Brug over de rivier Tamaquetana in Mozambique c. 1886s

This photograph captures a bridge over the Tamaquetana River in Mozambique, taken by Manuel Romão Pereira. The bridge, a stark line against the organic landscape, is more than a mere structure, it's a symbol. The bridge, a construct meant to unite, echoes the ancient Roman aqueducts, but also reminds of the Tower of Babel, a structure that became a symbol of division. Built to connect, it also implies division. Here, it reflects humanity's ambition to overcome natural barriers, to colonise. Like a modern-day aqueduct, the bridge carries with it the weight of power and domination. The image speaks of the subconscious desire to control nature. The bridge, like the snake in the Garden of Eden, represents a crossing—a point of no return. It embodies the complex, and often contradictory, relationship between progress and the primal landscape.