Daniel Genovese – “Kitesurfing is a kind of therapy”

In 2012, Italian Daniel Genovese decided that he wanted to explore and live in a country outside of North Africa that offered favourable weather conditions and beaches for kitesurfing. The research he commissioned pointed him towards Mozambique. Without a second thought, he packed his bags, left his family in Bergamo, and landed at Maputo International Airport.

He spent two months researching the market, exploring the potential for kitesurfing, studying tourism, and discovering beaches such as Costa do Sol, Macaneta, and Ponta de Ouro. He decided to stay, with the dream of popularizing the sport. He founded Moz Kitesurfing, a school that trains underprivileged children, teenagers, and young people, channelling energy and a portion of profits into social programs. The enthusiasm is great, and he already has many practitioners, all with the dream of becoming professional kitesurfers.

To ensure better integration, especially in suburban areas of the capital, where he has more students, Daniel was brave and audacious. First, he got the children who go to the beach to fall in love with the sport; then, he approached the parents to ask for their approval for their children to practice and register as students in his school.

The standard of Moz Kitesurfing is quality and safety, without being a nuisance to beachgoers.

In the project he is implementing, teaching humanitarian values is a priority, starting with the idea that discipline is necessary to be a winner in sports. “Then comes honesty. Students learn to do their work and only earn for that – without demanding tips, bribes, or schemes, because that is the soul of an athlete. Integrity is very important, our concern is not to have someone practicing kitesurfing only; we want a worthy person.”

The teaching methodology is simple: teach everything to the student so that they become autonomous enough to start dreaming of creating their own projects, such as setting up kitesurfing schools in other parts of the country. The project needs to ensure sustainability. This is also why Daniel focuses on providing services to tourists visiting Mozambique who practice kitesurfing. For him, the standard is quality and safety, without being a nuisance to beachgoers.

Before the pandemic, Daniel was already working on the idea of ​​forming a competitive kitesurfing team. With the respite that the new coronavirus has given, he is now taking action again towards making the initiative a reality. He understands that practicing kitesurfing has many benefits: “I like to explore the various possibilities of kitesurfing. I have worked with a group of autistic boys, and the result was surprising. Sometimes shy people also appear, and we can see how this sport liberates. Kitesurfing is a kind of therapy.”

Edição 79 Maio/Junho| Download.