(MISA/IFEX) – On 6 November 2004, local officials of Mozambique’s former rebel movement, Resistencia Nacional de Mozambique (RENAMO), banned a TVM public television station crew from filming RENAMO election campaigning in two northern towns, Mozambique Island and Nacala. The ban came despite the movement’s regular complaints that TVM does not give it sufficient coverage. Both […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 6 November 2004, local officials of Mozambique’s former rebel movement, Resistencia Nacional de Mozambique (RENAMO), banned a TVM public television station crew from filming RENAMO election campaigning in two northern towns, Mozambique Island and Nacala.
The ban came despite the movement’s regular complaints that TVM does not give it sufficient coverage. Both towns are regarded as RENAMO strongholds.
TVM reported that when its crew arrived on Mozambique Island, RENAMO officials obstructed it from filming its members because it had not sent “advance notice that the cameras were coming.”
In Nacala, RENAMO officials told the TVM crew not to film because there were too few people involved in campaigning activities that day. The officials also prevented the crew from filming outside their office.
In contrast, in what are purportedly rock-solid RENAMO constituencies, TVM was able to obtain footage of festive campaigning by members of the ruling Frente da Libertaçao de Moçambique (Frelimo) party and of the Party for Peace, Democracy and Development (PDD), a RENAMO breakaway group.
