By MOZTIMES
Maputo (MOZTIMES) - “A very special thank you to our partners of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency of the United States of America)”.
These are the words on an election campaign poster bearing the colours and symbol of PODEMOS, the political party which supports Venâncio Mondlane, the independent presidential candidate in the Mozambican general elections scheduled for 9 October.
The poster contains a photograph of a crowd supporting Venâncio Mondlane and PODEMOS. In the crowd two bearded white men, wearing caps, stand out. The poster was circulated on social media, particularly on WhatsApp, on 20 September, about a month after the start of the election campaign.
The author of the poster is unknown, but this type of information in election periods could lead voters to believe that a presidential candidate of the opposition is supported by the CIA. Indeed Frelimo members and supporters have regularly labelled leaders of the opposition and of civil society as being in the service of foreign governments to overthrow the Frelimo government. This type of poster, at sensitive moments such as the election campaign, could even cause political violence.
As part of the fight against “fake news”, THE MOZAMBIQUE TIMES (MOZTIMES) has set up a fact checking service (MOZ FACT CHECK), dedicated to investigating and denying, with evidence, false news items. This poster is the first object to have its authenticity checked.
Officially, PODEMOS and Venâncio Mondlane have not gone public to deny the association between their campaign and the CIA. This may be understood as a way of avoiding focusing upon a marginal matter.
Even so, on 21 September, there circulated on social media a video by journalist Arlindo Chissale, who is a declared supporter of Venâncio Mondlane and of PODEMOS, in which he comments on the poster. In this video, Chissale denies any connection between PODEMOS and the CIA. However, Chissale also presents untruthful information when he states that the white men in the photograph “are a team from National Geographics (sic), who make great discoveries (...) and are in Mozambique to accompany the great phenomenon called VM7, to show that, one day, there existed a human being, somewhere in Africa, who was loved in this way”. This video of Arlindo Chissale was shared by Venâncio Mondlane himself through WhatsApp.
The facts
The true story behind this poster is that the white men who are labelled as CIA agents are, in fact, a group of film-makers, of Portuguese and Mozambican origin who have been producing films in Mozambique since 2012, mostly in Inhambane province. The director, Ico Costa, has made three short films in Mozambique, and one full length fiction film. His films have been shown internationally, including at the Kugoma festival, in Maputo.
Right now, the group is making a documentary throughout the country, which “intends to portray the Mozambican people in a broad socio-cultural manner as well as the non-material heritage of the country”.
It is a film for which the group has been duly authorised by the National Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries.
Contrary to what Chissale says in his video, the group of film-makers is not making a political film. The photograph that sparked off the rumour shows the group during a march of PODEMOS in Tete city. The situation only occurred because the group was in Tete at that time and, when they saw a crowd of people, they wanted to follow what was going on. The two white men in the photo are Ico Costa, the director and Luís Duzenta, the producer.
Data on the work of Ico Costa can be found on the TERRATREME site, which has one of the major presences, among Portuguese producers in the great festivals throughout the world. (MFC/PF)
