Dealing with African intensity, its constant social interactions, its cities, and villages where everybody was calling me and trying to touch me, sometimes even provoking a slightly harsh reaction, made me feel emotionally stronger, with a renewed capacity to face adverse situations.
Francisco França was only 21 years old when he decided to cycle alone from Portugal to Mozambique. By a happy coincidence, I had the opportunity to meet him during the Portugal Day Celebration in Maputo, where he had arrived a couple of days earlier, and to interview him.
Our conversation was marked by the ingenuity, kindness, and simplicity of youth, and the humility, determination, and maturity of an adult who embarks on such a journey of self-discovery.
I hope that when you read this interview, which we have slightly bridged for greater fluidity, you will enjoy the conversation with Francisco and learn from this journey, as much as I did.
AR: You were only 21 years old when you decided to go on this epic journey. How did your family react when you told them that you were going to cycle alone from Lisbon to Maputo?
FF: I had done other shorter trips that prepared me and my family for this. For example, the two-day journey to my grandparents’ home when I was much younger (my first trip alone), that at the time was a great event. Then, the next year, cycling the National Road N2 for three weeks, from Lisbon to Algarve and returning, carrying a tent – nothing compared to this, but at the time a huge adventure for my parents. And, next summer, the hitchhiking trip with a friend from Lisbon to Zurick, also camping for 3 weeks.
All those were small adventures that allowed me to progressively feel more comfortable and prepared to deal with ever greater challenges, and the same happened to my parents.
In fact, my mother’s reaction to this trip was very similar to when I told her that I wanted to travel the N2 (laughs).
AR: Still, all those experiences were in Portugal and Europe. Your travel to Mozambique was a chasm in terms of ambition and risk. I don’t know so many countries in Africa, but I know enough to imagine the challenges that you were to face. So, that is where I would like us to start. When you made your decision, you were conscious of the risks and challenges that you could face along the way (e.g, lack of internet and GPS, to say the least), and did you have a plan to overcome them?
FF: Yeah,when I went on stage during the Portuguese Communities celebration (here in Maputo), people were asking “what got into your mind to do this journey?” As if it was something simple that crossed my mind, and I just decided to go for it. Of course, it wasn’t.
The first time I considered the idea of travelling by bicycle was when I read Pedro on the Road, a book written ten or twelve years ago by a Portuguese that cycled from Portugal to Cape Town. Reading his stories made me feel hugely curious and stirred a strong will to have that kind of experience but at first, I never considered Africa (a great adventure, but not for me, I thought). However, that idea (of cycling to Africa) slowly developed to a point where I knew I had to do it.
From the moment I considered that possibility and started to talk to other people about it, risks were the first thing that everyone talked about. I can only remember three people that immediately believed in me and said “Ok, go for it, I’m here for you!”
So, yes, I foresaw those problems and risks, and many caused me sleepless nights. For example, news about terrorism and kidnappings in Nigeria, probably the country that I most feared. But I tried to deal with everything in the most logical way possible and that helped me a lot.
To begin with, I decided that I couldn’t have someone that had never been to Africa and didn’t have any relation to the Continent, saying that I couldn’t do this because it’s very dangerous. I needed to talk to people that had similar experiences in the same region. Those were the ones that could provide useful information.
Searching on Facebook, I found “Overlanding West Africa”, a group sharing 4×4 traveling experiences. I looked for people that were posting about cycling and questioned them about their experiences, safety and other relevant issues.
Still, of course, the fear of the unexpected was constant. Therefore, I started considering and deconstructing different possible scenarios.
For example, people often asked me to imagine how I would react if I was on the road “in the middle of nowhere” and some burglars appeared, took everything from me and ran away. Then, I asked myself: what is being “in the middle of nowhere”? And, what in fact can happen?
Afterwards, I started to list priorities: the one thing that they can’t take is my passport. If they want the money, or any of the rest, I will give it to them.
Of course, we can’t predict everything, and sometimes other travellers tell us about situations that may be trickier to manage. But those travellers’ information, in general, also tells us that that kind of scenario is not as frequent as it appears to be.
The other relevant piece is this journey challenges and risks were steadily increasing. I mean, I was travelling through African Countries which became gradually more difficult. For example, I began in Morocco, which is more touristic, then Mauritania, and then Senegal. This was the first Black African country that I visited, and, despite its slightly touristic side, I could already see significant differences. But by the time I arrived in Senegal, after 3 months of travelling, I had already had many different perspectives, so I was more prepared for those changes than at the beginning of the journey.
AR: You mentioned that this idea developed to a point where you knew you had to do this. Why? What was your motivation? Was it only to overcome the challenge, or were you aiming at something more, for example, in terms of your personal development?
FF: It was not only for the challenge. That was a part of it, testing my limits doing something so huge. But I also got extremely curious about África. Sometimes, I was watching videos on the internet which showed the chaotic movement of people and traffic in the suburbs of African cities, and I was eager to know how it really felt being there. I got curious about how I would feel in those villages, sleeping with people all around me, cycling day after day over the course of a year. Until then, I had only travelled for a maximum of 3 weeks. Travelling by bicycle for 1 year looked a bit unreal, but as I loved my short travel experiences so much, I imagined that doing it for a whole year would be amazing.
AR: And it was not for a year, but for sixteen months…
FF: Yes, and I saw all I wanted to see.
AR: So, how do you feel about it? Looking at yourself one year ago, how did this trip significantly change you? Over the sixteen-month period, you missed family anniversaries, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and other moments when family and friends usually gather. How did you feel and how did you manage those occasions so far from your usual environment?
FF: I don’t know if this is the right answer, but I feel it’s the most important.
In the beginning of the journey, I was afraid that people wouldn’t welcome me. Would they really welcome me in their homes, let me camp and make me feel truly wanted?
Then, in Morrocco, that turned out to be a constant. People, especially during Ramadan, were always inviting me to their tables and making me feel as if I was someone special. They were focused on me, on my comfort and I remember being amazed and thinking “this is really happening, and I didn’t do anything to deserve it, I just travelled here”.
Afterwards, in Senegal, and even in Conakry (Guinea), where cities were the most chaotic, I was looking around, and everything was happening. Someone was handling a wheelbarrow (AR: A “Tchova”) loaded with bananas, another one was making the tea, and I was there, feeling that I was a part of that and was exactly where I wanted to be. Slowly, I got comfortable in that chaos.
So, honestly, I don’t know if I felt that sad about the moments that I inevitably missed. What I was doing was more important to me and, a great lesson from this trip is that what you set out to do is always your choice. You may refer to many factors that will stop you from doing it. For example, I could have said that my grandparents are getting old, or that I should continue my masters. There are many reasons, and some may be more important than others, but doing it or not is always our choice. Sometimes people forget this and put their focus on external factors as if they were non-negotiable when eventually they are not so impeditive.
AR: You felt empowered by your choice…
FF: Yes, and the best feeling came after 6 months travelling. In that moment, when I had completed a quarter of my journey, and crossing to Togo or Benin wasn’t much different, I realized that if I had been able to arrive there, continuing likewise I could in fact finish my journey. And, thinking so, I felt a huge power, almost as if the world was mine. That feeling stayed with me and from there all seemed simpler.
That, I believe, is one of the most relevant changes: thinking that, if I was able to do something of that magnitude just because I believed it and brought my dream into reality, I can do anything else. At this moment, I have no motives to believe that I won’t be able to fulfil any other dream, be it a business, a project, or a book. I believe that if I want, I will be able to do it and that is a major personal change, one that changes everything.
AR: In a podcast, you said that this journey had also helped you to clarify some doubts relating to your future. Can you tell us about those doubts and what is the way forward? After completing such a huge project, what else can satisfy you?
After completing my course, I wasn’t sure about what I wanted to do, and this trip was very important to show me the way.
While travelling, I had a lot of time to think and there were times when I thought I wanted to study languages, or to go back to the city where I did my Erasmus, or to start other projects. So many projects crossed my mind!
Then, I dived into those projects and tried to think about what would really happen if I went that way. For all of them, I made a kind of a temporary decision and while rolling, when nothing could really change, I was conceiving a more concrete plan for each scenario.
Slowly and naturally, I began to understand that probably what I really desired was to continue to dedicate myself to psychology. Dealing with African intensity, its constant social interactions, its cities, and villages where everybody was calling me and trying to touch me, sometimes even provoking a slightly harsh reaction, made me feel emotionally stronger, with a renewed capacity to face adverse situations. I felt that I was gaining maturity and that maybe I could become a good Psychologist.
At this moment, my motivation to be an excellent psychologist (maybe not the best, but at least very good) is as big as the motivation that I felt to travel. I trusted that I could finish my journey, and now I am certain that I can be a good Psychologist and do whatever I propose.
The journey is over, and I want to move forward, dive into other projects and do different things.
AR: Frequently, influenced by the news, people outside Africa may have a negative perspective about its people and context. A trip like this, can change that perspective? If each person could do a similar trip, would the world be a better place?
FF: Yes. It didn’t need to happen in Africa. Travelling unprotected and facing risks can be frightening but makes you feel dependent on other people and drives you to interact with them. There are moments when someone is helping you, and moments when you are helping others, because, when someone helps you, you feel grateful and want to give back by helping other people. Today, when I see a cycling traveller, I see myself in his position and I must stop and ask him if he has anywhere to sleep. So, yes, that changes us forever and makes us feel closer to others.
Concerning Africa, I feel that I gained a more realistic perspective that was built between the initial moments where everything looked wonderful, to the moments of tiredness when everything looked negative. In the end, I realised that the environment and the conditions where people grow and are educated, lead to unavoidable differences in people’s perception, attitudes and cultural habits.
I now have a better understanding of the African context and that helps me to understand its complexity and differences. In certain situations, like when I was deceived or, after 3 hours waiting, I understood that the supposed mechanic knew probably less than I about bikes, that enlightenment doesn’t avoid the stress but helps you to deal with the frustration. It’s just a very different reality.
AR: Was there a moment when you thought that you should never have got into this, or that this was the biggest mistake in your life?
FF: I disregarded the effects of such a journey on my mental health, but when I had my first Malaria (in Sierra Leone), I realised how big that impact could be. I remember being in the hospital thinking that I wouldn’t be able to continue because what I was living didn’t make any sense.
When I arrived in Ivory Coast, I was feeling very down and alone. I was regretting the lack of contact from my friends, asking myself why they didn’t ever call me or why they didn’t show interest. Now I understand that this state of mind was probably related to my Malaria recovery process.
Then, I had my second bout of Malaria, and that plunged my spirits even lower. Around 9 travelling months had passed and it was very complicated.
AR: And the moment when you felt that you had to do this to live that moment?
FF: I had many, but arriving at Cabinda, in Angola was an incredible moment. Listening to my native language for the first time in months made me feel like I was at home.
Along the way I had lived many different moments and challenges. I had already crossed Nigeria and Ivory Coast, survived 2 Malarias and won many other difficulties. So, at that moment, I felt that I had proved to myself everything I was capable of. If the trip had finished there, I would have been equally happy.
Nevertheless, arriving in Mozambique was also an extremely happy and special moment, realizing that my journey was complete and I could relax and enjoy the rest of my days in Africa.
AR: To wrap up, what was the country that you loved most in general and the one that you loved most for its natural beauty?
FF: It’s a difficult question to answer. I loved Morocco because the journey was starting, and they have such a rich and different culture. And there I felt more welcomed than in any other place on my journey.
Then, I stayed a long time In Senegal, because of that family and because of its contrasts, being the very first country that I ever visited in Black Africa.
Angola (I loved Angola), Mozambique, and Namibia, also, have unforgettable landscapes.
I can tell you that the places that left the greatest impression on me were the Moroccan desert, and Cabinda in the Angolan enclave. In Cabinda, people were talking my language, I could see some colonial buildings, and I had just arrived from many months without speaking Portuguese. So, suddenly I was speaking Portuguese in the jungle and feeling like I was at home.
But, I must emphasise that the most complete country of all, in my opinion, is Morocco.
AR: Your final impression, now that you have finished.
FF: At this moment, I think that slowly I lost the idea of the dimension of this project. From a certain point, I stopped feeling that I was doing something unique. I felt that I was just living, not travelling.
The initial excitement that I innocently thought was going to last all the way, naturally abandoned me, and, though people continued to admire me, that had turned into my daily life, and I knew at least another 30 people that were doing this. So, at a certain point, I couldn’t see how people could think that this was such a special thing.
But that was part of what I was looking for and one of the reasons for choosing Africa. Other Continents have a better tourism structure and I knew that here I wasn’t going to find something already studied and prepared for me. Here there are no museums, there is only life to observe. What is interesting in Mozambique, or why do I want to go to Xai-Xai? Is there a special Museum there? No. It’s just nice to walk around, to visit a market and discover a fish that I had never seen or a fruit that I have never tasted, to interact with people and live funny episodes. For me, that was always more interesting. I think I knew that Africa was a unique place to get what I wanted, to see and experience the reality of life in the varied regions of this diverse continent.
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