Estado de Calamidade

State of Calamity.

I had a very useful call today with the security advisor at the British High Commission in Maputo. Mozambique cannot extend its State of Emergency more than three times so by now it’s out of renewals and it’s the end of the month so the President needs to give some clarity on what will change. The British government expects Mozambique to follow the trajectory of Portugal and Angola in shifting to a ‘State of Calamity’. This is a funny translation in English but is a good sign as calamity is less severe than emergency. It might herald a relaxation of some rules on entry and visas in certain cases, plus whilst we were on the phone, Qatar Airways announced reopening their Maputo route. Another promising move.

The security advisor has a broad Scouse accent and we bonded over the fact I’m originally from Stoke and that he’d spent time in Holmes Chapel in Cheshire. At one point he said ‘we’ve been on the phone for thirty minutes and you haven’t called me duck’.

Duck is a commonly used term of endearment in Stoke and environs. It was a magnificent reference and possibly the highlight of the entire lockdown.