MORE “FRESH AIR” FOR THE PRESS IN MOZAMBIQUE

Afonso Almeida Brandão"

PTo improve Mozambique through constructive criticism, we need to breathe in the "fresh air" of freedom of the press and thought. We must, therefore, get off the current wagon of traditional "journalism," practiced primarily in Maputo, which is destined for censorship and the dictatorship of uniform thinking (often veiled by the "hand" of FRELIMO). On this express train, paid for with public money, the seats are greased with government butter. Flattery and whitewashing of bad business dealings, mixed with politics, are rife in the media, ruining taxpayers and the people. To get such "fresh air," we must read the newspaper PRETO & BRANCO, where we write these free lines along with other moderate, patriotic authors, centered around the ideological center, with integrity and financial independence from the State and Political Parties. By contrast, in too many other media outlets, particularly those subsidized by the State and supposedly more reputable, there is not a single truly critical voice regarding the "nice suits" of our leaders, which are nothing more than mere pro-government uniforms. However, there are politicians affiliated with FRELIMO who have the audacity to assert that the current PRESS, of which the newspaper PRETO & BRANCO (and another half dozen publications published from South to North in our country) are on the loose—they say "in full"!—are nothing more than provocateurs and liars. Not even Orwell could have presented a better example of the distortion of factual reality made by those who (believe) they “serve” Power... We know that in several other media outlets, unfortunately, there is an increasing shortage of true journalism and democracy. This lack of independent thought and facts destroys an economy closed to the "cork law" and the crime of opinion. An antithesis of Freedom of Expression that, in addition to increasing voter abstention, places us close to the last economic and financial position of the Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOPS), perhaps the CPLP, and the rest of Southern Africa. This is precisely because it is well known that Mozambique's position at the bottom of the indexes of the most (mis)governed countries is something that has never been properly questioned, and therefore never improved. Any questions? The reality, not the perception imposed by powerful rulers (or misrulers, as you wish) and their minions, is that the Jornal PRETO & BRANCO, for example, is one of the few newspapers that currently ranks among the most democratic, pluralistic, and free in Mozambique. For example: our editorial staff is one of the few venerable professionals, body and soul, who have provided loyal and honest service, often forcefully, to the Mozambican nation and true democrats. The author of this column was one of the few journalists who questioned power in what was then the NGANI Weekly and now in PRETO & BRANCO, which, even in Samora Machel's time, saw so much camouflaged censorship in traditional newspapers as it has since the last three Presidents of the Republic, since 1975. Many media outlets in Mozambique, from north to south, no longer allow some of our current journalists to write, precisely because of the power of their opinions and because the facts they publish upset the powerful (myself included with pride). Outside this space of Freedom and Plurality, where these colleagues and I write these lines, they censor us for being upstanding and patriotic citizens, with nothing to lose by exposing the corruption of the FRELIMO regime. In the traditional newspapers printed in Maputo (and not only!), they give preference and reverence to anyone who is attached to the "chuxialism" of the left-wing FRELIMO, especially if they are Socratic and an example follower of the current President we have, named Daniel Chapo, (the truth is that we will have to put up with him for another four and a half years!) — people, we said, who have never lived without being in Politics and the State, without having presented any top results in terms of the PALOPS. Such partisan "jotas" are entitled to "superficial rants," as long as they don't question anything deeply, especially not even mention the corruption that's sacrificing the middle class and sinking the Mozambican nation. Such self-promotion from partisan "jotas" who want to be ministers or members of parliament is tedious. Some newspapers and TV channels help us continue the "legacy" of Joaquim Chissano, Armando Guebuza, and Filipe Nyusi's press censorship. These "jotas" concealed "the true state of our country's finances" and dishonored the legacy of freedom won by Samora Machel and other leading figures who helped liberate Mozambique from Salazar's colonial fascist "yoke"... Therefore, all those who came from the party "jotas"—there is no dog or cat without education or ethical and technical qualifications who doesn't give us "advice," pestering us on TV at all hours and in every program. It even seems that these "jotas" have "much" to "teach" Mozambicans about the nothing they studied or worked for outside of politics. What they broadcast in the media and perpetuate are the many vices that have led to bankruptcies and poor results for Mozambicans and Mozambique for five decades, constantly squandering aid from the US, China, and Europe and increasing our debt and taxes, despite lying to us that lunches are always free... Such (mis)government propaganda, moreover, occurs without any real contradiction, nor does anyone truly question anything in the mainstream media. Simply to disguise such government flattery, certain newspapers sprinkle in some mildly critical but inconsequential tidbits, coming from polished commentators, usually from the caviar "chuxalist" left, dependents or employees of state entities. They feign criticism but in reality rave, along with the partisan "jotas," that we have, for example, the Finance Ministry as champions of the fraud of its CPLP partners. They contradict the reality of all the published economic and financial data. They all assure us that the economy is not doing so badly in Mozambique. They worry greatly about the shortcomings of presidents or leaders of other countries, but are always afraid to point out flaws here at home, even if they are even more serious than abroad. In stark contrast, those who deeply question the regime and implement reforms that will ultimately propel us to the top of the PALOP countries are in the minority, despite representing the views of the majority of the population. They are silenced, insulted, and persecuted in the traditional newspapers that proliferate among us. However, the fact remains that these newspapers no longer represent the population, but only the government (or misgovernance), with a growing alienation from the causes that truly concern Mozambicans. Tellingly, many of these newspapers have to pay to find readers, with paid advertisements after paid advertisements on social media, pestering us with such paid news every time we open Facebook. This means that no one wants to buy what we know for the most part is not news, but government propaganda. Is there any journalistic objectivity in this blue-pencil swamp that several mainstream newspapers, which were NEVER respectable, have become? Isn't it a shame to watch the ailing (and privately owned) TVM, which was never irreverent and is therefore increasingly ailing and subservient to power, just like some newspapers like NOTÍCIAS, DIÁRIO DE MOÇAMQUE, PUBLICO, and DOMINGO? Is it without genuine journalistic alternatives or different perspectives that we will be able to reduce the massive abstention resulting from the successive exit poll fraud in previous elections since 1975? Aren't Mozambicans, the majority of whom are poorly paid and largely living on the Edge of Poverty (about 80% of the population according to the latest data released!), in addition to those who are overtaxed, fed up with the ridiculous journalistic good news that everything is always fine? When will we once again have a serious press that questions the powers that be, forcing changes and reforms that will lead us to a standard of living more in line with Cape Verde, for example? For how many more years will we be misgoverned by partisan ministers whose falsified results are never questioned? Will we continue to pay the price in taxes and bankruptcy for this intolerable "status quo" in the "bullshit" media we have here? Frankly, we can't. More "fresh air" is urgently needed in the current press in Mozambique and in the only TVM we have. It's in our hands to encourage and buy free newspapers like PRETO & BRANCO, NGANI, EVIDÊNCIAS, SAVANA, and CANAL DE MOÇAMBIQUE (advertisement required) that are free to air the Plurality and Diversity of Democratic Opinions. As always... STRAIGHT TO THE POINT.

2025/12/3