Comedians Hugo Sousa from Portugal, Gilmário Vemba from Angola, and Murilo Couto from Brazil were detained on Sunday at Maputo airport in Mozambique, while attempting to enter the country for a scheduled performance later that afternoon.
In a video shared on the Instagram page of the show ‘Tons de Comédia’—which has been staged in countries such as Portugal, Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Cape Verde—the comedians addressed the audience that was already present at the Centro Cultural Moçambique China.
“First of all, we want to apologize to everyone who is already there at the theater. We are here at Maputo airport and encountered an issue that we are not quite sure about,” explained Hugo Sousa, adding, “They won’t let us enter the country.”
Gilmário Vemba stated in the same video: “Unfortunately, we won’t be able to do the show. We’ve been here since 2 p.m. [1 p.m. in Lisbon] and still don’t know what will happen next. We might end up staying overnight at this hotel [referring to the airport]. We’ll wait for a flight tomorrow to take us back to Portugal.”
“Sorry, everyone. I was really excited to see Maputo. But I got to see the ceiling of the airport,” joked Murilo Couto, ending with “I want to cry.”
Hugo Sousa concluded the video by admitting they were “a bit speechless.” “We don’t know what to say to you and we’re very sad.”
Today’s show was set for 5 p.m. local time (4 p.m. in Lisbon). The group also assured that ticket refunds would be processed, particularly through the event’s promoter.
The ‘Tons de Comédia’ show is still scheduled for remaining performances in various Brazilian cities.
