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March 12, 2005
Stop the Presses
A journalism student I met with at Mundo's, a popular ex-pat hang out on Avenida Julius Nyerere, told me about a photo he snapped while covering last fall's election campaign. It was the best shot he took, ready to go into the student newspaper he helped found, but there was one problem: It was of Renamo followers, and Renamo is the opposition party. My friend was advised, and wisely agreed, to run the picture small, and inside the paper. It would not be a good idea to appear to support Renamo, even with a photograph.
The dean of the journalism school learned the lesson a bit harder. He came out in support of Renamo during the campaign. Shortly after it ended, he lost his job. Given the political environment toward the press here, it's unlikely he was surprised. The Mozambican press has come a long way since the country earned independence in 1975. At first the new government assumed the press would be a party organ, since the agitation for revolution here came from journalists and rebels alike. But over several decades, an independent and robust press evolved, and in 1991 the government endorsed a set of rights for journalists.
The law came in large part thanks to Carlos Cardoso, an investigative journalist, politician and critic who almost single-handedly established an activist press. Cardoso was gunned down in 2000 while investigating an embezzlement scandal that implicated the president's son. Recently one of the alleged killers turned up in Canada and was extradited to Mozambique. He could be tried soon.
Clarifications: Anibalzinho, the alleged assassin, has already been convicted and sentenced for his role in the killing. Because he escaped from prison and was tried in absentia, the Mozambican supreme court recently ruled he should face another trial. Since he's been sentenced, some say the only reason to haul him back into court is to uncover more of the plot. The new trial, from what I understand, will begin in May.
Also, I've learned more about the dean who lost his job. It turns out he was working as a spokesperson for Renamo, and after the election was elected to parliament to represent the party. While there are some who think his firing came as a result of his support for the opposition, it's also pretty much unheard of to have a full-time job in addition to a parliament seat.
Posted by Adam Graham-Silverman at March 12, 2005 11:21 PM
Comments
Can we send them Jesse and Dubya?
Posted by: Tim at March 13, 2005 01:19 AM