Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican writer Mia Couto on Wednesday called for “severe measures” in the case of the attack on Paulina Chiziane by security guards at an evangelical church in Maputo, calling the episode “unacceptable”.
“The physical, verbal and psychological aggression committed against writer Paulina Chiziane and the artists who accompanied her is unacceptable. […] Severe measures must be taken against the attackers, whoever they are, and whatever the pretext for the violence,” Mia Couto told Lusa about the incident.
The case concerns a criminal complaint filed by Mozambican writer Paulina Chiziane against a pastor of the Divina Esperança evangelical church, accusing the congregation’s security guards of having assaulted her on 28 July in the Mozambican province of Maputo, when she and three other members of her team were filming a video clip in the vicinity of the church.
According to Paulina Chiziane, the attack was carried out by the church’s security guards, under the guidance of its pastor, and some of her team members were seriously injured.
“I am suing a pastor, the one who ordered the attack on me and the boys. Yes, I am suing the pastor and his head of security. They [the church] say they can help pay for the health expenses, but one of our members was stepped on with boots and can’t breathe well. I don’t know if he has fractures or not, but he is not well,” the writer told Lusa on Tuesday, adding that another member of the team also suffered injuries that left him with a problem with his eyesight.
In addition to the attacks, Paulina Chiziane stated that she was accused of “witchcraft”, under allegations that, in the vehicle in which they were being transported, they were carrying a timbila, a traditional musical instrument classified as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2008.
In addition to Mia Couto, the Mozambican Writers’ Association (AEMO) also condemned the attack on the Mozambican writer, considering that the episode threatens artistic freedom.
“We therefore understand that such acts, which contradict any religious and civic stance, constitute an unacceptable threat to the freedom of artistic creation and the exercise of social and citizenship rights enshrined in the Constitution,” reads a statement from the association released today.
Lusa tried unsuccessfully, , once again, to contact the Divina Esperança Church.
Paulina Chiziane, winner of the 2021 Camões Prize, was born in Manjacaze in 1955 and is the author of several works. She published her first novel, “Balada de Amor ao Vento”, considered the first to be published by a Mozambican woman, in 1990.
The writer has publicly criticised the proliferation of “religious sects” in Africa, warning of the consequences of fundamentalism, especially for the continent’s identities and cultures.
“On every corner we have a church. And what does this church say? Each one a stranger ideology than the other. Do you think this is normal?” asked the writer in February, during a conference that debated the “Nation and Mozambicanity” in Maputo.
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