Cunhado

Brother-in-law. Cunhado is how I was greeted by a random dude on the street as I walked arm in arm with Ricky towards the cinema (one of the John Wick films: standard gore and extended fighting and Halle Berry looking around 21. Seems to have garnered critical praise). Ricky explained cunhado is an oft-used term by Mozambican men addressing white men who seem to be dating black women. It felt quite welcoming even though the majority of bystanders generally stare more gawkily at the interracial couple (who are not actually a couple) strolling by. Mozambique certainly has fewer racial hang-ups than other countries we could mention in the region, but this is apparently still an unusual sight.

The Casa de Ferro (Iron House) next to the botanical garden is a landmark in Maputo once occupied by the Governor General. It was prefabricated and imported from Belgium in 1892.