The silence of the National Library was only broken by the turning of pages.
Mario examined an old map spread out on the table: straight lines, foreign names, rivers that looked like borders.
“Professor,” he asked, “why does our map look so… artificial?”
Mahlemba looked at the paper calmly. "Because it was drawn far from here, Mario.".
Around the year 1800, European empires began to compete not only for trade routes, but for entire territories. What was once a vibrant network of kingdoms and communities became a chessboard. They wanted to divide the world—and they called it 'order'.‘
“"And how did they decide what belonged to whom?" asked Mario, surprised.
“With pens and agreements,” the professor replied. “Treaties were signed in Lisbon, London, Berlin. Men sitting at tables decided the borders of rivers they had never seen, mountains they had never climbed, peoples they had never heard of.”.
And so, Mario, we were born within lines we didn't draw.”
Mario ran his fingers over the map. "But before that... we had our own borders, didn't we?"“
“We had them,” said Mahlemba. “But they were borders of coexistence, not separation. The limit was respect, not a wall. The land was shared, the river was a path, and the neighbor was an ally. The foreign map transformed everything into possession, and with that, domination began.”
They remained silent for a few seconds. Outside, the sun was setting over the city, gilding the walls of the library.
Mahlemba closed the map and concluded: “This paper, Mário, is a portrait of what happens when we let others tell our story. A beautiful map on the outside, but full of absences on the inside.”
Mario took a deep breath. "Perhaps our challenge now is to redesign the country not on paper, but in our minds."“
“Exactly,” replied the professor. “The true map of a nation begins in the heart of those who believe in it.”
Final message: The map was drawn far away, but the story lives close by.
And until we redesign the country from within ourselves,
