Bairro de Cabaceira Pequena

On our final afternoon at Coral Lodge 15.41 we took a trip to the neighboring village – Bairro de Cabaceira Pequena.

On the path to the village we came across a local manufacturing process: the creation of coral paste.  The process, an environmentalists nightmare, involves harvesting coral from the seabed, then reducing it through repetitive exposures to heat achieved through giant pyres of coral. 

After the coral is sufficiently reduced by fire, it forms a fine paste that is used for many purposes – from the painting of the exterior of homes to the sealant for caulking the joints in the local dhows.

 

We were told by Alex (the proprietress at Coral Lodge) that the practice is technically illegal, but that despite everyone knowing about the production site there is no enforcement.  This goes a long way to explaining the quality of the reefs.

Cabaceira Pequena is a small fishing village with two dirt paths running in parallel for a few kilometers along an isthmus of land between Mossuril Bay and a tidal lagoon.  It lies opposite Ilha de Mocambique, and despite its miniscule size apparently has quite a long history.

 

According to Alex, prior to their arrival the village had no real economy.  When constructing the lodge, locals were employed for labor and around 50 are now employed in various roles at the lodge.  In addition to the changed employment landscape, the village also now has electricity as the power for the lodge was run through the village.

Apparently, the shift from the more traditional economy has been pronounced –with both positive and negative consequences.  On the positive side, there has been an increase in education and women’s rights.  On the negative side has been an increase in pollution (the garbage from being able to afford packaged goods) and increased violence against women.  As you can see, the last of the good and bad are too sides of the same coin: with women employed at the lodge, they began to become the bread earners and were no longer subject to the constraints of the males providing for the family. 

Alex related a sad tale of how one of the maids at the lodge had come to work badly beaten one day.  Apparently, having become the main bread-earner in the family, the maid began denying her husband’s sexual advances.    After a few weeks of this, he took out his angst in a violent and barbaric fashion – of course with no repercussion. 

The village itself has also begun to change.  There are now two shops – both selling limited goods – rice, beans and of course, the ubiquitous Coca-Cola - the first and only advertising in the entire village!

Walking through the village, surrounded by children hoping to have their picture taken, and hearing about the changes the village was undergoing put into perspective how impactful tourism can be – largely positive but also with some negative repercussions.

One of the main reasons we had wanted to go to the village was to see the hospital that had just been built.  The leader of the village, who coordinated the villagers for our ceremony as well as being the lead drummer, had provided Alex with a list of things that the village wanted – one of which was to have power connected to the hospital.  We decided to provide a donation to thank the village for their efforts that made our wedding so wonderful by paying to connect the electricity to the hospital and provide some basic supplies.

Walking back from the village as the sun was setting, I saw one of the most picturesque moments of the trip so far.  An old dhow, with a sail made from rice bags hand sewn to each other, glowed in various hues as it slowly sailed towards the village and setting sun.  Despite the fact this dhow had just dropped off wood for the coral harvesting operation, I love the photo (at the top of this post) and think it captures the essence of these villager’s lives.  Simple, traditional methods supported by any modern goods they have available.