Good afternoon. Visitors to a Mozambican government department may be surprised to find that Christian prayers are commonly held at internal meetings. Prayers also take place at public government events. But, as if to avoid accusations that he is favouring Christians, President Daniel Chapo is a regular visitor to mosques. There he can be seen wearing a thawb, the traditional Arabic long robe by Muslim men worldwide, while his wife Gueta wears a headscarf. Chapo also makes frequent references to God’s will in his speeches.
All this might seem odd for what is supposed to be (according to the Mozambican constitution) a secular country. But Chapo seems to have chosen his targets carefully. Christians are the majority in Mozambique, and evangelical churches are particularly popular, and also highly influential on people’s social and political attitudes. One of them, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, owns the broadcaster TV Miramar. Chapo and his wife are both Catholics. After the disputed and fraud-ridden elections of 2024, the ruling Frelimo party tried to dampen down opposition by using evangelical churches to influence popular opinion.
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