The Suitcase Diaries: Inhambane, Terra de Boa Gente (Land of Good People)

I previously did a small write up on Inhambane in this blog when we travelled to this part of Mozambique in February 2013 on holiday. Little did we know then that only about a year later we would move to this part of the world for work reasons and actually start calling it home...

We live in Barra which is along the coast line adjacent to the estuary and next door to us is Tofo and Tofinho, then about a twenty minute drive inland is the small town of Inhambane, which is also in the Inhambane province. For the sake of this post Inhambane refers to the collective areas of Inhambane Town, Tofo and the Barra Peninsula.

Market area at Barra!

The catch of the day coming in on Tofo's main beach.

The Tofo Market

Inhambane Town...

The Inhambane settlement owes its existence to a deep inlet into which a small river the "Matamba" flows. Two protective sandy headlands protect the harbour and form a sandbank. The town of Maxixe is located across the bay and can be reached by a passenger ferry or by traditional dhow for the more adventurous and people with a lot of time on their hands, as these dhows are not motorised so if there is no wind on the day the trip can take quite a long time in the blazing sun.

Interesting to note that the town of Inhambane has one of the largest working fleets of dhows on the East African coastline.

Will post photos once I've convinced Dru that going to Maxixe on one of these dhows is a good idea, he's having none of it at the moment

:(...

Inhambane is one of the oldest settlements on the East Coast of Mozambique. Dhows traded here as early as 11th century. Muslim and Persian traders were some of the first outsiders to arrive to the area by sea and traded pearls and ambergris. (Sorry mom, I went to investigate- no pearl trading anymore!)

The area eventually became well known for its local cotton spinning and production by the Tonga tribe. Sometime before the Portuguese reached the area, the Karanga had invaded Inhambane and formed a number of local chieftains who dominated over the Tonga cotton workers and the rewards of trading with the Muslims went to them.

When Vasco da Gama rounded Africa in the late 15th Century he pulled into Inhambane to replenish stocks and to explore. He took an immediate liking to the Inhambane and called it Terra Boa Gente - "Land of the Good People".

In 1505, a ship sent by Francisco de Almeida was shipwrecked south of the town, but the Portuguese gained an initial meeting with the Karanga chiefs. Later their sons landed on Mozambique Island to survey the situation. The Portuguese eventually established a permanent trading post in 1534. Inhambane was then chosen as the first Jesuit mission to East Africa in 1560.

The port gradually grew as an ivory and slave trading centre, particularly in the 18th century under mostly Indian control. It was destroyed in 1834 by Soshangane, but grew rapidly in the second half of the century as a town of Portuguese East Africa.

The old Cathedral and old Mosque was built during that period. However in the 20th century the status of the town declined and the economic situation worsened as Maputo (then called Lourenco Marques), became the main centre.

The 170 year old Cathedral of our Lady of Conception is located in the old quarter of the city where a rusted ladder leads to the top of the spire, offering panoramic views of the city and the harbour. Unfortunately on the day we went to investigate this ladder, the church was closed, but it is still a very picturesque building and we'll be back t climb that rusty ladder...

The city is now home to a museum and a market and is known for its nearby beaches Tofo and Barra.

The Central Market located along the main boulevard called simply "Mercado Central" offers numerous food, ranging from a colourful array of spices and vegetables to prawns, fishes and cashew nuts.