Now Reading
Mondlane Seeks to Scrap Heroes’ Day, Change Date

Mondlane Seeks to Scrap Heroes’ Day, Change Date

Former Mozambican Presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane on Sunday ordered the cancellation of the Heroes’ Day celebrations scheduled for Monday, 3 February.

Mondlane, who claims that he won the 9 October presidential election, decreed that Mozambican Heroes will no longer be commemorated on 3 February, the anniversary of the murder in 1969 of Eduardo Mondlane (no relation) the founder and first president of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo).

Instead, Heroes’ Day will be moved to 18 March, the anniversary of the death (from natural causes) of the country’s most prominent rap artist, Edson da Luz (better known by his stage name of Azagaia). He claimed that Azagaia’s death marked the date “when the true revolution began”.

Most people took no notice of Mondlane’s “decree”, and Heroes’ Day ceremonies went ahead as planned in Maputo’s Heroes Square, addressed by President Daniel Chapo.

Even if Mondlane did win the presidential election, that would not give him the right to announce public holidays unilaterally, and declare who is, and who is not, a national hero.

After declaring that 3 February can no longer be Heroes’ Day, Mondlane produced his own list of heroes, and occupying the number one spot is none other than Eduardo Mondlane! He is followed by the country’s first president, Samora Machel.

So, despite his undisguised loathing of Frelimo, Venancio Mondlane keeps the two key figures in Frelimo history at the top of his list of heroes.

Heroes are usually dead – but this list contains one figure who is still alive, the former Olympic 800 metres champion, Lurdes Mutola, described as a “living heroine”.

Did Mondlane obtain Mutola’s approval before putting her name on his list? If he did, he doesn’t mention it.

The list includes the victims of death squads, notably Mondlane’s lawyer, Elvino Dias, and the election agent for the Podemos party, Paulo Guambe, who were gunned down in central Maputo on 19 October.

Mondlane also includes Mozambique’s foremost poet Jose Craveirinha, outspoken human rights lawyer, Alice Mabota, and two people murdered while investigating enormous bank frauds – investigative journalist Carlos Cardoso, and banking executive Siba-Siba Macuacua.

These names, Mondlane says, were chosen from “an enormous list”. That list had included his own name “but I have renounced the category of hero”.

Mondlane claimed the list represents “the will of the people in the new era of the Third Republic of Mozambique” and will be updated every year.

AIM

See Also

SUBSCRIBE TO GET OUR NEWSLETTERS:

SUBSCRIBE TO GET OUR NEWSLETTERS:

Scroll To Top

We have detected that you are using AdBlock Plus or other adblocking software which is causing you to not be able to view 360 Mozambique in its entirety.

Please add www.360mozambique.com to your adblocker’s whitelist or disable it by refreshing afterwards so you can view the site.