In 1989, Mozambique is a country ruined by civil war. The train that connects Nampula to Malawi is the only hope for people willing to risk their lives to exchange a few bags of salt for sugar. Running slowly over sabotaged tracks, the journey is filled with obstacles and violence. Mariamu, a frequent traveler, shares her trip with her friend Rosa, a nurse who is going to her new hospital, living the reality of war for the first time, Lieutenant Taiar, who only knows the reality of his military life, and another soldier, Salomão, with whom he doesn’t get along. Amongst bullets and laughter, stories of love and war unfold as the train advances towards the next stop.

The Train of Salt and Sugar

In the form of a short political fable, Nhinguitimo explores the relations between the dispossession of rural land—and its crops—and the colonial system. The story of the rebellion of one single farm worker against the colonizers six decades ago can also shape a reflexion on the persisting exploitation of the territory and its people.