""Nakhoda and the Mermaid" is an immersive installation, a sensory immersive experience that uses various media such as sound, 360-degree projections and virtual reality to talk about the maritime cultural heritage, the culture of the sea, which is very old here on the Island of Mozambique and in the region", Mozambican filmmaker Yara Costa tells Lusa.

The main character of the installation, which has been visited by 1,250 people since July 2023, located on the seashore and near the island's museum, is the 'dhow', a traditional wooden sailboat, commanded by the 'nakhoda', an experienced captain, knowledgeable about the sea, its secrets and stories, who "can see what no one else sees and hear what no one else hears".

"You are not born a 'nakhoda', you are not one because your father was, but you learn to be a 'nakhoda', is Yara's last warning, before opening the door to immersion, in an installation where you have physical contact with canoes, oars, the 'dhow', ropes and fishing nets.

Equipped with headphones, the visitor hears stories about the past, present and future, sung in the local language by men and women who go to sea every day, while passing from canoe to canoe within the installation until reaching the 'dhow', the main boat.

There, in addition to listening, the visitor can see around them, projected in 360 degrees, the path taken to reach the position of the 'nakhoda' and also watch the women gathering molluscs, while singing traditional hymns and singing among themselves the conflicts and problems of the community.

"The visitor is invited to use a pair of virtual reality glasses where they are completely immersed and can travel back in time to 1749, when boats left here taking people to be sold into slavery, to 2030, in the future, when the water starts to rise and takes over all this", explains the filmmaker.

Yara records and exhibits history, habits and tradition so that they are not forgotten, but also warns and shows the consequences of climate change on the lives of fishermen and communities living in coastal areas.

"All this is being severely impacted and will be even more threatened due to the effects of the climate crisis we are experiencing", she says, mentioning the importance of traditional ecological knowledge in preserving the ecosystem.

"All these practices are integrated with nature, they are highly ecological, they do not pollute, they are regenerative", stresses the Mozambican filmmaker, appealing for consultation and preservation of tradition.

The "Nakhoda and the Mermaid" installation is on the Island of Mozambique, in Nampula, in the north of the country, and since its opening last year it has received visitors every day, in sessions that are attended by a maximum of two people, says Yara Costa.

The installation is thus a journey about the seafaring tradition of the Island of Mozambique, which lasts at least an hour and ends when the visitor finally occupies the position of the 'nakhoda': sitting behind the 'dhow' and controlling the helm.

"Without a doubt, what we observe is that people leave here moved, something moves them, whether it is the songs, a feeling of regret, of discovery or an awakening of curiosity", concludes Yara.

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