By R. Siddhanth
Neide Artur is a fascinating young woman from Mozambique who introduces to us about her country – from the Matapa and the Capulana to the Musiro and yes, the Big Five.
Knowing that Malaysians love all kinds of food, the 20-year-old, who lives in the province of Maputo, starts by sharing with us how the people in her country prepare the Matapa. “It is a green stew,” she explains.
I cannot resist but say, “Yummy!” I wish I could have the full bowl of the stew to myself.
Next, she shows us a picture of neatly folded pattern clothes and asks, “Guess, what is this?”
I nearly want to say, “Batik!” But, Naide interrupts,”We call it 'Capulana’ here. This is the typical Mozambican fabric that most women wear.” The way it is hand drawn is almost the same as the Malaysian Batik.
What intrigues me the most is the `Musiro,’ which is a kind of lotion that the women wear on their faces to look white all day! This is supposed to make the women more beautiful to the men.
She also shows us pictures of two traditional musical instruments – the `Mbila’ and the ‘Batuque.’ The Mbila is a unique kind of xylophone, while the Batuque is like a small drum.
Because the country has different ethnic
groups, Neide tells us that Mozambique has over 20 languages, but the official language is Portuguese. This is because Mozambique was once colonised by the Portuguese.
She also shows us a video where different people in Mozambique say “hello” in their respective languages. They live in eleven different provinces, and Maputo, where Neide comes from, is the tenth province. Maputo is also the capital of Mozambique.
With some interesting places, she shows us some of the important monuments in Mozambique, such as the Katembe Bridge, Fortress of San Sebastian bastion, Caminos de ferro, Maputo fortress and Bazaruto archipelago and Pemba Bay.
Neide will not leave us without introducing to us the Big Five. They are the elephants, leopards, lions, buffalos and the rhinoceros. She also explains about Mozambique’s national symbols, their flag and emblem.
In closing, Uncle Stephen takes the opportunity to show Neide a picture of a durian. He then explains to Neide that this is a fruit found in Malaysia, and it is very famous. Uncle Stephen then quotes an old Australian friend of his who loves durians, which he describes are eating “a beautiful ice cream in the loo (toilet).”
We learn a new Portuguese word when Neide says, “Obrigada!” The word in Portuguese means, ‘Thank you.’
This is how you prepare the Mattapa:
Wash the leaves and let them dry. Put garlic, chili, salt, and the leaves in a pestle. Pile well, put everything into a pot, and let it boil for 30 minutes.
While the matapa is boiling, pound the peanuts, grate the coconut and remove the crab from the shells. After 30 minutes of boiling add the crabs, tomatoes, and onion.
Then prepare the peanut and coconut milk. Pour this liquid into the matapa and let it simmer for an hour or two. Watch the Moz Music videos or play mathakusana while you wait.
In the end, remove from the heat, and serve while still hot. You can eat rice or xima.
Siddhandth is 9 years old.