I want to share a little bit about touches. Physical touches. Touches in Mozambique, at least in Metoro. Touches between men and women. Touches between men. Touches between coworkers. Touches between family members. Touches between people who just met for the first time. Touches between more or less anything capable of touching and anything present to receive a touch. Touches of the hand.
As you might have gleaned from this first paragraph, there is a lot of touching going on here! I can really only speak to my experiences here in Metoro so far, so just keep that in mind as you read; it might not be like this in all of Mozambique, but I have heard various confirmations or like information from many other volunteers. Mozambican culture is a culture of community. This sense of community is very strong and the expectations on community members to support and be present during the lives of others are as well. So far, I have definitely seen evidence of an "actions speak louder than words" generalized and collective mentality.
Many times, this community presence and support manifests itself between individuals via physical contact. Let's touch on a few example interactions:
The Up-n-Downer: The Up-n-Downer is possibly the gold standard of Mozambican physical contact. It is safe to say that this is the foundation on which much of the other contact is built. If you can't execute the Up-n-Downer with someone, you're not going to have any hope of progressing to anything more advanced like the Courier and even something as simple as the Pancake might seem a little weird without such a proper base. The Up-n-Downer consists of performing a handshake, then sliding the hands up and forward while interlocking thumbs in some manner, bringing the hands back down into a more-or-less shake, making a snapping motion with the two thumbs that are now at attention, and then separating. This is done in all sorts of settings, formal and otherwise, and between all sorts of people. Men, women, bosses, coworkers, strangers, priests, children, and any Peace Corps Volunteer who is half-decently integrated.
The Courier: The Courier is a common enough maneuver which takes place everywhere and between everyone. This comes to pass when an individual grabs another individual by the hand and leads them away to some destination. The hand is often not released until much of the distance has been covered, if not all of it. This is equally common between individuals of the same sex or different sexes. It occurs between all ages and does not mean anything other than, "Here, come with me to this location where I want to show you something (not meant in any creepy or double-meaning sort of way). More than once I have had my hand taken by a male coworker and been led through the passages and halls of the hospital.
The Fishnet: The Fishnet is commonly seen at the beginning of a conversation after the successful completion of the Up-n-Downer and can last anywhere from a few seconds to the entire conversation. The Fishnet becomes activated when the initial conversation Up-n-Downer takes place and then one party fails to let go. The hands become locked and remain this way for the duration that the initiator, or Fisherman, deems fitting. I have been on the receiving end of a Fishnet that lasted the entirety of our 7-minute conversation.
O Clássico: O Clássico is just what it seems, the classic. By no means exclusive to Mozambique, O Clássico goes by "fistbump" and "the pound" in many English-speaking countries. This maneuver is initiated to offer reinforcement, throw emphasis on a statement, or simply give a general, only-because-life's-so-good "parabens" to a given situation.
The Bounce-Back: The Bounce-Back comes into effect when an embrace is initiated by either party during a greeting, or farewell, or any other time or reason. The correct Bounce-Back is completed by pulling your fellow participant into an embrace. Where one could become tripped up in the Bounce-Back, however, is by failing to do just that, bounce back. After the first chest-bumping of the embrace is completed and individuals have bounced out of it, they must then maintain firm hand position and bounce back into a second embrace, this time with their head going to the opposite side of the partner's. This is could be compared to the French double cheek kiss with a little more testosterone.
The Clock Out: The Clock Out is used when an individual either does not really have much time to spend talking with a second individual or is in a rush to end the conversation they have already been having. Quick words are often exchanged and the palm of the Loiterer is exposed for the hand of the Deserter to make a quick, sharp downward motion, tap the hand and be on his or her way. Anytime one is involved in a Clock Out, it is important to remind oneself that this is nothing personal and is simply another way to fast-track affection before departure.
The Pancake: The Pancake is another very widely-used maneuver and consists simply of laying one's hand on another individual's body and leaving it there for some time while speaking with them. This can be the shoulder, the back, the elbow, the thigh (usually while seated, and regardless of sex), and even, in much rarer cases, the head.
This is all we have time for now, but there also exists a wealth of various interactions with children, a subject that we will touch upon in a later post.
As you might have gleaned from this first paragraph, there is a lot of touching going on here! I can really only speak to my experiences here in Metoro so far, so just keep that in mind as you read; it might not be like this in all of Mozambique, but I have heard various confirmations or like information from many other volunteers. Mozambican culture is a culture of community. This sense of community is very strong and the expectations on community members to support and be present during the lives of others are as well. So far, I have definitely seen evidence of an "actions speak louder than words" generalized and collective mentality.
Many times, this community presence and support manifests itself between individuals via physical contact. Let's touch on a few example interactions:
The Up-n-Downer: The Up-n-Downer is possibly the gold standard of Mozambican physical contact. It is safe to say that this is the foundation on which much of the other contact is built. If you can't execute the Up-n-Downer with someone, you're not going to have any hope of progressing to anything more advanced like the Courier and even something as simple as the Pancake might seem a little weird without such a proper base. The Up-n-Downer consists of performing a handshake, then sliding the hands up and forward while interlocking thumbs in some manner, bringing the hands back down into a more-or-less shake, making a snapping motion with the two thumbs that are now at attention, and then separating. This is done in all sorts of settings, formal and otherwise, and between all sorts of people. Men, women, bosses, coworkers, strangers, priests, children, and any Peace Corps Volunteer who is half-decently integrated.
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| Up-n-Downer |
The Courier: The Courier is a common enough maneuver which takes place everywhere and between everyone. This comes to pass when an individual grabs another individual by the hand and leads them away to some destination. The hand is often not released until much of the distance has been covered, if not all of it. This is equally common between individuals of the same sex or different sexes. It occurs between all ages and does not mean anything other than, "Here, come with me to this location where I want to show you something (not meant in any creepy or double-meaning sort of way). More than once I have had my hand taken by a male coworker and been led through the passages and halls of the hospital.
The Fishnet: The Fishnet is commonly seen at the beginning of a conversation after the successful completion of the Up-n-Downer and can last anywhere from a few seconds to the entire conversation. The Fishnet becomes activated when the initial conversation Up-n-Downer takes place and then one party fails to let go. The hands become locked and remain this way for the duration that the initiator, or Fisherman, deems fitting. I have been on the receiving end of a Fishnet that lasted the entirety of our 7-minute conversation.
O Clássico: O Clássico is just what it seems, the classic. By no means exclusive to Mozambique, O Clássico goes by "fistbump" and "the pound" in many English-speaking countries. This maneuver is initiated to offer reinforcement, throw emphasis on a statement, or simply give a general, only-because-life's-so-good "parabens" to a given situation.
The Bounce-Back: The Bounce-Back comes into effect when an embrace is initiated by either party during a greeting, or farewell, or any other time or reason. The correct Bounce-Back is completed by pulling your fellow participant into an embrace. Where one could become tripped up in the Bounce-Back, however, is by failing to do just that, bounce back. After the first chest-bumping of the embrace is completed and individuals have bounced out of it, they must then maintain firm hand position and bounce back into a second embrace, this time with their head going to the opposite side of the partner's. This is could be compared to the French double cheek kiss with a little more testosterone.
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| Bounce-Back - Phase I |
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| Bounce-Back - Phase II |
The Clock Out: The Clock Out is used when an individual either does not really have much time to spend talking with a second individual or is in a rush to end the conversation they have already been having. Quick words are often exchanged and the palm of the Loiterer is exposed for the hand of the Deserter to make a quick, sharp downward motion, tap the hand and be on his or her way. Anytime one is involved in a Clock Out, it is important to remind oneself that this is nothing personal and is simply another way to fast-track affection before departure.
 |
| The Clock Out |
The Pancake: The Pancake is another very widely-used maneuver and consists simply of laying one's hand on another individual's body and leaving it there for some time while speaking with them. This can be the shoulder, the back, the elbow, the thigh (usually while seated, and regardless of sex), and even, in much rarer cases, the head.
This is all we have time for now, but there also exists a wealth of various interactions with children, a subject that we will touch upon in a later post.
