Since the Strike...

As I have had questions from people about what happened next regarding the “strike” I am providing a short follow-up.

The strike/rioting came to an end by the night of September 4th, though the following days remained tense, with people unsure of whether more violence would surge. After emergency cabinet meetings, the government announced on Sep 7, which was a national holiday, that it will subsidize bread prices and took measures to reduce costs of rice, sugar, water and electricity for “small consumers” (those using the least amounts, thereby assumed to be among the most impoverished), and imported goods – most of the food is imported.

At least thirteen people died and scores more injured. This sounds like a wire report, I suppose because it is facts, not observations. How I mainly experience the aftermath of the events of Sep 2 – 4 is through conversations I overhear (and can actually understand somewhat, thanks to Portuguese lessons) and through conversations I have in private with new friends. One example that is notable is the emphatic bravado of a friend who is extremely anti-FREMLO (current majority government) and exceedingly excited and proud that people in the cities of Maputo and Motola forced attention and action. He raises and shakes his fists with the bravado of an underdog heavy weight fighter who has bested the reigning champ. He shouts and grins and boasts of the history of his family who come from a region that has never been known to vote pro-FREMLO.

Things are by no means “fixed.” But in-country I find reports that this incident is being widely accepted as being legitimate, even though it became violent. If you are interested in reading more about it, you can certainly find a lot on line. There is a very interesting article at http://allafrica.com/stories/201009130905.html with details about police action and on the third page of this report, a conversation about government response and various reactions to that response. I encourage reading reports from more than one source as the stories can be slanted depending on where you find your information.


A note... today when I stopped to buy bread at the shop on my way home from the VSO office it was half the price it has been since I arrived. 2 MZN rather than the 4MZN it was when I stopped in two days ago.