Riots over for now
A week has now past since we were stuck in our apartment while the city was in uproar. Things have pretty much returned back to normal. In the wake of everything it seems that at least 12 people were killed and hundreds injured. It also appears that the police were not prepared even though they had 3 days warning and had been donated protective equipment this year from Portugal. It also appears that they had used tear gas and rubber bullets in ways that were in appropriate and real bullets at times.
At our prayer meeting on Monday each person told of the things that happened in their neighborhood and how the situation was. One lady told of their pastor’s son who had been shot innocently for being on a scene where police were chasing after a group of teenagers who had hi-jacked a car. He died. Another woman told of rescuing a Portuguese woman who was walking with her suitcases from the airport into town. She also told of the tear gas that ended up in her neighbors’ house burning people and furniture. A third, who had been with me in the morning of the riot, had to walk 33 kms back to his house. I asked him if he had suffered along the way because of the rioters.
“No, but I suffered when I got home because I was so tired,” he exclaimed.
I told my story of how Jenny almost ended up in it and how I had to look up in the dictionary what the word ‘greve’ meant at the CCM office before realizing the seriousness of the situation. That story is going around because people have found it quite funny.
I guess the government has been in meetings and has decided to lower prices back down for fuel, electricity, water and wheat. This should be satisfactory to people. What is more is that the government decided to reduce some of the personnel subsidies they receive. What I have heard is that they have decided to pay for food out of their own salaries and diminish the amount of fuel they have available per week for their cars (which are bought by the state). Yes, it is true, up till this point they have received a salary, had all food paid for, receive their own car and 70 liters of fuel a week paid by tax payer money. So you can see why people would be striking on food costs. But, I am impressed by the steps the government took. One person said that it does not make a difference to them and shows how much they are making. But realistically, how many of us would reduce our salaries and lifestyle for the sake of others. Maybe we should not be so quick to judge. Would our government do that for the sake of its people?
Yes, there is still great disparity and the Mercedes, Audis, Hummers and BMW’s keep driving around Maputo but I am happy to say that maybe this government knows a little bit about what it means when Mozambicans say, “Estamos juntos!”, “We are together!”.
At least for now.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Maputo Riots September 3
I was listening to conversations within CCM this morning on the situation. According to my colleagues, this riot was worse than the last one in 2008 and there was a more violent response from the government. 10 people died this time, many shot by police, and a lot more destruction happened to stores, banks, fuel stations, etc. It is calm for now but the government response was not very good yesterday (September 4). It appears that it is mostly youth but it is not over and people are saying it will get worse before it will get better. I guess messages are circulating to start again at 12 so we will see what will happen. Otherwise it appears that things are getting back to normal today. Buses are running, shops are opening up and even mini-buses are starting to run. I think they may be opening schools.
I was listening to conversations within CCM this morning on the situation. According to my colleagues, this riot was worse than the last one in 2008 and there was a more violent response from the government. 10 people died this time, many shot by police, and a lot more destruction happened to stores, banks, fuel stations, etc. It is calm for now but the government response was not very good yesterday (September 4). It appears that it is mostly youth but it is not over and people are saying it will get worse before it will get better. I guess messages are circulating to start again at 12 so we will see what will happen. Otherwise it appears that things are getting back to normal today. Buses are running, shops are opening up and even mini-buses are starting to run. I think they may be opening schools.
Maputo Riots
September 3
It’s looking like the protests have stopped for now. They started on Wednesday and gradually calmed down yesterday afternoon. People were in the streets, burning tires and throwing rocks. The police intervened. The road between Maputo and Matola was one of the main protest points and until this morning the road was blocked. Today, public transportation (big buses) resumed and chapas (mini buses) were more sporadic. There were rumors going around that the protests were supposed to start again today at noon, but we haven’t heard of anything significant. The government met yesterday to consider the crisis. People are not satisfied with the government’s response to the protests against the price increases (not sure what their response was but it wasn’t what the people wanted). Things are exacerbated by the fact that government workers get all their expenses paid for so are not affected by the increases. Life seems to be resuming back to normal from our vantage point.
September 1
This morning, as we were getting ready, Rebeca (Nadia's nanny) called me and said that there weren’t any chapas running, so could I come get her. I got Nadia ready and started driving to her house. As I entered a neighborhood near her neighborhood, there were a lot of people in the streets and they started telling me to turn around. I stopped and talked with two women who said that if I didn’t turn around, someone would burn my car. I could see smoke ahead so turned around and tried to go a different way. That way too had smoke in the distance so I decided to go home and tell Rebeca to stay home. Joél, meanwhile went to work and only a few people came into the office. Someone mentioned something about a 'greve'. It is a word we have always confused with 'grave', which means grave. Joel had to look it up in the dictionary which said it means strike. They had the radio on and would tell Joél what was happening. It turns out that someone organized via SMS texts a protest against rising food, fuel, electric and cement costs. Various places around Maputo turned violent and people were burning tires, throwing rocks at cars and breaking into stores and warehouses. Joél had some meetings scheduled for today so wanted to stay at the office but (thankfully) came home for the day. I didn’t feel safe alone, more emotionally than worried about actual threats. His co-wokers said that our area of the city (and where the office is) is pretty safe. As the day went on, we saw fewer and fewer people on the streets and all the businesses near us were closed. We watched the news on TV which has been analyzing the violence. We talked with our next door neighbors who said that they were staying home too. During the morning, the kids in the building seemed to relish in a day off from school, running up the stairs and all over the roof but by the afternoon, they were in their apartments. When Joel came home he went up on the roof to look. He said that it looked like there was a ring of fire around the city about a half mile to the north and west. By the afternoon we knew that things had calmed down a little when one of our neighbors who like to play their music loudly started their stereo; I guess they too stopped watching the news. We called the MCC rep to let her know what was happening (and the SALT participant who lives in Matola, a suburb of Maputo also affected by the protests, who couldn’t get a bus into town so went back to her host family).
We’re safe and not in danger. We keep praying for peace and it confirms to us the relevance of MCC’s work with systemic programs. It seems so sad. I keep thinking that people resort to violence when it’s their last resort or feeling powerless. They are angry with the government because it’s allowing the price increases, but here it seems, people riot or join in things without thinking. So I wonder how many people were swept along with the wave of emotion without thinking through things. I’m thankful we’re safe.
September 3
It’s looking like the protests have stopped for now. They started on Wednesday and gradually calmed down yesterday afternoon. People were in the streets, burning tires and throwing rocks. The police intervened. The road between Maputo and Matola was one of the main protest points and until this morning the road was blocked. Today, public transportation (big buses) resumed and chapas (mini buses) were more sporadic. There were rumors going around that the protests were supposed to start again today at noon, but we haven’t heard of anything significant. The government met yesterday to consider the crisis. People are not satisfied with the government’s response to the protests against the price increases (not sure what their response was but it wasn’t what the people wanted). Things are exacerbated by the fact that government workers get all their expenses paid for so are not affected by the increases. Life seems to be resuming back to normal from our vantage point.
September 1
This morning, as we were getting ready, Rebeca (Nadia's nanny) called me and said that there weren’t any chapas running, so could I come get her. I got Nadia ready and started driving to her house. As I entered a neighborhood near her neighborhood, there were a lot of people in the streets and they started telling me to turn around. I stopped and talked with two women who said that if I didn’t turn around, someone would burn my car. I could see smoke ahead so turned around and tried to go a different way. That way too had smoke in the distance so I decided to go home and tell Rebeca to stay home. Joél, meanwhile went to work and only a few people came into the office. Someone mentioned something about a 'greve'. It is a word we have always confused with 'grave', which means grave. Joel had to look it up in the dictionary which said it means strike. They had the radio on and would tell Joél what was happening. It turns out that someone organized via SMS texts a protest against rising food, fuel, electric and cement costs. Various places around Maputo turned violent and people were burning tires, throwing rocks at cars and breaking into stores and warehouses. Joél had some meetings scheduled for today so wanted to stay at the office but (thankfully) came home for the day. I didn’t feel safe alone, more emotionally than worried about actual threats. His co-wokers said that our area of the city (and where the office is) is pretty safe. As the day went on, we saw fewer and fewer people on the streets and all the businesses near us were closed. We watched the news on TV which has been analyzing the violence. We talked with our next door neighbors who said that they were staying home too. During the morning, the kids in the building seemed to relish in a day off from school, running up the stairs and all over the roof but by the afternoon, they were in their apartments. When Joel came home he went up on the roof to look. He said that it looked like there was a ring of fire around the city about a half mile to the north and west. By the afternoon we knew that things had calmed down a little when one of our neighbors who like to play their music loudly started their stereo; I guess they too stopped watching the news. We called the MCC rep to let her know what was happening (and the SALT participant who lives in Matola, a suburb of Maputo also affected by the protests, who couldn’t get a bus into town so went back to her host family).
We’re safe and not in danger. We keep praying for peace and it confirms to us the relevance of MCC’s work with systemic programs. It seems so sad. I keep thinking that people resort to violence when it’s their last resort or feeling powerless. They are angry with the government because it’s allowing the price increases, but here it seems, people riot or join in things without thinking. So I wonder how many people were swept along with the wave of emotion without thinking through things. I’m thankful we’re safe.
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