This thesis investigates how Venâncio Mondlane’s use of social media during Mozambique’s 2024 general elections, including the campaign, voting period, and post-election phase—contributed to participatory political communication and youth mobilization. Framed within the Communication for Development field, this research also fills a critical gap in scholarship focused on Lusophone Africa, where studies on media and civic engagement remain limited.

Using a qualitative, multi-method approach that includes digital ethnography, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions, this study explores how young Mozambicans responded to Mondlane’s digital campaign, how they engaged politically both online and offline, and how they compared digital platforms to traditional media in terms of accessibility and influence.

Guided by participatory communication theory, media dependency theory, and the concept of participatory culture, the analysis presents four key findings. First, Mondlane’s unscripted and conversational communication style stood in contrast to elite political discourse and connected with youth on a personal level. Second, young people did not just consume content—they adapted it, shared it widely, and used it to mobilize, becoming active participants in shaping political dialogue. Third, this engagement helped transform how many youth saw themselves in the civic landscape, moving from a position of marginalization to one of visible agency. And finally, while digital platforms were seen as more open and inclusive than state-controlled media, they were also marked by limitations such as uneven access, digital surveillance, and harassment.

Although Mondlane’s campaign led to some unprecedented outcomes—including a revision of vote percentages by Mozambique’s Constitutional Council—the momentum has slowed. His recent public appearance with the elected Frelimo President Daniel Chapo has caused some supporters to question his integrity and the long-term trajectory of the movement.

This research concludes that social media platforms can serve as critical tools for democratic participation in constrained environments, but they are not without risk. It contributes to the ComDev field by offering a grounded, Mozambican case study that illustrates both the promise and the precarity of youth-led digital political movements.