These journeys are marked by numerous illustrations of a social nature, which gave brightness, life and a new air to the historic neighborhoods of Polana Caniço, Mafalala, Chamanculo, Maxaquene, Museu, Baixa
4 Hours
Art
15 persons
Maputo
Guided Tours to the Murals in the neighborhoods of Maputo including Bairro Unidade (JARDIM)/ Chamunculo/ Mafalala - Called "(Re)creating Narratives and Urban Fantasies", the collection is curated in partnership with the Mozambican-German Cultural Center (CCMA).
If not for the paintings or the tour, those places would never have been known to foreign tourists because the mere word “slum” is repulsive to them. Now foreigners are willing to pay to spend hours there, feeling the connection between a work of art and the environment that nurtured it in the most direct way.
Discover Maputo’s incredible art scene. Join up-coming artists in their studios. Admire internationally-acclaimed imagery in dedicated galleries. Uncover colourful street murals in the most unexpected of city locations.
The experienced team of art and architecture affirm that these tours around the Mozambican capital have been active for more than a decade. They are artists themselves and Maputo art is not only in galleries.
On this tour you will also be exploring street murals and dazzling facades of spray paint on rock.
Maputo Street is the new concept of street art, created in one of the outlying neighborhoods of the Mozambican capital. Maputo Street Art aims to give a new face to the streets in Mozambique.
Children are seen with Federica D. Andreagiovanni, a French tourist in the neighborhood of the slum area, Unit Seven of Maputo, Mozambique, Nov. 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Nie Zuguo)
The collective of artists, united by street art, more than painting simple walls, used the visual arts to stamp feelings, eternalize memories, motivate and honor characters of the neighborhood.
"Most murals tell stories, they're about urban narratives and fantasies. On the walls we print the traditional games, for example, which are disappearing now because of the cell phones, "explains Afroivan, founder of the movement, noting that the collection also tells stories of the same neighborhood.
These are very beautiful paintings, and they can inspire people passing by and create a certain curiosity, which is very good because it makes the neighborhood more alive,” - Massangaie
The murals made, in addition to bringing beauty and admiration to the eyes of those who see them, portray and sensitize the population in various themes, being this feature more notorious in the last 2 years, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Until then, the movement has already contemplated 8 distinct neighborhoods, these being the cases of the Neighborhood of Unit 7, Polana Caniço, Maxaquene, Airport, Magoanine and Baixa of the city of Maputo.
On one round of walk, visitors can see at least 20 paintings in various styles and themes scattered in the neighborhoods, while possibly getting an up-close look at the residents’ daily life.
The murals were recently inaugurated on this guided tour that also marked the last day of the German Language and Culture Weeks - CCMA Program.
In addition to making visible its mark in several neighborhoods of Maputo City and beyond, with illustrations, significant drawings and paintings, intends to propel more guided tours.
This new urban narrative will allow artists to maintain direct contact and interaction with the public, as well as the acquisition of funds (money) to sustain the activities of the movement.
These public paintings art urban art-works break the time and space constraints of the traditional way of display, giving them a unique advantage, which has been the main selling point and helping create a new tourist attraction for the neighborhoods
These guided tours arose from a partnership with the CCMA, Embassy of Germany and Switzerland. Our first tour took place with the support of the Spanish Embassy for the Gala-Gala Festival.
For a fee of 2,750 meticais (about 43 U.S. dollars), any visitor can spend two or 3 houes on a guided tour through the urban arts scene in Maputo, discovering art in the most unconventional places.
Morning and afternoon half-day tours available.
✅ Air-conditioned transport includes hotel pick-up and drop-off. Please note that stops on the route are subject to change.
Here you will dive into amazing murals and art works by Mateus Sithole.
In his words: "As a visual artist from a very young age, I have pursued the goal of creating triumph artworks and so I do tend to take longer than your average Joao with each particular work. This because of my initial dream of creating a super interesting showroom of my fine art containing my life's best works.
For this reason I've engaged various themes such as portraiture, wildlife art, dreamism, and of course drawing. I have produced many fabric art drawings over the years from burnt paper pieces to ashes."
Our guided Bairro tour will take you to the famous Mafalala neighborhood where many great Mozambican leaders lived.
Mafalala Museum is a community-based museum that obeys the foundations of social museology. The Museum presents Mafalala as the foundation of its curatorial discourse and casts a look at the city of Maputo through the periphery. The Mafalala Museum is the result of an organic and participatory community process led by the IVERCA Association | Tourism, Culture and Environment (www.iverca.org) through its program of promotion and exploration of the cultural heritage of the historic district of Mafalala, in Maputo - Mozambique.
Prepare yourself to be immersed in traditional music, dance, gastronomy, and general daily activities of Mozambicans on this vibrant cultural tour. Do you wish to feel like a local? Then, this tour is for you!
Peek into Maputo’s interesting historic downtown area, the Baixa. This drive goes through to the Maputo Central Market—a covered market built in 1901 inside a Portuguese colonial building. This is also a chance to see the magestic modern engineering pinnacle, the Maputo/ Katembe bridge up close.
🔰 For a more specific down-town tour you can join our Historic Downtown Guided Tour
The Cypher Studios is a Mozambican arts and cultural institution, inaugurated on April 16, 2015 in Maputo City, which aims to contribute to the development of Mozambican culture.
To achieve its mission, the Cypher Studios works with several partners in the literature and arts sector, promoting a conviviality between the makers of culture and society. It houses modern art paintings and sculptures by co-founder and participant Chris Inacio. These artistic paintings and sculptures are also stitched as templates for the Xindzuti clothing line. The Foundation's motto is "to do together with others".
Heading to the finishing point we drive past the architectural legend, Vila Algarve which is located in the heart of the city of Maputo.
Built-in 1934 by architect Augusto da Silva Pinto and engineer Alfredo F. Soares. Legend has it that the “português suave” style by Joé dos Santos Rutino who was a photographer and had a stationary shop but more lucratively also held the lottery concession.
DHOW Gallery embodies the legacy of the dhow sailing vessel which traded merchandise and art from distant exotic locations. The dhow, the heartbeat of East African commerce, has been carrying people, goods and treasures for hundreds of years.
The works exhibited in the Gallery are traditional pieces, representative of the subjects, techniques and styles from many regions of Mozambique, Africa and Asia. The visual arts range from jewelry and fabrics, to paintings, furniture, masks, musical instruments and sculptures.
**You can book for lunch at the Dhow Restaurant and Art Gallery by adding it as an extra-price when booking this tour.
Discounted:
This incredible food tour takes guests on a culinary journey through our flavourful nation with stops to sample
With several template murals to choose from during the tour, customise your Maputo Street Art or Xindzuti merch by material, frame and size. If you may need any of the items available in our merch store, select item on the extra-price menu when making your reservation for the Maputo Street Art Tour.
Your order is made bespoke and can be delivered to you anywhere in the world by a courier service provider of your choice. Additional costs may apply for shipping and delivery.
Africabooking is a platform that allows you to create experiences that travelers from all over the world can book and buy online, from guided tours to surf lessons, among many others. We provide our users with the inspiration, tools, connections and trip protection to travel their way.
By booking this to acknowledged that you have read and accept the Terms and Privacy Policy