Azagaia

Edson Amândio Maria Lopes da Luz (6 May 1984 – 9 March 2023), better known by his stage name Azagaia, was a Mozambican rapper known for his songs about political issues and social justice in Mozambique. In 2014, he was described as "the most influential Mozambican rapper", and his death in 2023 led to widespread marches throughout the country in his honour as well as in support of his political ideas.

Early life Azagaia was born in Namaacha, Maputo Province, close to Mozambique's border with Eswatini. His mother was a Mozambican merchant, while his father was a teacher originally from Cape Verde. When he was ten, Azagaia moved to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, where he completed high school before going on to study geology at Eduardo Mondlane University. The album broke local sales records on the day of its release, and included the singles "Eu não paro" (English: "I don't stop") and "Alternativos" (English: "alternatives"), the latter of which featured the Portuguese political hip-hop artist Valete. Balabaze was noted for its lyrical content, much of which was critical of the Mozambican government, which led to many of its songs not airing on government-owned media channels. The 2010 single "Arriiii" was in response to the arrest of Momade Bachir Sulemane in the United States on drug trafficking charges; Sulemane was a well-known Mozambican entrepreneur, and in the song Azagaia addresses issues of drug trafficking, tax evasion, and murder in Mozambique.

In 2013, following three years of production, Azagaia's second solo album, Cubaliwa (the Sena word for "birth") was releasted by Kongoloti Records. The album featured musicians including Stewart Sukuma, Dama do Bling, Banda Likuti, Ras Haitrm, Júlia Duarte, and MCK. Azagaia commented that while Babalaze had focused on the ills of politicians, Cubaliwa addressed the responsibilities of citizens for causing change.

In May 2016, following a period of absence due to health issues, Azagaia made his public performance in two years when he performed a concert at Coconuts in Maputo.

Controversies Until 2013, Azagaia was a member of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique; he left the party to preserve his "independence" as a musician.

In 2011, Azagaia, along with his producer Miguel Sherba, were arrested after being found with four grams of cannabis in their possession. After refusing to pay a bribe to the police, Azagaia and Sherba were detained for two days, and their arrest on drug charges was widely published in the Mozambican press. Sherba subsequently accused the arrest of being politically motivated to tarnish Azagaia's public image.

On 9 March 2023, Azagaia died at his home in Maputo due to complications linked to epilepsy. He was 38. Following the service, when the funeral procession was travelling towards Michafutene cemetery for the burial, armed riot police blocked a road near the Palácio da Ponta Vermelha, the residence of the President of Mozambique, that the procession was due to pass. The procession were chanting popular Azagaia songs, including "Povo no poder" and "Vampiros" (English: "Vampires"), in which Azagaia had compared corrupt leaders to vampires. The police redirected the procession before using teargas to disperse the crowd. The police's response was controversial, with Human Rights Watch raising concerns that unnecessary force had been used to disperse a peaceful crowd. The Mozambican government did not explicitly comment on this, though Eldevina Materula, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, did release a statement saying that "Mozambican music and culture are in mourning" in response to Azagaia's death.

On 17 March 2023, it was announced that marches in honour of Azagaia, as well as in protest against the treatment of mourners at his funeral, would be held in cities across all eleven of Mozambique's provinces. Local police refused to authorise a demonstration in Cabo Delgado Province, citing an ongoing Islamist insurgency there. 22 protestors were arrested in Maputo, as well as 10 in Beira, where protestors were similarly given authorisation to march, only to be prevented from doing so by armed police officers.

In October 2023, during public demonstrations triggered by the 2023 local election results, the RENAMO mayoral candidate, Venâncio Mondlane, led a march in Maputo, chanting "povo no poder", in reference to Azagaia's song.

In the aftermath of the disputed 2024 Mozambican general election, “Povo no Poder" was prominently played during protests.