YAHMAN

" Every man gotta the right to decide his own destiny. "

Bob Marley

Children, very young ones, have some difficulty spelling the letter "J". For this reason, Naftal, the Jahman, prefers to be called Yahman so that the purest beings can say his name. Yahman was born in Mozambique, in the province of Gaza, in a small village near Xai-Xai.

A holiday trip took him to Tofo beach, where he fell in love with a "molunga" lady who changed his life, his goddess. Naftal, a young man with a unique smile, has a great passion for photography combined with his pure Rastafarian doctrine. Love led him to stay in Tofo, where his goddess had some photographic equipment from Europe that she offered him to take his passion for photography further. Naftal quickly started making a living from his art by photographing tourists on the magical Tofo beach, thus achieving a source of income to support his existence in paradise.

One day, his Babylonian goddess returned to her homeland with the promise to come back...

Yahman lives in the purest and simplest way I have ever witnessed. He does not consume salt, sugar, alcohol or coffee, follows his religion respectfully, and his diet is based only on fruits, vegetables, and water. He lives in a small community near the swamp in his hut. He regularly makes the winding 8-hour journey to Maputo to participate in ceremonies at Zion, a Rastafarian temple.

The incense of liberation has cost him several detentions in a country where the use of cannabis is severely punished by the authorities. To regain his freedom, a declaration from the Rastafarian religious entity of Mozambique attesting that the use is for religious purposes and not for sale was needed.

I met Yahman on a hot morning in January 2021 in Tofo. The fact that he is also a photographer led me to discover his world and make a portrait of his life. The scarcity of tourists caused by the pandemic led Yahman to adjust his professional activity. With a small digital camera, probably from the beginning of the century, and a 10x15 thermal printer, Yahman provides a unique service: making pass portraits in Inhambane. His workplace in the market changes throughout the day to follow the best light for his portraits. The rudimentary way he performs his instant process makes one question all the happy owners of cameras.

Yahman is a simple and happy person, without filters, just like his portraits. I had the honor of being invited to a ceremony at his house on a full moon night. Perhaps it still results in the most "roots" experience I have had, above all, a spiritual experience where the Nyabinghi rhythm transports us to total connectivity with nature and deep peace, Roots Reggae.

To my friend Yahman,

Nuno Marcelino.