generations, but even that they have tweaked to be their own.  I'm not saying this place is perfect.  This culture definitely possesses their share of complicated problems and major issues but its nice to get a different perspective.