The comedy group ‘Tons de Comédia’, comprising Hugo Sousa from Portugal, Gilmário Vemba from Angola, and Murilo Couto from Brazil, announced on Monday their willingness to purchase a “cultural activities visa” to enter Mozambique and perform their scheduled show on Sunday, July 20.
In a statement, the ‘Tons de Comédia’ entourage explained that upon arrival and before approaching immigration, they were approached by “a law enforcement officer” who requested their passports, “claiming they would be given priority due to the proximity of the show.”
When the group approached the immigration counter, “the same officer requested the cultural activities visa“.
“The group responded that they had applied for it only for Murilo Couto, as being Brazilian, he could not benefit from visa exemption. For this, they were notified to provide proof of their stay in Maputo, duly stamped by the hotel. This document was sent a few minutes after it was requested on previous days, but there was never any response“, the statement read.
Given that “they had all necessary documentation, the group was prepared to proceed with acquiring the border visa and making the corresponding payment“, considering a “price list” was displayed at the available counters for that purpose.
A member of Showtime explained that the goal was to acquire the cultural activities visa at the airport and proceed with their journey and show.
© Tons de Comédia
However, the group was asked to “wait.” The statement also mentioned that “the local promoter made every effort, using various means and contacts” in an attempt to resolve the situation.
The feedback the group received from various immigration service members indicated that the matter was being addressed and would be resolved, they added.
About an hour later, a representative from TAAG – the airline with which they flew to Maputo – approached the group saying that “immigration had requested that the group be ‘returned’ to Luanda.” However, due to the airline’s overcapacity, “a return flight was not possible immediately”; they would only be able to return to Angola on Tuesday.
The group reported receiving “little clarification” from airport authorities and staff. “Everyone lamented the situation, consistently stating that the matter would be resolved”.
By 18:00 – with the flight having landed at 14:40 – the group realized that “resolving the situation would take longer than expected” and that “immigration officers at the border visa counter were not authorized by ‘higher orders’ to issue the visa”.
Before this, ‘Tons de Comédia’ and the local production decided “to cancel the show and refund tickets, as there was no clear estimate of how long it would take to resolve the situation.”
By around 19:00, after persistent efforts by the group’s agent, Pedro Gonçalves, it was arranged to speak in a reserved room with the head of the immigration service. He was informed that, due to higher orders, entry would not be allowed, and the group would have to wait at the airport for their return flight to Angola, available only on Tuesday, they explained in the statement.
The agent informed the immigration services that the group had secured a TAP flight to Lisbon for the following day (today, Monday, July 21), and thus “waiting for the return flight to Luanda was unnecessary”.
Considering this and since the show was already canceled – which was the reason for being denied entry into Mozambique, the group’s agent requested that “temporary entry as tourists be authorized for the group so they could have a meal, stay overnight at the hotel, and return to the airport the next morning to board the flight to Lisbon”, as for tourism, “no visa was required” and because “adequate conditions were not available” to stay “even more hours” at the location.
© Tons de Comédia
Immigration services only authorized the manager, Pedro, to leave the airport “as a tourist” because “his name and image were not on the show poster and he was only accompanying the group,” considering he “would not be performing”.
The manager immediately rejected the offer, stating he would not abandon the other group members. Following this, the immigration official asked them to wait, informing them that he would consult his superiors about the possibility of authorizing the exit, the statement read.
About ten minutes later, the group was informed that they “should remain at the location until boarding the TAP flight to Portugal” and that only at that time, “their passports would be returned to them.” They were also told that “if they needed food or drink, they would have to rely on someone external to bring what was necessary”.
As a result, the group ended up spending the night at the airport, with the local production providing food and drink – as seen in the video above.
“They did not comply with the criteria. It is a cultural activity”
The director-general of Mozambique’s National Migration Service (Senami) defended today declining entry into the country to three comedians, including Gilmário Vemba and the Portuguese Hugo Sousa, as they attempted to enter with a tourist visa while planning to perform a show.
“They came to the country but did not comply with the criteria for entry. Because they came to perform a show, which is a cultural activity,” stated the director-general, Zainedine Danane, when questioned on the sidelines of an event marking Senami’s 50th anniversary in Maputo.
“They came to the country but did not comply with the criteria for entry,” stated Mozambique’s National Migration Service (Senami), after denying entry to three comedians, including Angolan Gilmário Vemba and Portuguese Hugo Sousa.
Lusa | 12:54 – 21/07/2025
