The Attorney General's Office (PGR) prevented the launch yesterday in Maputo of a book about the "charisma" of Venâncio Mondlane.

The launch had been scheduled to start at 5pm on Monday, but when it was already 3pm, the launch promoters were informed that the event had been canceled.

The hotel justified it on political grounds, but the PGR, which banned the resort from letting the book launch take place, did not leave the banning notice for those concerned, "because it was confidential".

"It's a misreading of this book because it's a scientific work," said Mártir das Letras, the author of the book, "Um olhar sociológico sobre o charisma de Venâncio Mondlane" (A sociological look at the charisma of Venâncio Mondlane).

The writer and editor, Alex Barga, said that because of the type of work, it cannot be linked to any kind of political activity.

"We needed to have the documentation to check against the law to prove that it was not transparent for us to act as organizers," he said.

However, he said that the launch will take place on a date yet to be announced.