Vida Nova celebrates its 65th anniversary, following the joys, hopes, and journeys of Mozambican society and the Church.
Vida Nova is a socio-religious magazine owned by the Archdiocese of Nampula, published under the responsibility of the Paul VI Catechetical Centre of Anchilo and the Comboni Missionaries in Mozambique. It was founded on January 1, 1960, by the Missionaries of the Good News, a Portuguese congregation, under the name La Boa Nova. A few years later, the magazine was administered by the Comboni Missionaries, who changed its name to Vida Nova.
To this day, Vida Nova remains the only Catholic magazine distributed nationwide, with 14,000 copies printed each month. For 65 years, it has continuously followed the joys, hopes, and journey of Mozambican society and the Church.
Its first editorial included the following statement:
“It is difficult to say what Boa Nova (the magazine’s original name from 1960 to 1972) will become. However, the demands of global pastoral care, a program for better preparation of catechists, attention to the events of daily life, and all those who proclaim the Gospel… all this will ensure that Boa Nova will continue to grow and develop. It will be a bit like what we all are. If it receives everything from us, it will give us a lot!”
The magazine has always accompanied the political, social, and religious life of the country. On the eve of independence, it wrote:
“Let us be prepared and, with our new government, let us work so that it is not a government that imposes orders but one that helps its people. A disembodied faith is sterile, while an incarnate faith is strength and life. We must find a way so that our faith is not alienation, but hope and commitment.”
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Mozambique’s independence from Portugal. The country remains one of the poorest in the world, with nearly 64% of the population living below the poverty line and the national budget still largely dependent on external aid. Around 80% of the population relies on peasant agriculture, which is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.
The repercussions of the 2016 debt crisis, the two cyclones of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic, and terrorist attacks in the Cabo Delgado region since 2017 have caused more than 4,000 deaths and displaced nearly a million people. These events have created immense suffering for the Mozambican people.
Celebrating the 65th anniversary of Vida Nova means remembering the events of more than six decades. It involves interpreting and updating today’s events in the light of the Word of God and the teachings of the Church to better understand the society in which we live.
The general elections of October 2024 have tested the country’s stability. Vida Nova writes:
“The people have not found a better future in the electoral promises. They have also lost absolute confidence in the electoral process and its organization, a process tainted by alleged fraud and political insensitivity that favors the interests of a few at the expense of the many. It seems that the lack of a long-term political vision has made our leaders visually impaired, incapable of doing good for all strata of the population.”
The magazine continues:
“To understand better, let us remember what Frantz Fanon wrote in 1961 in his book The Wretched of the Earth, in which he analyzed colonial domination, the struggles for national liberation, and the prospects of new governance. His message remains highly relevant for all movements and parties, old and new, in Mozambique. Fanon said:
‘That party that proclaimed itself the servant of the people and worked for their full emancipation, as soon as power was handed over to it, rushed to send the people back to their caves… The party is not an instrument in the hands of the government. The party is an instrument in the hands of the people. It is the party that establishes the policy that the government must apply. The party is not, and must never be, the only political body in which all the members of the government and the great dignitaries of the regime feel completely at ease. We must never lose contact with the people who fought for their independence and for the concrete improvement of their existence.’”
In its editorial dedicated to the post-election period, Vida Nova warns:
“If the gap between those in power and those governed continues to widen, if those in power are deaf to the cries of young people who do not see their dreams come true, and if they are unable to ensure that Mozambique’s natural wealth benefits everyone, then there will always be those who demand justice and truth. The seed of discontent will continue to grow until it explodes throughout society.”
On January 15, Daniel Chapo of Frelimo—the party that has governed Mozambique since its independence from Portugal in 1975—was sworn in as the new president. The Constitutional Court declared Chapo the winner of the October 9 presidential elections, but the results were contested by the opposition. In recent months, mass protests erupted, leading to the deaths of nearly 300 people. The demonstrations continued on inauguration day, resulting in at least seven more casualties. Some areas of the capital, Maputo, were militarized for the occasion, with many streets near Parliament closed to traffic and the area patrolled by military planes and helicopters.
Amidst the violence engulfing the country, the Catholic bishops of Mozambique have called for the restoration of truth and electoral justice, which they cite as the main causes of the protests.
The lack of confidence in the electoral process triggered peaceful demonstrations, which later turned violent due to infiltrators and the often-excessive response from security forces. Vida Nova quotes the bishops’ statement:
“The application of the electoral law in the counting of votes at the national level by the competent authorities, in itself, cannot guarantee reliable results if the data is not reliable. Certifying a lie is fraud… We, the Catholic bishops of Mozambique, ask all those directly involved in this electoral process and the resulting conflict to engage in an exercise of recognizing guilt, seeking forgiveness, and embracing the courage of truth. This is the only path that allows for a return to normalcy in a country that wants to be alive and active, not silenced by the fear of violence. Mozambique must not return to violence! Our country deserves truth, peace, tranquility, and tolerance! We pray for peace; we are artisans of justice and witnesses of the truth.”
(A.B.)
