Mozambican government elects Mafalala as a tourist destination of excellence

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Mozambican government elects Mafalala as a tourist destination of excellence

12:35 CAT | 23 Mar 2016

VOA (courtesy Photo) / A view of a street in Mafalala

Today sees the launch of the “Mafalala, Tourist Destination of Excellence” project, an initiative aimed at bringing tourists to Maputo’s iconic neighbourhood.

The initiative will promote the district through advertising spots, maps and tourist guides, training local community members in cultural tourism and crafts and improving food service conditions in the area.

The initiative is a response to lobbying by the neighbourhood’s IVERCA Association, dedicated to preserving and promoting Mafalala’s heritage, which has found a response in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Maputo city administration.

Iverca recently commissioned murals of some of the many key Mozambican personalities who have at some point lived in Mafalala, including former president Samora Machel, poets Noemia de Sousa and José Craveirinha and football legend Eusébio da Silva Ferreira.

The association has placed heritage signposts marking out tourist attractions, including the former homes of Craveirinha, da Silva Ferreira and dancer Fedo Caliano. The association also houses the Tufo da Mafalala music and dance group.

Iverca’s activities form the backdrop to the annual Mafalala Festival which it organizes, and which, now in its eight year, has become a benchmark for similar events across the country highlighting the identity and traditions of some of Mozambique’s most iconic neighbourhoods.