7. “Some times the river…”

Monday was the International Day for Monuments and Sites, “the day to celebrate the world’s heritage”, according to ICOMOS. In case this fundamental piece of news passed you by, I will tell you that there was a talk at the museum in Ilha de Moçambique about World Heritage and Water, a great idea by my colleague architect Jens Hougaard (- who has a long and important story on Ilha which I will tell another sunny day).

Water, or lack there of, is fundamental to the existence of this island which became a city thanks to the water borne trading vessels to India. Water floods the neighbourhoods in rainy season, the water collection system on the roofs and in cisterns has shaped the architecture on the island, and a daily search for water is central to most of the inhabitants of Ilha’s lives.

In this context, I want to give you a treat which is not directly linked to Ilha, but is part of the work my great friend and architect Eduardo Feuerhake and his colleague film maker Fabian Ribezzo do for UN Habitat Mozambique. The little film is called “Some times the river….” and communicates to people with limited means in flood prone areas. Enjoy.

Their next production “The Change”, about climate change and cities is to be released very soon. I have seen the first version, which was shown at the Expo in Shanghai last year, but had to be changed due to a too dramatic ending for the poor city monster consuming everything. UN Habitat was looking for something more positive and transforming for cities, which have a future after all…