8.
"'Do you mean the land of gold?,' we asked.
"'No, I mean theland of freedom, for it is more valuable
than gold', he said.
"Nobody knows if there ever existed on earth the fabulous
land of Ophir, yet its image is cherished in the hearts of the
people of Mozambique as a symbol of genuine freedom."
*********
THE STRUGGLE IN "PORTUGUESE" GUINEA
In "Portuguese" Guinea, with 600,000 inhabitants, more than
half of the population has already been liberated by the action
of the PAIGC (Partido Africano para a Independencia da Guine e
Cabo Verde).  Forty percent of the territory is free and out of
the control of the Portuguese colonialists.
We quote here one section of a press conference given on
the 22nd of March in Algiers by the Secretary General of the
PAIGC, Mr. Amilcar Cabral, concerning the development of the
struggle for national liberation in "Portuguese" Guinea in 1964^
"Two main facts characterise and synthesise the development
of our liberation struggle and the activity of our fighting organisation in 1964*  She battle of Como and the First Congress
of the Party, which took place in February in one of the liberated
regions in the south of the country.
"The Battle of Como.  By the beginning of 1964, it had become a fundamental, even vital, necessity to the military and
political plans of the Portuguese authorities to recapture the
island of Como, the first part of the national territory liberated
by our forces.  First, because this island was the strategic and
indispensable jumping off place for the reconquest and effective
control of the liberated south.  Second, because of the effects
that such a recapture would have politically, especially in the
re subjugation of the population of this island, v/ho, like the
people of the Mores area, are known throughout the country for
their strong and determined commitment to the struggle for independence and for their "unflinching loyalty to our Party.
"Using all the means they could - air force, navy and infantry
with a total of 3,000 well-equipped men, about 2,000 of whom were
soldiers and elite officers transferred from Angola, the Portuguese
colonialists began their campaign to recapture the island in January 1964.  The top eschelon of the Portuguese army moved from
Lisbon to Bissau to be near and watch the operation.  After 75
days of fighting, during which our forces did not lack heroism
and the willingness to sacrifice, we succeeded in pushing the
enemy forces to the sea, inflicting on them the most complete