The Fishermen Beach

The main mosque rised amonsgst the ground level houses that surrond it, painted in green and white. Behind it, a busy beach begins appearing. The cobble street gets replaced by sand, and every step takes us to a a progressively crowded coast. The golden sand grains now share their space with pieces and patches that instinctively lead us to one main activity - fishing. Guiding us is Cassimo Abdurremane, the President of the Fishermen's Association, at the time.

This is Fishermen Beach (Praia dos Pescadores in Portuguese), at the southwestern end of the Island. As the name indicates, it is where all the fishermen meet and set out for another day of fishing. It is where they build and repair boats, and dhows, take care of the nets, and all the in-between logistics needed to get fish to their families and to sell at the local market. We meet Nuro Ambassie, leading us to understand futher down the location.

Nuro Ambassie

Fisherman and President of the Community Council of the Fishermen, 64 years old
Excerpted · August 2017

Interviewer: What is your role in the association?
Nuro Ambassie: My activity is to work for the community, explain how to work, how to fish, how to fix some things…

What is your connection with the Island of Mozambique?
N. A.: This is a historical place where I can live. I feel like at home.

Do you think the Island of Mozambique has changed over time?
N. A.: Yes. There are more houses, the houses are rehabilitated, and we receive more people from far way countries like you. You came all away from Portugal to tell stories abroad about what you saw here. To show what is like here.

Did you visit any museum of the Island?
N. A.: No, only outside. What I would see inside the museum it wouldn’t have any interest for me. I don’t need to go inside. I see how it looks from the outside.

What do you consider to be your own personal heritage?
N. A.: I would like to see a lot of sponsors to the fishing activity. I’m in fishing.

Is there any story or anything you would like to share?
N. A.: I like to tell that the Island is from all of us.

What do you think about the coming of foreigners to the Island?
N. A.: I like it a lot. A lot. I would like to go abroad and catch some fish, and that people would come fishing with us.

Cassimo Abdurremane display us the resourcefulness that the chronic lack of materials on the Island leads to. Flip flop soles are reutilized as fishnet floaters. Lone patches don't last long on this beach. Everything is useful to repair equipment. We strike conversation with another fisherman, and Cassimo translates the conversation from Macua, the local dialect, to Portuguese.

Amisse Ali

Fisherman, 46 years old
Excerpted · August 2017

About his occupation.
Amisse Ali translated by Cassimo Abdurremane: He works in the sea fishing, fishing fish through manual labour. They make manual fencing and dive to catch fish. They do not work with a scuba tank. They do everything manually, daily. There are days that they go fishing and there is no good return. They then bring the fish to the market. They sell it in boxes and calculate it, there is no scale. Fish is worth about 4 meticais [local currency]. The price varies. There is no scale. There are days that is worth more and there are days that is worth less.

Interviewer: Do you think the Island of Mozambique has changed over time?
A. A.: Life is getting worse. In other countries fishing is not like here. We are suffering from the lack of means to fish and this is the main activity of the Island. That's why I think life is getting worse.

What is improving on the Island of Mozambique?
A. A.: I’m liking these changes, it’s improving [the buildings and roads].

Did you visited any museum? If so, what is your opinion about them?
A. A.: Never went.

Is there any story or anything you would like to share?
A. A.: There is no material. You have nowhere to buy. The island of Mozambique suffers from many storms and the result is that it destroys everything and then the boss has no way to rehabilitate the materials, the boats. The fishing life is difficult. It is a problem there are no materials. There is no wood, no nails, no nets. We suffer greatly from the lack of material.

Not far from here, we see a man caulking the a boat's hull and he kindly stops his activity to get to know us. Once again, some interactions from this interview were translated from Macua with the assistance of Cassimo.

Assane Amisse

Boat Caulker, 63 years old
Excerpted · August 2017

About his profession.
Assane Amisse translated by Cassimo Abdurremane: Since his childhood he learned how to build boats.

Interviewer: What is your connection with the Island of Mozambique?
A. A.: The Island for me means employment. I don’t feel the well-being on the Island because of the lack of jobs. I can be 3-4 months without mend anything. If this goes on like this in 4-6 years I will be without a home.

Do you think the Island of Mozambique has changed over time?
A. A.: I don’t feel anything different. It’s static. My problem is that I have nothing to do. Fish dies. There is nothing.

What is improving on the Island of Mozambique?
A. A.: The Island remains the same.

Did you visit any museum of the Island of Mozambique?
A. A.: I only pass by them. Everybody just passes them. See them through the outside. What am I going to do there?

What do you consider to be your own personal heritage?
A. A.: My heritage is this. What I am doing right now [caulking the boat].

Mostly man are on this beach. Working, preparing launch, arriving or leaving on the dhows, even carrying by hand some of the chickens that sometimes approach us. External sponsors ocasionally support the fishermen with new vessels and fishing materials. However, the increased intensity of the already frequent ciclones that fustigate the Island destroy everything it finds on the beach.