Letters from Mozambique

The clichés about Mozambique spill out easily. This African country has been synonymous with war and poverty since independence from Portugal half a century ago. But is that all there is?

Stephen Powell travelled the length of the country, to appreciate its beauty and find stories which dig deeper into Mozambique’s human reality. He visited the inspiring Gorongosa national park, where an international team has restored biodiversity, created jobs and provided education in a region once riven by conflict. He talked to people at the coal mining town of Moatize, where brave, articulate residents are campaigning against pollution caused by Mozambique’s biggest company. He doesn’t gloss over the central fact of war. He interviewed leading author Mia Couto about the pain of chronicling the country’s civil war, which lasted 15 years.

Mozambique today comes across as a delicate mix of political stalemate and youthful vigour. There are green shoots of creativity in the land.

"I have seen so many journalists fly through Mozambique in a day or two and see nothing. The best books include this one by journalist Stephen Powell who spent months and talked to dozens of Mozambicans, riding in trucks and boats with traders and local travellers on Lake Niassa and visiting people whose homes were destroyed by a massive new coal mine. Powell tells the tale of the real Mozambique as seen from the ground.”
–Dr Joseph Hanlon, author of many books on Mozambique and broad issues of development

"There is so much I never knew about the problems Mozambique has faced, or the heartbreak of the exploitation it has suffered from other nations and the ongoing conflicts within. This book is compelling both in what Stephen Powell unveils and in the stories from his personal adventures, some of which are endearing and very funny. In three words, I loved it.”
–Valerie Poore, author of many books including memoirs about life in South Africa

STEPHEN POWELL is a journalist who worked for Reuters for twenty-seven years. He has lived and worked on every continent except Antarctica and brings to his craft a deeply ingrained global perspective. His reporting has included war and coups in Africa and Brazil’s transition from military rule to democracy. Letters from Mozambique is his third travel book. He lives in Portugal.

"I have seen so many journalists fly through Mozambique in a day or two and see nothing. The best books include this one by journalist Stephen Powell who spent months and talked to dozens of Mozambicans, riding in trucks and boats with traders and local travellers on Lake Niassa and visiting people whose homes were destroyed by a massive new coal mine. Powell tells the tale of the real Mozambique as seen from the ground.”
– Dr Joseph Hanlon, author of many books on Mozambique and broad issues of development

"There is so much I never knew about the problems Mozambique has faced, or the heartbreak of the exploitation it has suffered from other nations and the ongoing conflicts within. This book is compelling both in what Stephen Powell unveils and in the stories from his personal adventures, some of which are endearing and very funny. In three words, I loved it.”
– Valerie Poore, author of many books including memoirs about life in South Africa