Good afternoon. Politics is an unfair business, of course, and people who get involved in it can find themselves remembered for one embarrassing incident that does not reflect who they are or what they have contributed. That may be the fate of Gueta Chapo, first lady of Mozambique and wife of President Daniel Chapo. Chapo has been touring the country, at public expense, in the wake of the floods that struck in January. She has been sleeping in temporary accommodation centres as a gesture of solidarity with flood victims. So far, so good. But then, last Friday, Chapo announced that she was going to distribute 17m capulanas, enough for one for every Mozambican woman, on the occasion of Mozambican Womens’ Day on 7 April. Her promise has gone viral, for the wrong reasons.
The capulana, a colourful decorated cloth, is an integral part of Mozambican culture. It serves every possible purpose, from a garment (commonly worn as a skirt) to a bed sheet to a sling for carrying babies. In principle, distributing capulanas as a gesture is not a bad idea. But 17m capulanas would cost a fortune: easily over $50m, and many estimates have gone higher. That kind of money goes a long way in a poor country like Mozambique. People have been sharing infographics showing what could be done with the money instead of buying capulanas. It would pay for quite a few school classrooms, when many children are forced to attend classes sitting on the ground under a tree. The reaction from women has been indignant. They would prefer to be given food or jobs for them and their families than a capulana.
The full Daily Briefing continues below for Pro subscribers. Subscribers to the Zitamar News tier can read the top half, including the full leader article, here.
Where Gueta Chapo was planning to get the money from for all those capulanas is unknown; she might have planned to ask for donations. Inevitably however, her promise is likely to inflame suspicion that she is secretly rich through corruption or embezzlement, since everyone in the governing class is liable to be suspected of that.
