Mozambican academic blames Cabo Delgado attacks on neoliberalism

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Mozambican academic blames Cabo Delgado attacks on neoliberalism

2:01 CAT | 16 Aug 2018

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Mozambican academic and philosopher José Castiano blames neoliberalism for the armed attacks in Cabo Delgado by unknown individuals allegedly motivated by Islamic fanaticism.

The academic, who teaches at the Pedagogical University, was speaking at the launch of his book, “The ‘Freedom’ of Neoliberalism: Critical Readings”, at the Napipine Campus in Nampula a few days ago.

Castiano said that there is no doubt that the enormous difference in the wealth of the multinationals that are exploring the oil and gas projects in the Rovuma Basin and the local population is the cause of these attacks, which have already led to dozens of deaths.

“Without a doubt, neoliberalism is responsible for all this,” said Castiano, when asked to comment on the current security situation in the northern province.

In a critical approach to this phenomenon, the philosopher added that “the problem of neoliberalism was to have created a world of freedom of capital and not freedom of the individual”.

“The origin of these people does not matter. What matters is the capital they represent, which perpetuates the difference between these people and the natives, which gives rise to the armed attacks,” he said.

Commenting on the apparent inability of the Mozambican government to respond forcefully to these attacks, he argued that “I would not say that our government is facilitating these acts, but we are trapped by our own political projects”.

Source: Wamphula Fax