Maputo — Supporters of Mozambique's best known rap artist, Edson da Luz (better known by his stage name of Azagaia), who died on 9 March, were able to pay tribute to him in a peaceful march on Saturday morning in the central city of Quelimane.
While police attacked and tear-gassed marchers in other cities (including Maputo, Nampula and Beira), in Quelimane there were no clashes. A contingent of the municipal police was present, but it did its normal job of escorting and protecting the marchers.
The mayor of Quelimane, Manuel de Araujo, led the march. The peaceful nature of the event showed that the young fans of Azagaia do not want to start riots, but merely to honour the man they regard as their hero.
So far there has been no explanation from the police or from the government as to why the march in Quelimane was allowed to proceed, but marches elsewhere were attacked.
One of the groups that organized the Quelimane march, the "Citizens of Mozambique Association', followed up the demonstration with a request to the Municipal Council to name a street in Quelimane after Azagaia, and to rename the city's "Youth Square' as "Azagaia Square'.
The Association justified these requests with the argument that "Azagaia is an unequalled figure in Mozambican culture, with invaluable contributions to the country's literature and music'.
The chairperson of the Citizens' Association, Zito Ossumane, said the peaceful march "shows the strength and determination of young people in honouring the memory and legacy of Azagaia, who fought for the rights and freedoms of youth throughout the country'.
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The police have not yet announced how many people were detained in the other cities, but it is known that one of those arrested was Venancio Mondlane, the rapporteur of the parliamentary group of the main opposition party, Renamo.
Lutero Simango, leader of the second opposition party, the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), told reporters that MDM members had been detained across the country, but gave no numbers.
The original intention was that the marches for Azagaia should take place in all provincial capitals - but, after police warnings, no attempts were made to march in several cities, including Tete and Pemba..
In Pemba, capital of Cabo Delgado province, the police used the activities of islamist terrorists as an excuse to ban marches. They said that terrorists might infiltrate any demonstration, and claimed that they had reached consensus on this with those who wanted to hold a march.
