Telecine

Frustratingly I laid awake until the early hours for no particular reason. I turned to a sleepcast on my phone for assistance. I think these are an adult version of a lullaby. Regression into toddlerhood is advancing.

In the afternoon I joined a call during which a former project collaborator was defending his masters thesis, with his supervisors and a host of supportive friends on the line. His topic was the process of conducting Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) in both Brazil and Mozambique. In many places EIAs are a legal requirement related to development of large scale infrastructure or other potential environmental damage. It was interesting to hear the rumblings about how EIAs in both countries can be no more than rubber-stamping, the process waved through regardless of impact, thanks to nepotism and political influence.

A note about onions. As a contact lens wearer I can usually cut an onion in the UK very close to my eye, with no ill effect. In Mozambique, this is not the case; the eye-watering juices pervade a contact lens straight to the eyeball. Is it possible that onions for consumption in the UK have been selectively bred to make them less painful on the eyes? I wouldn’t be surprised but it’s not something I have thought about before.

On my evening walk I really liked this old building in the Ponta Vermelha area of Maputo.