By MOZTIMES
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Monday praised the role of young people in the development of the country, but devoted much of his speech to criticising the behaviour of young Mozambicans, showing a relation balanced between valuing and distrusting youth.
Speaking at the opening of a meeting of the National Council of the Mozambican Youth Organisation (OJM), the youth wing of the ruling Frelimo Party, Chapo stressed the political centrality of youth, claiming that “the youth are Frelimo and Frelimo is the people”. He claimed that the OJM is “the living space where Mozambique is renewed”.
But, as the speech advanced, words of praise gave way to a series of warnings and criticisms, regarding young people not merely as an engine of development, but as a group that must be held responsible for their actions.
Chapo admitted that there are structural failings, such as youth unemployment, which he described as “the most visible wound of our structural insufficiencies”, but he also insisted that Mozambican youths must change their attitudes.
“Our vision is not of young people who depend on employment – it is of youths who create value, generate wealth, and employ other young people”, he declared.
But Chapo admitted that high interest rates are an obstacle to young people setting up their own businesses. The recognition of structural barriers went alongside Chapo’s call for self-sufficiency and this formed one of the main tensions in the speech.
Chapo’s criticisms became more explicit when he turned to young people’s use of the Internet, particularly at a time when there are demands for reduction in the costs of Internet access.
“I was very pleased when I saw that Generation Z is asking for megabytes (low cost use of Internet data). If these megabytes are for work, that would be very good”, said Chapo. But he quickly added “the problem is when these megabytes (internet data) are only used to make memes”.
Although he recognised that “memes are also good for health”, Chapo stressed the idea that the digital behaviour of young people may be inadequate or unproductive”.
The criticism arises in a context in which the government itself favours the expansion of digital literacy and the use of emerging technologies.
A further point of friction in the speech was how Chapo framed the participation of young people in digital and political space. He warned directly against the use of digital platforms for opposition.
“Let us not make digital involvement a tool to invalidate governance”, he urged. “The voice should be the voice of reason, of responsibility, and never the voice of hatred or of division”.
This suggests an attempt to limit the type of participation regarded as acceptable, particularly in a context of growing young activism on social media.
Referring to the post-election unrest of late 2004 and early 2005, Chapo referred to these events as “violent, illegal and criminal demonstrations”, a formulation he has repeatedly used. He claimed that the young people who participated in the demonstrations “were mostly youths incited by agents with obscure interests”.
Although Chapo stressed that the government’s response is dialogue, his characterisation of the unrest strengthens a narrative in which young people are more an instrument of \destabilisation than a group motivated by legitimate claims. (MT)
