13 Apr Gisela & Samira
Gisela, pronounced the French way: Geez-zella, and Samira, pronounced the sweet way: with a smile, graduated this past December as the first female PADI-certified divers on Mozambique Island.
One worldly – Gee-zella is the kind of woman who haunts dreams, I think – everybody kinda falls in love with her. And the other promising – Samira just turned 18 and makes your heart swell with pride with all her brilliance, her composure, her promise as a future leader and changemaker in the world.
Both are sisters in spirit – they are equally kind, generous and supportive of each other, with Gisela in the role of mentor as a local business owner (she runs the swankiest hotel on the island) and Samira as mentee (she graduates from high school this year).
Both are sisters in the classroom; they are the only – and actually, first-ever – women in the island’s scuba diving training program, leaning on each other as buddies and lifelines under the water.
And now, both are sisters in mission – they will be community monitors for Ilha de Moçambique, charged with the job of protecting the submerged heritage resources around the island – particularly its sunken slave ships, sharing stories of the ancestors who perished underneath the sea and advocating for the relevance and importance of this forgotten history to neighbors and visitors to the island.
I talked to them about many things, but here, I’ll share their wishes for other women and girls on the Island and why they love Mozambique.
Tara: What do you both hope and wish for girls and women on Mozambique Island?
Samira (red dress): I want to talk to them. Well, not yet – because I am still a bit younger. But after five years, I want to talk to them and say to them: The things we know from home – Iike you get a husband, you marry and that’s your life – those things are not the limit. We can go beyond that.
Gisela (striped dress): Women here didn’t have the opportunity before. But now they have it. Women are the future. They are the ones educating the kids. At least that is our reality in Mozambique – women still have that obligation more than men. But now, they have the possibility to do something different, completely outside the box. They can transfer new knowledge to our kids, who are the future for this country.
Tara: You have two daughters. Gisela – five and seven. I saw them the other day watching you train at the pool. What do they say and ask about what you are doing?
Gisela: They are asking – would it be possible for us to do it, too?! Do we have to wait until we are 10 years old?! They see me, and are like, wow, you are so strong! They see me handling the tanks. They say, you look so different! (She laughs.)
Tara: Do you think there are barriers in front of you because you are female?
Samira: Yes! When you are female, they don’t always take you seriously. But I don’t care. That’s your opinion – keep it to yourself. This is my life!
Gisela: I really hope that women here realize how lucky they are in comparison to the majority of Mozambicans. To be born here, in a place like Ilha de Moçambique where the stories are rich, the culture is rich – it’s very easy to not see that. But I hope they realize how much privilege they have and take advantage of it.
Tara: Who inspires you both? Do you have any role models?
Samira: Michelle Obama! She is so strong.
Gisela: Oprah and Michelle Obama. I am reading Michelle’s book ‘Becoming’ right now. I also really like Graça Machel.
Tara: Samira, what are your plans after high school?
Samira: I want to study at Harvard … I want to study archaeology and human rights. Also, one of my dreams is to create a program – it’s going to be called the Samira Jamú Scholarship program, and it will give scholarships to young people to take care of Mozambique Island’s future.
Tara: What have you learned from being a part of the Slave Wrecks Project?
Samira: I have learned [so] much! Because the history of the island is my history, too! My brothers and sisters are in that other place.
Gisela: We believe in the ancestors and the spirits here – at least in my family and in most Mozambican families. Once per month you put food down and you speak to the spirits. But because of globalization, how can you explain this to those outside of Mozambique? They look at you like you’re crazy! But this is our reality. And I believe in that world. Not only do I believe, but I do things with my girls to make sure they speak with their ancestors. They always ask, why must we speak with people who are not here?! (She smiles.) I say, because you are Mozambican!
Tara: You love this country.
Gisela: Yes, and I want Mozambique to become a better country. I hope our leaders really start to see this country, really love the people of the country. And even though we don’t have experience doing certain things yet, I hope they will have the courage to really step into our freedom and our future.
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