The Marginal

Like a human heartbeat, the daily life along the bay waters of the Avenida Marginal in Maputo, Mozambique give the pulse to the city. This roughly 10 kilometer strip known simply as “the Marginal” starts at Ponte de Costa do Sol, a small bridge where a barely drivable dirt road becomes paved, and ends at a merging of streets before Praça de Robert Mugabe, a roundabout leading to the harbor and downtown Maputo. Driving down the Marginal, it is obvious what drew the Portuguese explorers to colonize the city formerly known as Lorenço Marques. It resembles Portugal’s great port cities of Lisbon and Oporto which it was modeled after. It offered the same commercial and military advantages with hills overlooking the deep bay as well as simple natural beauty. Although there are still reminders of colonial times in buildings and the language, life along the water’s edge is uniquely Mozambican.

While chapas, small buses or vans which are the main public transportation, pushcarts and cars flow up and down the road, a potpourri of different activity takes place between the traffic and the water. Fishermen dominate with their dhows and rowboats lining many patches along the beach but regular Mozambicans are drawn to the Marginal whether to worship or take a swim. It is an escape from the bustle of the city. People come to some areas to exercise daily, to play football or practice martial arts. Religious groups pray and baptize here and newlyweds come to have photographs made.

One end of the Marginal starts at Costa Do Sol. Just past the bridge is a beach parking lot across the street from the popular art deco restaurant and hotel built in 1938 that bears the Costa do Sol name. At one time this was considered the edge of civilization. Just as salt water from the bay circulates under the bridge and into a marsh, a steady stream of chapas flows back and forth over the bridge carrying people up the coastal road.

Throughout the week, the area is mostly peaceful with craft vendors in the parking lots, men with fishing poles, children playing in the water, tourists taking a stroll or women digging for shellfish. Stalls selling drinks or grilled chicken and fish that line the road here are also quiet during the week but on weekends, particularly Sunday, there is much more action.

On Sundays in Costa Do Sol, people come to blast their stereos and drink with friends.
Slow traffic usually clogs the Marginal with families and friends typically gathering on the beach to play soccer, have a picnic, or simply enjoy the water. In the parking lot, vendors that dominate during the week are pushed back by cars and groups of men offering to wash or guard them.

Low tide brings soccer players ranging from local professionals in training to rag tag groups of friends using sandles stuck in the sand for goal posts. It’s not unusual to see a group out on a sandbar chasing the ball and shouting in Shangaan, the popular local language. Early morning the lot is sometimes bustling with cars of revelers trying to keep the party going after the bars and clubs close. But as the sun comes out they disappear like vampires and a trickle of sunworshipers and opportunistic vendors roll in. Life on the marginal is a unique microcosm of modern Maputo with natives, traditions, tourists, and reminders of colonial past come together.