Harbour Stories

Marcos Lopes, known as ”Frigideira“, has lived in Rio de Janeiro’s harbour in Brazil since childhood. He has memories of football, carnival and the heritage of ”Little Africa“ in a changing city.

The harbour town of List is located not far from Germany’s northernmost point on the North Sea island of Sylt. From her desk at the harbour museum, Melanie Steur looks out to the sea. She shares with us her thoughts about the harbour, the rhythm of the tides and life on a small island.

How a run in a young woman’s stockings changed the life of a U.S. Navy officer. – Edward Mazurkiewicz recounts the stages of his life, cultural encounters, and how Bremerhaven became his “Home Port”.

Óscar Leonardo Henríquez Linero worked for many years at the port in Santa Marta, in the Colombian Caribbean. Today, he remembers his life among goods, ships and the sea with nostalgia, humor, and immense gratitude.

Shaame Kombo Hassan carries the legacy of his ancestors who migrated from Pemba in Zanzibar in search of a better life on the Kenyan coast of the Indian Ocean. Shaame tells us the story of his family.

Argentinian poet Lucía Bianco is the director of the Port Museum in Ingeniero White, a town near the city of Bahía Blanca. Both in her verses and in her role at the museum, Lucía explores the stories of the harbour and the sea.

The excerpts from Jakob Gürtler’s notes from 1922 describe his immigration story from Wismar, Germany to Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada. Read his story now.

For Kareem Hassan Mongy, stepping into the Port of Al-Maala in Yemen was love at first sight, a vibrant world that shaped his life. Decades later, as the port faded with time, its memories remained vivid.

For over two decades, Wissam Hassan Al-Kawafi has developed a deep connection with the harbour of Benghazi in Libya, where he is greeted every morning by familiar faces and the vibrant sounds of maritime life.

For Bishoy Kamel Talaat, the Suez Canal in Egypt is more than a hub of global trade; it’s the place where he found a sense of belonging and purpose. From childhood awe to his daily life as a worker, the Port of Port Said has forever captured his heart.