As algorithms and social media increasingly shape the world we see, how much room is left for truth? On the afternoon of 28 October, the MFF conference will host a panel entitled “Political Mirror: Reflecting on Democracy and the Collapse of Truth in the Digital Age”.
The composition of the speakers is revealing in itself. Dércio Tandzana holds a PhD in Political Science, and his research has focused for several years on the intersection of youth, social media and political participation, with a particular focus on Mozambique’s digital public sphere.
Carlos Osvaldo Mabutana is an active voice in Mozambique’s public debate, regularly addressing the challenges of citizenship, information and democratic participation in the country. His presence brings to the panel the perspective of someone who closely follows, from within, the tensions between power, truth and the public sphere in Mozambique.
Quitéria Guirengane represents the active role of civil society. As Executive Secretary of the Women’s Observatory and President of the Network of Young Women Leaders, she has been involved in electoral observation and political mobilisation for years, giving her first-hand knowledge of how disinformation affects people’s lives.
The panel will be moderated by activist Géssica Macamo, founder of Diálogo Cívico Urbano (Urban Civic Dialogue), an initiative that seeks to bring political discussion into everyday spaces rather than allowing it to remain confined to elites.
The urgency of this discussion is supported by data. According to MISA Mozambique’s 2025 report, the country recorded 81 cases of disinformation that year, more than 86% of which involved entirely fabricated content. Facebook was the main platform for dissemination, while the political sphere was the primary target. Tandzana’s research addresses precisely this underlying dynamic: when traditional channels of participation become restricted, social media emerges as an alternative space for political expression, but this also makes it fertile ground for manipulation.
The MFF takes place from 23 October to 1 November, with the entire programme free of charge at JFS Tower, in downtown Maputo.
Make the headline more directStrengthen the panel’s central tension
