A riot police unit blocked on Tuesday the march of the funeral procession of the late Mozambican rapper Azagaia.
The procession had started with no hitches from Maputo’s City Hall, at the Independence Square, where the rapper’s body had been lying in repose since the early hours of the morning. After the funeral service, throngs of people marched either side of the hearse, along Avenida 25 de Setembro.
But half-way into Avenida dos Mártires da Mueda, the marchers were met by three armoured vehicles and riot police who blocked them from continuing up the road, which would mean going past the Presidential Palace and Ministry of Defence, into Avenida Julius Nyerere, then turn east into Avenida Eduardo Mondlane and then Avenida 24 de Julho – perhaps the political symbolism of the route had not been lost on the the funeral organisers.
The blocking cause a stand-off between police and the marchers who initially tried to force their way with no success as the armoured vehicles were so placed so that no one could go through. Since the police would not budge, Azagaia’s widow got out of the hearse and tried negotiating with the police, initially to no avail.
Eventually the police let the through but blocked all the marching mourners. Since they seemed resolute to follow the hearse, police fired tear gas to force the mourners to turn back into Avenida 25 de Setembro.
Meanwhile, the funeral procession drove through the original route into Avenida Julius Nyerere, Avenida Eduardo Mondlane, Avenida 24 de Julho, Avenida da União Africana and finally into Avenida de Moçambique, the main North-South thoroughfare. Along the route, thousands of people lined up the streets to pay their last respects to rapper Azagaia, and the closer the funeral cortege got to the cemetery where he would be laid to rest, the chants of #PovonoPoder got louder – #PovonoPoder (The People in Power) is the title of one of Azagaia’s rap critical of the regime.
As the funeral procession passed the neighbourhood of Zimpeto, where there is a huge market, women and men stopped selling and came out pay their last respects and joined in the chorus of voices shouting #PovonoPoder.
Eventually the cortege arrived at the Michafutene cemetery which was crammed with people, who wanted to see the ‘’People’s Voice’’ being laid to rest. Others climbed trees to say the good-byes.
Since his death on 9 March, Mozambican youths throughout the country held vigils in memory of Azagaia. Foreign celebrities and average citizens sent their messages of condolences, notably the Portuguese sociologist Boaventura de Sousa Santos, and rappers from countries where Portuguese is spoken.
During the wake, Mozambique’s Culture and Tourism Minister, Eldevina Materula, told mourners that Azagaia had a unique talent and ”the social impact of his songs had been the target of admiration both in Mozambique and abroad”, adding that this was evidenced by the many messages sent and vigils directed to his family.
As social activist Adriano Novunga had said at the funeral service, ‘’Azagaia is a legend’’ who in death has managed to captivate the imagination of Mozambicans of all ages. And so it came to pass that In death, he was denied the same full rights he had fought for by the police.
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