Preserving cultural heritage

Mapeando Meu Bairro have been working to preserve the cultural heritage of Mafalala in Mozambique with the help of a 2017 HOT Microgrant.

Mafalala is an area in Mozambique’s capital Maputo which was originally built to house “people of colour” during the Portugese colonial period. The urban fabric was deliberately built poorly, including houses built of low quality materials with narrow streets. This intent for segregation, resulted in the opposite: Mafalala became an area of revolution, art and literature. Mapping collaboratively with Mafalala residents, Mapeando Meu Bairro have been capturing this unique historic and urban environment to display as data on maps and preserve Mafalala’s heritage.