Stories from Quick Reads and Mozambique
Mozambique: First African Board Book Gathering
Maputo is playing host to the first ever African meeting of publishers of board books. These are sturdy books, published on a small scale (often for children) with strong covers and resistant bindings. Culture reporter Inocêncio Albino wrote about the event [pt], and has been tweeting photos of books by Kutsemba Cartão, the first...
Mozambique: Time lapse viral video of storm over Maputo
This video of a storm arriving over the city of Maputo has gone viral on Youtube, with over 450,000 views in just a few short weeks. Statistics show greatest numbers of views in Mozambique, South Africa, Japan and Portugal. Mozambique has been hit by a number of cyclones in recent...
Mozambique: Mayor Shares Photos of Storm Damage on Facebook
Newly elected mayor Manuel de Araújo of Mozambican city Quelimane shared photos on Facebook of the damage, flooding and suffering caused by tropical storm Funso in his coastal home. Last week another heavy storm, Dando, caused serious flooding in the capital city of Maputo, displacing hundreds.
Mozambique: Stand-up comedy show gains online following
Mozambique's first stand-up comedy show Improriso shares jokes on one of the most popular tweets in the country (@ImprorisoMoz) and posts videos on its Youtube channel. Newspaper O País published a photo album of an improv performance in 2011.
Mozambique: Epic, tweeted land journeys from up north
Járcia Muando (@JarciaMuando), a young communications professional, is currently tweeting her long land journey by bus, minibus and truck from Niassa province to Zambezia province in northern Mozambique. On November 1, journalist Hélder Shirangano (@Shirangano) tweeted his train journey between Nampula and Niassa provinces.
Mozambique: Reasons for Silence of Private TV Channel on Election Day
On a day of important by-elections in Mozambique, journalist José Belmiro, from the private channel STV, announced he would suspend his participation in discussion on Facebook [pt] on the vote for reasons “out of [his] control”. According to a citizen report [pt], during the lunchtime news, STV went off air...
Mozambique: Realtime by-elections coverage from three cities
Mozambican newspaper @ Verdade is liveblogging mayoral by-elections on Facebook (public) and live-tweeting events in realtime from 3 cities, promoting the hashtag #EleicoesMoz. Voter Pedro Massinga (@Mozi1976) tweeted photos from the polls. @ Verdade is also receiving citizen reports on the voting via SMS, tweet, BBM, and email to its...
Lusophone Heritage of “Portugality” Around the World
A Facebook group and a mapping website called “Portugality” have been created to explore the cultures that result from the “global cultural fusion started by Portuguese navigations of the XVth. century and lasting to this day in places like Brazil, Mozambique, East Timor or Malacca”.
Mozambique: Poetry on trees
The Mozambican literary collective Movimento Kuphaluxa has shared on Facebook and on its blog a series of poems exhibited on the city of Maputo's historic acacia trees. Some well-known writers like Mia Couto are featured (FB link), but most poems are from younger writers.
Mozambique: More striking security guards
After the fateful G4S strike earlier this year, more security guards are on strike in Maputo. @Verdade newspaper photographer Miguel Mangueze tweeted a photo of a sign from the protest, depicting the Portuguese head of the company SOS, who they allege deprives them of pay over the holidays.
Mozambique: Rare photo of President dancing
A photo of President Guebuza dancing has gone “viral” by Mozambican standards on Facebook, with over 500 likes and 440 comments. @ Verdade newspaper photographer Miguel Mangueze captured the rare moment.
Mozambique: Remembering the Bread Riots With Video
One year after the Mozambican “bread riots”, Global Voices author Amanda Rossi shares a video with images from the unrest.
Blogging in Portuguese on Special Education
The blog Grito de Mudança (Cry for Change) [pt] gathers several articles and resources on special education and children with special needs in Portuguese language.
Mozambique: Political Rapper Arrested
Mozambicans are reacting to what appears to have been the arrest yesterday of controversial and talented MC Azagaia. While there is no official news, some of his 4,600+ fans showed their support on Facebook and have created a “Free Azagaia” event. The rapper was questioned in 2008 by police, who...
A Blog on Music in Portuguese and Lusophone Artists
To learn about music in Portuguese or by Lusophone artists, visit Caipirinha Lounge [en, pt], a bilingual blog “born out of a sincere belief that Lusophone music should reach a much larger audience”.
Memories of Portuguese Decolonization
“In their dreams they still revisit Africa”, and they share their memories on the blog Retornados da África [pt]. Read the stories of those who returned to Portugal from the African colonies, after the end of the dictatorship, on April 25th, 1974.
Traditional Clothing from Lusophone Countries
ePORTUGUESe blog illustrates and writes about the traditional clothing from Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau, to Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and East Timor [pt].
Mozambique: A Brief Analysis on Language Issues
Sandra Flosi, on the blog Mosanblog, writes [pt] about the mix of spellings and the lack of explicit rules in the use of Portuguese language in Mozambique. Flosi comments on the proposal for a new Reform of Portuguese Ortography, whose costs for adoption in the country are estimated in 100...
Mozambique: Where streets have no name
A photo of where streets have no name in Mozambique: “There is a city where there are signposts everywhere. And each signpost is empty of language. The citizens decide on the names of the streets by consensus at 8am each morning. Poets run the naming sessions..”
Africa: Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou
Boukari Ouédraogo wrote [Fr] on his blog: ” The 22nd edition of the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou will take place in Ouagadougou from February 26th to March 5th. This year's theme is “African Cinema and Markets.”
Mozambique: Photoblogging provincial life
Journalist António Zefanias recently started a blog called Fotografando Zambézia [Pt], in which he posts photos revealing unique aspects of daily life in Mozambique's central Zambézia province and its capital Quelimane.
