Beira – A journey against the clock

 I arrived in the city of Beira when the grey days imposed by the pandemic were in full display, with masks on faces, that prevented the real face of the city from being seen. If the eyes convey the spirit, the mouth and the smile are the face’s calling card.

On the waterfront, a breeze impregnated with salt blows, teenagers play football on the remaining shore as if ignoring the turbulent sea that seems to want to swallow everything. The bar where I sit, right by the sea and which seems about to disappear any moment now, is one of the few places where you can still see unmasked faces, where any conversation becomes a moment of freedom.

With the pandemic imposing shorter days, Beira asked for faster, wider steps, a race against the clock, as if we were afraid that at any moment our roadmap would be undone, that everything would suddenly crumble in the hard hand of time.

The city seems to be in constant metamorphosis, on a pendulum that never stops swinging. The sepia light of the past is still present and nothing can be left for the future that we have no guarantees will come. When in doubt, it is better to embrace everything that the eyes enable, with the same ambition as Leo Tolstoy’s Pahóm, in the hope that we have a happier ending. It’s all in the name of future memory, which will be everything we’ll have when physical memory ceases to exist.

The old Wedding Palace begins to give way to the weight of the waters. But the mural by the plastic artist Chicani, preserving the blue sky, as if it were the sea that carried the colours of the monsoons, remains intact. But we never know for how long. So we stand there thinking about how many photographs were taken after vows of eternal love and we wish that love is more eternal than the walls of the building that heard the pledges.

Close by, there is the Grande Hotel, a monster victim of its grandeur, guarding the magnificence that reminds us of other times, very distant times that will never come back. The future came too soon and too soon it became the past. Now, there are other lives and other stories to be told there. But it is still a good example of the Modern Movement of the middle of the last century, which Casa dos Bicos also fits, located towards the city centre. It was architecture that challenged overly measured standards.

The old Wedding Palace begins to give way to the weight of the waters. But the mural by the artist Chicani, preserving the blue sky, remains intact.

The Grande Hotel is a good example of the Modern Movement of the middle of the last century, which Casa dos Bicos also fits.

But not everything is sepia light, there is a vibrant green in the Infra-Estruturas Park and perhaps it is here that a Beira of the future is reborn. It is to help drain rainwater and help protect the coast, while reactivating the mangrove. But it’s more than that, it has a kind of permanent exhibition, with sculptures and murals from renowned artists like Ídasse Tembe to those who are the future, like AfroIvan. But there are also restaurants. It’s Environment, it’s Tourism, it’s Art, it’s Culture, it’s Commerce. All in the same space, proving that they can have integrated solutions. It was yet to be opened when we visited. Maybe we’ll go back there, for a longer trip, without the pressure of fear that maybe the hard hand of time will crumble everything.

▶ HOW TO GO

There are direct LAM flights from Maputo to Beira city, as well as regional connections.

▶ WHAT TO DO

Buildings that have defined an era always ask for a visit, perhaps the last one possible. Allowing yourself to walk through the Infra/Estruturas Verdes Park is always worth it, or even along the seafront with the salty breeze.

▶ WHERE TO EAT

There are several cuisines in Beira, with several restaurants. Ask at least once to be served “what you cannot leave Beira without tasting.”

▶ WHERE TO SLEEP

There are a multitude of hotels. From modest guesthouses to hotels of international standards. But staying in a place that allows you to get to the places you want to visit as quickly as possible is always better. Following this premise, Lunamar can be a good option.

▶ WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR

If you visit places like the Wedding Palace, be careful with the floors, which seem to be about to crumble at any moment. Because of the families who are living there, a visit to the Grande Hotel must always be authorised.

Issue 69 Sept/Oct | Download.