Treinspoor in Mozambique, mogelijk langs de oever van de Rio Incomati c. 1886s

This photograph by Manuel Romão Pereira captures a section of the Lourenço Marques railway in Mozambique. The prominent converging lines of the railroad tracks compel the eye. These lines possess a rich historical echo. Recall the Roman roads, straight and purposeful, emblems of empire, or even the pilgrimage routes, where converging paths symbolized spiritual convergence. These lines share a common ancestor – a primal urge to connect, to traverse, and to possess. Consider, too, the psychological impact. The tracks disappearing into the horizon evoke a sense of yearning, a reaching towards the unknown. The photograph captures a moment of transition, a visual metaphor for the changes brought by industrialization, and colonization, an inexorable march of progress. The tracks, therefore, are not merely lines of transportation but conduits of cultural and emotional energy, forever changed and reformed as they journey through time.