Good afternoon. Today brings more news about the saga of opposition politician Venâncio Mondlane’s plans to set up a new political party, to be called Anamalala. At the end of last month, it was reported that the justice ministry had found that there were problems with the party’s application for registration. Newspaper Canal de Moçambique says it has now found out what those reasons were.
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According to the paper, the ministry decided that the name “Anamalala” is unacceptable for a party, because it is a word from the Macua language, one of Mozambique’s local languages, which can be translated as “that’s enough”. The ministry’s argument is that using a word from a traditional language is sectarian and divisive, and goes against the ideal of national unity expressed in the constitution. It is ironic to use such an argument against Mondlane, who grew up in southern Mozambique but who nevertheless has overcome traditional ethnic divisions to attract support from all over the country, including the far north.
