“We need an energetic response to the Mocímboa case” – Mia Couto

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“We need an energetic response to the Mocímboa case” – Mia Couto

12:03 CAT | 31 Oct 2017

O País

Mocímboa da Praia. A few months ago, the name of the Cabo Delgado municipality could have gone unnoticed by readers, without arousing any great interest. But after the armed attacks that caused such widespread concern, things are no longer the same.

Mocímboa became a larger and more important district than ever. And what happened there in the first week of the month has to this day robbed the peace of many, including Mia Couto, who worked in Palma, the neighbouring district.

The Mocímboa da Praia phenomenon must be studied very seriously, not because of the act itself, but because it is not a surprising event for those who know the district. Far from it. Mia believed that one day we would witness events demonstrating the deformation of Islam in that part of the country.

“What happened in Mocímboa da Praia should be studied carefully, because it is not a new thing. When I worked in Palma some time ago, I saw a certain radicalism was settling in, and I think we agreed, late in the day, because there were already signs of new people with a less tolerant attitude. Sooner or later, those attacks would happen,” the writer said, just two days before launching his new title” The Horizon Drinker. ”

Despite referring to his perceptions regarding the radicalisation of Islam in Mocímboa da Praia, Mia Couto said in Maputo on Monday afternoon that it is necessary to act fast, with a strong response from those who could not tolerate the intolerance of radicals .

But that is not all. Rather than solve the problem, it is necessary to take another equally important step: “Try to understand what is behind the attacks that occurred in that district. One should not only act as if everything were a military response, but also a response that creates foci of understanding and dialogue, something that isolates the phenomenon,” which should happen now, because otherwise, the author suggests, what is happening in other African countries will be replicated in Mozambique.

The armed attacks in Mocímboa da Praia were aimed at police stations and police posts. The clashes lasted for a few days and caused a dozen deaths, including police officers.

On a different tack, the writer referenced another event: the ‘blood suckers’ phenomenon.

“This phenomenon reminds me of my childhood. I’m from Beira, and from time to time, we had these outbreaks of this ‘blood-sucking’ ghost. The dimension that this takes has to do with the fact that people do not have answers to very concrete things in their life.

So it is not the issue itself that should worry Mozambicans, but the reasons that cause the event to gain the importance it has, so that what happened in Malawi, where, suddenly, the scare took over an entire society does not happen here. At least in part, it is necessary to know the story of ‘blood sucking’ and unearth the memory that gives rise to this ‘ghost’, a subject to which the writer is also sensitive.

By José dos Remédios

Source: O País