The inner courtyard of Eduardo Mondlane University was almost empty.
It was late afternoon, and the sun painted the ground with patches of golden light.
Mario and Professor Mahlemba were sitting near the cafeteria, watching a group of students discussing a project.
“Professor,” asked Mario, “how did people learn before schools? How was knowledge passed on?”
Mahlemba looked at the group of young people and replied: “You learned by living, Mario. Long before schools and notebooks, knowledge was passed down through words and example. Almost a thousand years ago, when the sun set, the villages gathered around the campfire. There, the elders told stories, the young people listened, and the children learned without realizing they were learning.”
“"And what kind of stories were those?" Mario asked.
“Stories that taught the essentials,” the professor replied. “About friendship, respect, the value of the land, courage, and patience. Each tale was a lesson in disguise. An impatient hunter could lose his prey; a liar could deceive himself; a child who was too curious could discover danger too early. That's how character was formed. The campfires were the people's universities.”
Mario smiled. "That sounds more interesting than today's classes."“
Mahlemba laughed. “Because there was no distance between knowledge and life. Today we study formulas, but we forget purpose. Ancient wisdom taught how to live, not just how to pass exams. It was slow but profound knowledge—and it is this rhythm that we have lost. We want to learn everything quickly, but without time to understand.”
The sound of the wind rustled through the trees. Mahlemba looked up at the sky and added, “The problem isn’t that we’ve left the campfires. It’s that we’ve extinguished the flame of listening. Today everyone talks, few listen—and without listening, there is no learning.”
Mário became thoughtful. "Perhaps we should rekindle our fires, professor—even if they are internal ones."“
“Yes, Mario,” the professor replied. “Because it is around the fire that humanity always finds itself again.”
Final message: Before schools, there was listening. Before books, there were stories. And those who don't learn to listen will never know how to teach.
