Free weekly launched in Mozambique
In the East-African country of Mozambique, free weekly A Verdade was launched on August 27 in the capital Maputo.
The paper counts 32 pages, is printed in full color while it has a circulation of 50,000.
According to publisher Erik Charas the new weekly is the paper with the widest circulation, with at least 10 times more copies distributed than any other weekly newspaper (they vary between 2500 to 6000 weekly).
The only government owned daily newspaper prints about 8000 copies day.
Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world, for most people a free paper is the only form of access to information. The normal retail price of any other newspaper is equivalent to the price of 8 pieces of bread, or a month of cellphone access.
According to the publisher A Verdade generated no trash on the streets because people were so excited about receiving something for free that they took it away with them. Many readers took the newspaper to a café, or on the streets, and reading it there.
August 30th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Dear Charas,
Congratulations for the brilliant iniciative! Mozambican people deserve it. please make sure that rural people and the youth get it.
That’s what i would call ‘innovative entrepreneurship’
Keep it up brother,
Best wishes,
Manuel de Araujo
September 1st, 2008 at 10:59 am
To the Verdade team, and to Charas
Yet is not a time to read the success of the news paper..sure is a time to say well done.
Hopefully the VD news paper must, play a very important role on our week to week base, and moreover be transformed on a relevant tool in the hands of the people.
through reading people will understand the dinamics of our country
Through reach the all layers of the society directly, your VD will become an important asset in the hands of people and by consequence you are empowering people with a helmet and sword to defend their rights
thts wht my generation deserves
keep doing it
jaime gouveia
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
[...] Editor’s Weblog |Newspaper Innovation [...]