By John Hughes
London, 27 Jul (AIM) – A new documentary “Chasing the Unicorn” traces the history of surfing in Mozambique since the end of the war of destabilisation in 1992 and the rise of the sport amongst young Mozambicans.
Before the 1992 General Peace Accord ended the conflict between the government and the rebel movement Renamo, the country was anything but a tourist destination, although a South African exile that I knew did drive from Harare to Beira in the late 1980s, ostensibly to “go surfing”.
Almost before the ink was dry on the peace agreement South African surfers began travelling up the Mozambique coast, beginning in Ponta Do Ouro, then to the island of Inhaca, before reaching Tofinho in Inhambane province.
This is the story of their pioneering exploration of the coast for world-class surfing waves and includes footage of the international surfing competition Gotcha Experience that took place in Ponta do Ouro in 1998.
One of those pioneers was the famous free surfer Frankie Oberholzer who sailed a yacht north from Richard’s Bay in South Africa. In the documentary, he explains “We just heard there’s waves in Mozambique and went for a look”. A storm almost cut his adventure tragically short but he survived and the boat sought shelter in Inhaca where he found “the best waves that I have ever seen”.
The documentary also highlights the development of the sport amongst Mozambicans through interviews with the country’s leading surfers, Julia Fernando and Sung Min Cho. It shows how youngsters are being given the opportunity to take up the sport through clubs such as the Tofo Surf Club.
The film, directed by Will Bendix and released on Tuesday, contains wonderful footage of Mozambique’s coast and surf and should boost international tourism. It can be viewed on YouTube at https://tinyurl.com/ywkdjs6t
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