Mozambique: Art exposition “Reflections in Turbulent Times”
Mozambique: Azagaia’s widow demands investigation into schoolbook that ‘defames’ the artist
5:11 CAT | 12 Feb 2025
Image: MzNews
The widow of social intervention rapper and critic of the system, Mano Azagaia, is demanding a holistic and detailed investigation into whether an episode from the artist’s life was included in 8th Grade Portuguese-language teaching manual. She believes that Texto Editores has a say in the matter.
Rosa Cuna, who analysed the Government’s recent statements on the case, believes that there is enough material to investigate even cases of money laundering.
The “defamatory” text is included in the 2020 manual. However, the Ministry of Education and Culture said yesterday that the book was produced in 2014, marketed in 2015 and was in use between 2016 and 2022, but has already “been discontinued”.
The artist’s widow calls this a preposterous argument that does not absolve the authorities of the slander and defamation. She said that the main reason for discontinuing the manual was not the text about Azagaia’s arrest.
On the other hand, she considers the justification given yesterday by the spokesperson for the Council of Ministers, Inocêncio Impissa, to be a plausible one, according to which the book was not integrated into the system and had not even been authorized for circulation.
However, it is important to note that the aforementioned manual, according to Rosa Cuna, is available on the Government’s website, and was used in classrooms.
“We cannot separate the fact that they say it was not authorized for circulation, but it is on the Government’s website,” she noted. This is where other questions arise that Rosa Cuna wants to see clarified: Why was an unapproved manual printed?; What reasons led the publisher of the manual to put it into circulation without prior ministerial authorization?
READ: Mozambique: Book insulting Azagaia is “illegal”, says ministry – Watch
“We need to find out how the book came out, because it could bring up more issues, because for a book to come out, there are funds: where did the funds come from to get the book? An investigation needs to be done there. Therefore, there could even be money laundering scenarios. It is a very serious matter, which needs to be looked into, because it is not just any publisher. Texto Editores is not just any publisher,” said Rosa Cuna, in an interview with TV Sucesso.
“As a family, we await answers.”
The existence of the manual involving Azagaia became known to the family in 2021. In another development, the artist’s wife said that the hypothesis of [the insertion of the text constituting] persecution was considered.
“Without a doubt, because the text, as it is presented, does not say how things ended later. The arrest really happened. The case became final and Azagaia was acquitted, because he was not carrying any drugs that day,” she said.
She believes that the purpose of presenting that text was to deconstruct Azagaia’s image in the eyes of a given generation of Mozambicans.
“Maybe they discontinued it later because they thought they had already achieved their goals. Once again, I would like to say that the fact that it was discontinued does not remove the responsibility for what was written,” she stressed.
Azagaia knew about the contents of the 8th Grade textbook, but suspended his efforts to seek justice due to lack of support
“Azagaia became aware” said the widow
The widow of rapper Mano Azagaia, officially Edson da Luz, also revealed today that Azagaia and his family were already aware of the inclusion of the news article on the musician’s arrest in the 8th Grade stextbook for Portuguese-language.
According to Rosa Cuna, the competent authorities did not inform the family about the inclusion of the episode.
“We received this news in the worst possible way. It was Azagaia’s niece who shared this information with the parents and the family in general,” she said in an interview with TV Sucesso.
According to Rosa Cuna, the family sought justice in the face of the situation, but these efforts were suspended due to the lawyers’ understanding of the case and restrictions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, but, above all, so as not to interfere in the lives of the children who could be affected.
“This is a case we have been trying to follow since 2021. We looked for lawyers at the time, but they didn’t give us much confidence that it would go well. They justified it by saying it was a transcription and they didn’t consider the idea of being able to sue the state. So, they cut us off with this way of thinking, but the thirst for justice was always there. Then the Covid period came and classes started to be held online and semi-face-to-face… but that always worried us… it always kept Edson himself awake at night, but we didn’t have the resources or lawyers ready to help us at the time,” she explained.
In fact, Rosa Cuna said, Azagaia had several lawyer friends, but only today does it make sense why they didn’t help him – “And, we’ve already seen where they are.”
She explained that, upon learning of the situation, Azagaia chose to deal with the issue as discreetly as possible, “taking into account that it involved children, because the following year it would be his eldest daughter who would use the book”.
“It was a moment of mixed feelings,” she says.
Rosa Cuna regrets the fact that she did not at the time have the counselling that she is receiving now.
“But now we have it, and we are realizing that there is a lot of subject matter behind this. There are many paths to follow to see if we can recover the minimum of dignity that was taken away from her in the book,” she says.
READ: Thousands attend funeral of Azagaia
Azagaia funeral: Human Rights Watch calls for investigation over use of tear gas
Show comments
Also read
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.