Urban social movements in Mozambique. Political radicalism afer Azagaia’s death

Abstract

In urban Mozambique, the violent protests of 2008 and 2010 were the last public demonstration against the Frelimo government. In the meantime, new social movements have formed since the death of rapper Azagaia on 9 March 2023. The new movement, “Povo no Poder” (People in Power), proposed a different, reticular vision and organisation, and linked up with some opposition party figures on the occasion of the local elections on 11 October 2023. The political analysis of the movements in question, facilitated by the researcher’s experience of the environment under investigation and by interviews and informal discussions, led to the conclusion that the integration of activism on social networks with the physical occupation of urban spaces has brought new political scenarios to the national level.