On the front line of the protests shaking Mozambique, Mozambican rapper Nikotina KF has just braved tear gas and rubber bullets from the police.
Echoing the youth thirsty for social justice in this southern African country who have been demonstrating for more than two months, the artist not only denounces, in his texts as in the street, the October 9 election “stolen” from 'opposition.
“The question is social, more than political,” the 32-year-old musician told AFP, wearing an earring and t-shirt bearing the image of former American basketball player Dennis Rodman, in the working-class neighborhood of Mafalala. . His face remains marked by the muscular dispersal of the demonstrators that morning.
At least 90 people were killed in post-election demonstrations, called by main opponent Venancio Mondlane, who reject the results giving him a loss to the Frelimo party, which has reigned supreme for nearly half a century in the country. former Portuguese colony afflicted by poverty.
“The people already had the powder, Venancio only lit the fuse,” said the rapper, named Higino Fumo in the civil registry. “People realize that one group has a lot while the majority has nothing at all. It creates divisions.”
Rich in mining and gas resources, Mozambique has almost three-quarters of its population living in poverty, according to the African Development Bank.
Its youth, more affected by unemployment, represent an overwhelming share of the country: around two thirds of its 33 million inhabitants are under 25, according to the United Nations.
All her despair, multiplied since the elections which did not bring their promise of change, is expressed in Nikotina's latest collaboration, “Pray for Moz”.
In the clip, he plays a street vendor surviving by selling loaves of bread: “You want to earn your living but you end up losing it when a cop comes upon you”, he sings in Portuguese in this video viewed more 100,000 times in the week following its publication in early December.
“I can die for everything, but I will not live for nothing,” he warns.
– “People in power” –
“I’m not mobilizing young people because of Venancio,” the rapper assures AFP. “I use my influence to support the fundamental right to protest that is enshrined in the Constitution.” A point he raises in his title “Artigo 51 Uma Aula De Direito” (“Article 51 A lesson in law”).
His message and music inspire a large number of fans who regularly stop him in the street for autographs or selfies.
“We young people really lack work,” says one of them, Zilton Macas, a 29-year-old hairdresser from the Maxaquene neighborhood in Maputo, which has become a hotbed of protest.
“Over the last ten years, Mozambique has transformed into a real lion's den, where only a few people manage to survive,” he believes.
A few meters further, the environmental management diploma of Juvencia Bila, 43, has not opened any doors for her other than those of the fast food restaurant where she is a saleswoman.
“Growing up, we are encouraged by our parents to study to have a better future,” she explains, wearing a hat – that of a university graduate. “But it didn’t do anything.”
A public figure in the protest, Nikotina has been the subject of threats, including death: “Not only against me, but also that of my family,” he says in front of a fresco representing Azagaia, one of the most famous rappers. most respected in the country and even in the Portuguese-speaking world.
It was after her death from an epileptic attack almost two years ago that Nikotina decided to use her music for social causes. A march in memory of Azagaia, very critical of the government, had already been dispersed with tear gas and rubber bullets.
One of its titles from 2008 has invaded the streets for two months: “Povo no poder” (“The people in power”) has become the slogan of the protest.
Related News :