Waiver

I am on the road to Mozambique again. Since my last visit, the visa system has been simplified, which is joyous following many Mozambican visa struggles since 2018. Now Brits are among a group of nationalities who can get a waiver on arrival, with only a cursory look at documents and a small processing fee. The immigration official at the first stop in Pemba in northern Mozambique even utilised space in my passport cannily. Immediately after arriving I am reminded why I am very fond of Mozambique.

On the second leg to Maputo I was sat next to Pedro, a missionary completing a very long tour of Malawi and Mozambique. He said ‘destructive leaders are evil because they are godless’ and then he invited me to visit his farmland near Beira in central Mozambique. One clear difference between Tanzania and Mozambique is the greater freedom of speech in the latter. I can’t imagine a stranger trash-talking the government loudly on a plane in Tanzania. Mozambique is hardly Denmark but it feels more democratic in terms of voicing dissent. And I enjoy dissent.