Samson's head and the regeneration of Renamo

Paulo Vilanculo"

In the biblical story, Samson was betrayed by his lover Delilah, who ordered a servant to cut his hair while he slept, and handed him over to the Philistine enemies who gouged out his eyes and forced him to grind grain in a mill in Gaza. While there, his hair began to grow back. When the Philistines took Samson to the temple of Dagon, Samson asked to rest against one of the supporting pillars. After receiving permission, he prayed to God and miraculously regained his strength, allowing him to topple the pillars, destroying the temple and killing himself as well as all the Philistines. In some Jewish traditions, Samson is believed to have been buried in Tel Zorah, Israel, overlooking the Sorek Valley. The case of Ossufo Momade is a comparative chapter in this saga, symbolizing the crisis of the opposition and the moral collapse of Mozambican politics, where everyone knows the plot but feigns surprise at each episode. In the silence of the central leadership, which until now has fueled suspicions of complicity or, at the very least, strategic negligence, the internal reconciliation meeting within Renamo, which brought together internal figures, rekindles old tensions and brings new contradictions to light within Renamo.

In Mozambique, leaving power, even within a party, means losing visibility, economic influence, and often personal security. There is an unavoidable human and political dimension to this. There is also a psychological and image component, the fear of being forgotten, and Ossufo Momade knows he is being pushed to the margins of Renamo's history. When Ossufo Momade refuses to relinquish his post even in the face of public protest, he breaks with the internal democratic principle and transforms the party into a mirror of the same authoritarianism he has always criticized in the State. By refusing to leave power, Momade transforms Renamo into a microcosm of the very system he claims to fight, where power is not won through merit but maintained through convenience. This behavior exposes the contradiction between the discourse of democracy and the disguised authoritarian practice that has dominated Mozambican politics, both in the ruling party and in the opposition. Momade's resistance, on the contrary, symbolizes the ethical and institutional bankruptcy of the opposition, making it incapable of inspiring confidence in the electorate. On the other hand, it is clearly established that Mozambican politics has become a vicious circle of accommodations and conveniences. Momade's refusal is not merely political stubbornness; it is fear of losing protection, influence, and benefits. Momade's attitude reveals a worrying pattern: the reproduction of Frelimo's centralized power model within the opposition itself, where opponents are invited to join the system, critics are transformed into advisors, revolutionaries into consultants, and subsequently, his alleged appointment to Emose represents more than a simple position but rather the symbolic funeral of the opposition and the consecration of power that recycles itself by absorbing those who challenged it. The outcome of Ossufo Momade's trajectory is not just the story of a man who lost control of a party; it is a portrait of a democracy content with simulacra of pluralism.

Within Renamo, the episode of its regeneration has intensified debates about the deterioration of its command structures, which are out of control and disoriented, particularly with the use of violence as an instrument of internal intimidation when its militants demand full explanations for disciplinary measures, arguing that the party cannot continue to tolerate speeches that threaten the cohesion and security of its members. Today, Ossufo Momade does not seem to represent a symbol of democracy in the face of open protests from party members. Moreover, Momade knows he has lost control over large factions of Renamo, especially those closest to Afonso Dhlakama and the demobilized ex-combatants. The more radical and critical factions of Ossufo Momade, comprised of former commanders and members who accuse him of betrayal, would hardly accept a private meeting without the intention of removing him from office. Many Renamo members no longer recognize him as a legitimate leader, accusing him of losing his combative essence and of becoming excessively close to the government. In reality, Renamo's internal crisis exposes the logic of power, distrust, and survival that has dominated Renamo's internal politics since the death of Afonso Dhlakama and the fragility of Mozambican democracy in general. Renamo, which began as a protest movement and always presented itself as a moral alternative to hegemonic power, today presents the project of its own demise, held hostage by the logic of personalism, cult of personality, lack of renewal, and resistance to internal criticism. The party is now struggling with the paradox of wanting to maintain the illusory image of being the symbol of opposition in the country, but without a true leader to unite its members.

Ossufo Momade knows his authority is severely shaken. Momade knows he can no longer unite Renamo through the power of arms or political force, so he tries to do so through memory and image. If Momade were truly a symbol of democracy, he would have convened a transparent, open congress with free debate and clear voting, accepting the result even if it was unfavorable to him. Momade is not concerned with saving Renamo, but rather, he is trying to save what remains of his image and influence, even if it means further dividing the party he swore to unite. Now, Ossufo Momade seems to have chosen to reconcile with a "handful" and not with "everyone" because, ultimately, he no longer possesses the political capital or the moral authority to unite the whole of Renamo. The selective invitations have a calculated purpose: to gather people who can legitimize his image as a reconstructor, without risking a mutiny or public questioning. By choosing figures like André Oliva and Elias Dhlakama, Momade attempts to rebuild a symbolic bridge between himself and the historical lineage of Renamo, and especially the Dhlakama family, which still carries a strong emotional and political weight within the party. The figure of Elias, as Afonso Dhlakama's brother, serves to reconnect the party's emotional memory with the former leader and create the impression that there is continuity in the struggle. Similarly, bringing in André Oliva and other historical figures aims to give moral legitimacy to the attempt at reconciliation, even if the gesture does not involve all members.

In a country where alternation is seen as a threat and not as a value, democracy remains merely pretty words poorly spoken at rallies, but betrayed behind the scenes. Before being exercised in the country, democracy needs to be lived within the parties. Ossufo Momade avoids exposing Renamo's open wounds to the public and, at the same time, tries to create a controlled narrative of reconciliation in which he appears as the mediator of internal peace, and not as the pivot of division. One of the fundamental pillars of democracy is the alternation of power, the recognition that no leadership is eternal and that power must circulate as a sign of institutional vitality. Within his sphere, Ossufo Momade dictates the rules, controls the environment and the narrative. It is a staging of authority in a place chosen not for convenience, but for control. It is a gesture of political self-preservation, typical of declining leaders seeking to prove that they still hold some decision-making power. A democratic leader is one who knows when to step down, who recognizes the limits of their influence and passes the baton to new generations. Given this scenario, reconciling with everyone would be a fatal risk, as it would pave the way for an internal coup or a collective demand for their resignation, which could represent a strategic dimension of maintaining relevance and avoiding total isolation. It's a political act of self-preservation and psychological posturing to appear open to dialogue, while the true objective is to rehabilitate their public image and reduce social and media pressure regarding their supposed "abandonment" of the party. In Mozambique, power doesn't alternate, it merely disguises itself.

By choosing a "handful" of interlocutors, Ossufo Momade protects himself from the public humiliation of being questioned by the most rebellious members of the base. In political terms, this is a choreographed reconciliation, carefully chosen to convey the appearance of dialogue, without the risk of confrontation, but rather in a position of survival control. Opting for a restricted reconciliation was, therefore, a way to control the political environment, limiting the presence only to those with whom he still maintains some margin of trust or negotiation. This private meeting can be interpreted as a desperate attempt to rewrite his role, to say "I tried to save the party," before the public narrative declares him guilty of its destruction. A broad reconciliation would mean opening space for all factions, including those that accuse him of betrayal, mismanagement, and having "sold out the party." The private meeting in Ossufo Momade's office was not merely a gesture of reconciliation; it was a political maneuver for survival, a way to demonstrate power where there is no longer strength, to feign unity where there is fracture, and to salvage the party's name when it can no longer be saved. Amid broken promises, accusations, and reconciliations, the party is experiencing a profound identity crisis, no longer knowing if it is the opposition, an institution, or simply a memory. Renamo, which was once synonymous with resistance and hope for millions of marginalized Mozambicans, now seems a shadow of its former self. The party has lost the capacity to represent popular dissatisfaction. Co-optation has become synonymous with stability, and stability with submission. The restricted reconciliation thus serves to reconstruct the narrative of a weakened leader, destroyed by the very mediator in the pursuit of unity. Momade's reconciliation can therefore be seen as a portrait of a leadership that attempts to heal the body with only part of the remedy, leaving the main wound open and the soul of the party silent, continuing to bleed from within in a difficult process of regeneration.

2025/12/3