There can be no dispute over the professional merit of journalist Carlitos Cadangue as a recipient of the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Award, which he received on Monday from the veteran organization in the fight for the protection of journalists and the promotion of their rights around the world.
For the Mozambican public, Cadangue needs no introduction, having been particularly notable for his incisive reports from the Province of Manica, often informing about what certain sectors of the nomenklatura would not like to ever see the light of the day. This is information that would otherwise remain in the cloak of darkness that envelops stocks of the underworld of multimillionaire businesses, most of them so improbable that it is convenient for them to keep far away from the spotlight of the tax authorities.
In recent times, his work has stood out for the reports he has been carrying out on environmental and economic crimes committed in Manica Province, related to illegal gold mining. His exposure of harmful practices that included the contamination of waterways and the use of child labor led the authorities to wake up from their slumber and set out for something resembling some action.
When the suspension of mining activities was decreed as a mechanism to allow some measures to be taken to restore sanity in the sector, through his work, Cadangue denounced the existence of groups protected by powerful people, who defied the authorities and continued to carry out their activities.
Those targeted did not like it and peremptorily decided that he had crossed the red lines of their criminal instincts. On nightfall on 4 February, following his car while in the company of his son in the city of Chimoio, they tried to assassinate him, both escaping only through the work of a miracle.
And as has been tradition in this beautiful homeland, those involved are still at large and will probably remain so for the foreseeable future. This is the land of crimes by unknown perpetrators, and perhaps one of the few in the world, where crime pays.
The President of the Republic, who is the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the defense and security forces, sent a message condemning, “in firm and vehement terms”, the attempted murder, and demanding speed in the investigation and in bringing the perpetrators to account.
Before this presidential wish materialized, Chapo had to send another message, this time of congratulations to the journalist, considering that the award also offers an incentive to the strengthening of press freedom in Mozambique.
It is a singular achievement, and testimony to the advances achieved in journalism in Mozambique in recent years, that a provincial journalist, far from the capital where everything happens, has been awarded an international award that distinguishes his professionalism and dedication to defending the values of freedom. But the greatest incentive to the strengthening of press freedom in Mozambique will undoubtedly be a demonstrated commitment by the authorities to the fight to end impunity for crimes committed against journalists. And that, as we all know, starts from the top, from where Cadangue receives messages of comfort, in his moments of anguish, and of congratulations, in moments of glory.
