Orthodox

The Greek Orthodox Church, whose official name is the rather wordy Catedral Ortodoxa Arcangel Micael e Gabriel (Maputo), looks brilliant and white in the sunshine, which is copious in Maputo at this time of year. In fact it’s copious for much of the year as this climate overall is very favourable.

During my Portuguese lesson a stark reminder of African resilience in the face of grief and trauma. Ilídio mentioned he’d been at a school trying to release some documents so that his nieces and nephews could access some pension funds from their father’s former job. Ilidio’s brother and sister-in-law perished in a fire in 2017 and their children now live with Ilidio’s youngest brother who has lost his job. I expressed my sympathy and asked how Ilidio was feeling about it. His response tells of someone who is no stranger to tragedy.

‘Acontece.’
‘It happens.’