We saw schools where schools had been
completely unheard of. We saw hospitals
and medical clinics where people had
never before had any medical facilities
at all. We saw agricultural production
for the benefit of the people where before
only cash crops were permitted to be
grown. We saw men, women and children
working together as equals where before
artificial and arbitrary distinctions had
been implanted and nurtured by a feudal
social system and encouraged and used
by the colonialists. We saw unity between
comrades from all parts of Mozambique
where before no African could "legally"
travel from one part of the country to
another. We saw hope where before
there had only been frustration and
despair.
These things and many others are due
strictly to the efforts of the people of
Mozambique themselves. FRELIMO has
no airplanes, ships, heavy industries, etc.
But it has something much more important - revolutionary commitment. Every
single day in the liberated areas comrades
wake up to go to teach in schools. Quite
often they do not have materials such as
papers, pencils, chalk, blackboards, desks
chairs, etc. They are sometimes forced
to write the day's lesson in the dirt. And
they do this in full realisation that this
is the way that they may have to spend
the rest of their lives.
The same goes for the medical cadres
(more of whom are desperately needed).
Every single day they work under extremely difficult conditions with no thought
of ever leaving the people for an easier
life in Europe, America or somewhere
else in Africa. And the same goes for the
comrades who every day go out on ambush, sometimes waiting for days without
any sight of the enemy and with no sleep
and nothing to eat but a few pieces of
raw cassava.
The revolution in Mozambique is a process and not an event. Every single day
small steps are taken to prepare the way
for the next generation which must continue the struggle begun by the comrades of this generation. Sensational
events or individuals have no place in this
revolutionary process. This struggle is
something akin to a long distance relay
race which requires - patience, teamwork
co-ordination, stamina and determination
It is not like a sprint which requires only
an unsustainable burst of initial speed and
sensationalism. People in America who
profess to be revolutionaries but who deliver simplified messages of quick non-
ideological struggles could learn much
from the people of Mozambique who are
in the front line of the world-wide
struggle against imperialism, colonialism
and racism. Unfortunately many people
still have a romantic notion of the revolutionary process and fail to understand
the hard work and discipline necessary to
build what FRELIMO has built. As we
marched about the liberated areas, the
difficulties which had to be overcome to
reach the present level of struggle became
more and more apparent. The least of
these difficulties are the physical problems of surviving with none of the superficial luxuries of life. By far the most
difficult problem is perhaps to conquer
the individual doubts, conflicts and contradictions which exist in all human
beings.
However, it is now impossible for the
enemy to ever defeat the people of Mozambique. It is inevitable that the justice of the cause and the motivation of
the people of Mozambique will lead to the
enemy's defeat. All that the enemy can
do is call upon his friends for help
(bombs, planes, helicopters, etc.) in postponing the inevitable victory of the people. However, when he does that the
enemy only helps to strengthen FRELIMO
and to stiffen the resolve of the masses.
One day we were told by a man in the
liberated areas that in the 7 years since
it launched the armed struggle, FRELIMO had accomplished more for the
people that the Portuguese colonialists
did in 500 years.
The enemy is of the mistaken opinion
that he can destroy a school or a hospital
by burning or destroying huts and that
if he burns or destroys enough huts and
fields he will have destroyed the revolution. However, we learned that the
schools and hospitals are only housed temporarily in huts. In reality they exist
in the hearts of the people as manifested
in their determination that if necessary
the school or hospital will continue to
function in the bush under a tree. Similarly, the revolution (and its progress) cannot be measured in terms of huts or fields
nor even in terms of liberated territory.
For the revolution in Mozambique exists
in the hearts of the people and this can
never be destroyed.
When it became time for us to leave we
became saddened at the prospect of
leaving the people we had come to love
as comrades. However, in seeing them
perform their duties we were reminded
how important it is for us to perform our
duty of telling the world what we have
seen. The comrades taught us to consider leaving them in the same light that
they consider leaving each other to go on
a mission and to bring the same dedication
and discipline to this mission that they
bring to their everyday lives. This made
leaving a little bit easier.
However, we will never really leave Mozambique. When our comrades climb a
mountain, or cross a river, or sleep in
the bush, or do any of the other things
which are part of the routine life of the
struggle - we shall be withthem. Mozambique is in our hearts and our hearts are
in Mozambique. Therefore the comrades
will never be alone. Although our bodies
may be elsewhere in the world performing a mission - our hearts will always
remain in Mozambique.
The people of Niassa show their hospitality with gifts for the visitors.
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