In Pictures

Mozambique’s faded hotel squatters hope for change after polls

Around 4,000 people squatting at a once-luxurious hotel are hoping for a better life.

A woman uses a rope and a plastic container to get water from the Olympic size pool to wash clothes at the Grande Hotel in Beira on October 12 — A woman uses a rope and a plastic container to get water from an Olympic-sized pool to wash clothes at the Grande Hotel in Beira, Mozambique. [Zinyange Auntony/AFP]

By AFP

In the sprawling slum of the once-glorious Grande Hotel in Mozambique’s Beira city, around 4,000 people living in squalor hope this month’s election will bring change.

Most of the scattered election posters on the blackened walls of the gutted beachfront building call for votes for the long-ruling socialist Frelimo party for the polls that took place last week.

A few back the opposition centre-right Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), which has controlled the Beira municipality for the past 20 years.

Results are due later this month and expected to keep Frelimo in charge of the impoverished southern African nation, which it has governed since the end of Portuguese rule half a century ago.

The hotel, with sweeping views of the Indian Ocean, mirrors the desperation of Mozambique, where around 75 percent of the 33 million people live in poverty and the wounds of a 16-year civil war are still raw.

The hotel’s crumbling walls are scrawled with graffiti. Its furniture, windows and fixtures are long gone, while grass grows in its Olympic-sized swimming pool just steps from the sea. The people squatting here are desperate for a better life.

“We live in the shadow of what this place once was,” said Toris Anselmo, in his 30s, who has lived in the ruins of the hotel for most of his life. “We’ve been waiting for change for years. I hope this election brings better opportunities for us all.”

The hotel and its grand staircase were built in the Art Deco style in the 1950s when Mozambique was still a colony of Portugal. It was abandoned by its owners in 1974 as the Portuguese left following 10 years of war led by Frelimo.

A general view of clothes put out to dry outside the Grande Hotel in Beira on October 12 — Clothes are put out to dry outside the Grande Hotel in Beira, Mozambique's second-largest city. Around 4,000 people live in the hotel, which was built in the 1950s when Mozambique was still a colony of Portugal. [Zinyange Auntony/AFP]

Elaria Ribeiro Punte (R), with her son and his wife, sit in the passage outside their room at the Grande Hotel in Beira on October 12 — Elaria Ribeiro Punte (right), her son and his wife sit in the passage outside their Grande Hotel room. The hotel, with sweeping views of the Indian Ocean, is a portrait of the desperation of Mozambique, where around 75 percent of the 33 million people live in poverty and where the country is still scarred by a 16-year civil war. [Zinyange Auntony/AFP]

Women walk out of the Grande Hotel in Beira on October 12 — The hotel was abandoned by its owners in 1974, the year the Portuguese left following 10 years of war led by the Frelimo party. [Zinyange Auntony/AFP]

Fernando Jose, 37, poses for a photo with his daughter in the Grande Hotel in Beira on October 12 — Fernando Jose, 37, was born in the hotel and now raises a family of his own there. "I have a wife and child, but nothing much to show for it," he said. "Jobs are scarce, and there's little support. We're hoping this vote will lead to change." [Zinyange Auntony/AFP]

A resident walks down the stairway the Grande Hotel in Beira on October 12 — The civil war that erupted after independence caused around a million deaths and displaced millions more, some of whom sought refuge in Beira. [Zinyange Auntony/AFP]

Hasanido Arcancu, a teenage football enthusiast dreams of becoming a professional player, poses for portrait in the the Grande Hotel in Beira on October 12 — Hasanido Arcancu, a teenage football enthusiast who lives among the ruins of the Grande Hotel, said he dreams of a brighter life as a professional player. "I love football, but we have nowhere to practice. Maybe one day, I'll play for a big team and leave this place behind," he said. [Zinyange Auntony/AFP]

A woman sells vegetables at a stall in the hallway of the Grande Hotel in Beira on October 12 — A woman sells vegetables at a stall in the hallway of the hotel. Every corner serves a purpose: People live in the basement, former cold rooms or old elevator shafts. Thin curtains divide rooms, transforming spaces into makeshift kitchens and living areas. [Zinyange Auntony/AFP]

People walk in the hallway inside the Grande Hotel in Beira on October 12 — People walk in the hallway inside the Grande Hotel. The Frelimo government used the hotel as a military base when the Fremilo party was drawn into civil war with the anti-communist Renamo, then a rebel group. [Zinyange Auntony/AFP]

Men sit beside a doorway the Grande Hotel in Beira on October 12 — Men sit beside a doorway at the Grande Hotel. People living there cling desperately to the hope that Mozambique's election will bring change to their difficult lives. [Zinyange Auntony/AFP]

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