CENPA-201~01 |
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far.'I (fr/'^X PUBLISHED BY N SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCI Mozambique To The Christian Science Monitor: The articles on Mozambique by Pieter messing appearing in the Monitor certainly indicate the increased interest Americans have in that part of Africa, lowever, as one who has lived and Jtraveled in Mozambique as the wife of lone of its native Africans, I must challenge Mr. Lessing's assertion that this [truly beautiful country is a relatively 'untroubled land. Also, being the wife of the leader of the rebel Mozambique African party, I must correct Mr. Lessing's description of me as a wealthy Swedish woman who is able to give my husband "limited financial independence." I am a white American from the Midwest; and I, as well as our three small children, still depend on him for board and room. During my stay in Mozambique (1960-61, before the time of my political interests) I came to know the African areas well, their problems, their living conditions, and their attitudes toward their Portuguese rulers. Contrary to the impression given by Mr. Lessing, Mozambique is a country pregnant with tension and fear. The Africans keep smiling for the benefit of the PIDE (International Police for the Defense of the State) whose agents are in practically every institution, and those "helpful" Africans would never dare to express dissatisfaction to a white man for fear of future reprisals. Brutal beatings with the palmatoria is the price meted out to those suspected of economic protest, of disrespect for a white man, of expression of political opinion. Imprisonment without trial and mysterious disappearances are more long-term punishments. The African population has but one answer to the vicious circle of oppression- poverty-illiteracy-oppresion, and that is freedom. The Portuguese Government is well aware of that fact. It is not fear of land-grabbing in northern Mozam- i bique by the supposedly "hostile" countries of Tanganyika and Nyasaland that prompts stringent defense movements. It is, rather, the fear of the Mozambique African nationalist party, the I frente de Liberacao de Mozambique (FRELIMO) led by American-educated 1 Eduardo C. Mondlane, that has brought an estimated 40,000 armed Portuguese ! soldiers into the country. Nor do the internal conditions present FRELIMO with an impossible task. Experience is knowledge, and the FRELIMO leaders know without a doubt that the country can be successfully penetrated with the steady enthusiasm and eager cooperation of every tribal group—in spite of the Portuguese show of force. The rebel policy is to try to negotiate first, but failing that, they are prepared for conflict. Unhappily, the Portuguese do not appear to be in a negotiating mood. Premier Salazar of Portugal labels the freedom movement as the work of Communists. I am amused by that name-calling, for the African population hardly knows the meaning of that word. They are simply people who love their homes, and want only to see a brighter and more dignified future for their children. Nothing that Portugal can do will prevent them from achieving that end—and soon. Janet Rae Mondlane Syracuse, N.Y.
Object Description
Description
Title | CENPA-201~01 |
Filename | CENPA-201~01.tiff |
Full text | far.'I (fr/'^X PUBLISHED BY N SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCI Mozambique To The Christian Science Monitor: The articles on Mozambique by Pieter messing appearing in the Monitor certainly indicate the increased interest Americans have in that part of Africa, lowever, as one who has lived and Jtraveled in Mozambique as the wife of lone of its native Africans, I must challenge Mr. Lessing's assertion that this [truly beautiful country is a relatively 'untroubled land. Also, being the wife of the leader of the rebel Mozambique African party, I must correct Mr. Lessing's description of me as a wealthy Swedish woman who is able to give my husband "limited financial independence." I am a white American from the Midwest; and I, as well as our three small children, still depend on him for board and room. During my stay in Mozambique (1960-61, before the time of my political interests) I came to know the African areas well, their problems, their living conditions, and their attitudes toward their Portuguese rulers. Contrary to the impression given by Mr. Lessing, Mozambique is a country pregnant with tension and fear. The Africans keep smiling for the benefit of the PIDE (International Police for the Defense of the State) whose agents are in practically every institution, and those "helpful" Africans would never dare to express dissatisfaction to a white man for fear of future reprisals. Brutal beatings with the palmatoria is the price meted out to those suspected of economic protest, of disrespect for a white man, of expression of political opinion. Imprisonment without trial and mysterious disappearances are more long-term punishments. The African population has but one answer to the vicious circle of oppression- poverty-illiteracy-oppresion, and that is freedom. The Portuguese Government is well aware of that fact. It is not fear of land-grabbing in northern Mozam- i bique by the supposedly "hostile" countries of Tanganyika and Nyasaland that prompts stringent defense movements. It is, rather, the fear of the Mozambique African nationalist party, the I frente de Liberacao de Mozambique (FRELIMO) led by American-educated 1 Eduardo C. Mondlane, that has brought an estimated 40,000 armed Portuguese ! soldiers into the country. Nor do the internal conditions present FRELIMO with an impossible task. Experience is knowledge, and the FRELIMO leaders know without a doubt that the country can be successfully penetrated with the steady enthusiasm and eager cooperation of every tribal group—in spite of the Portuguese show of force. The rebel policy is to try to negotiate first, but failing that, they are prepared for conflict. Unhappily, the Portuguese do not appear to be in a negotiating mood. Premier Salazar of Portugal labels the freedom movement as the work of Communists. I am amused by that name-calling, for the African population hardly knows the meaning of that word. They are simply people who love their homes, and want only to see a brighter and more dignified future for their children. Nothing that Portugal can do will prevent them from achieving that end—and soon. Janet Rae Mondlane Syracuse, N.Y. |
Archival file | Volume14/CENPA-201~01.tiff |