more initiative, a greater spirit of sacrifice
and wc learn more, produce more and
fight  better,  with more  determination.
Other shortcomings are a result of superficial or even mistaken ideas on the laws
which govern natural phenomena. These
are shortcomings in our scientific knowledge. We often live near a source of
water - a river or a well - waiting for
rain for the crops, although there is water
there which would solve our problems.
Other times we go about complaining that
the soil is poor, completely ignoring natural fertilisers, the animal and human
manure which enrich the soil. We have
the raw materials for making soap, yet we
go on doing without soap. We can grow,
spin and weave cotton and yet we go on
doing without clothing. There are many
examples, all of which show that our lack
of scientific knowledge blinds us. The
solution to a problem facing us is right
under our noses and we do not see it, we
do not have the courage to show initiative.
We are fighting our insufficient knowledge
through study, learning, discussion and
practice.
There are comrades who look down on
study because they do not know its value.
Study is like a lamp in the night which
shows us the way. To work without
studying is to advance in the dark. One
can go forward, of course, but at great
risk of stumbling or taking the wrong
path. At some bases, among some comrades, the regular habit has been established of devoting some time to study.
This is good, but it is not enough. All
leaders and cadres, together with the units
must organise consistent and regular study
programmes. Depending on the situation
at least one hour a day shoud be devoted
to study activites. Study should be
organised in the spirit of collective work,
collective consciousness, with small groups
in which some teach others and everyone
fights ignorance together. Because our
starting point is a fairly weak one, we
advise that in this first phase every effort
should be made to raise the level of basic
knowledge, especially by wiping out illiteracy in the units and among the cadics.
The Political Commissar, in co-operation
with the Department of Education and
Culture and working closely with the
Provincial organisations, must organise
the programme of fighting illiteracy and
ignorance in such a way that each FRELIMO base becomes a base for fighting
against obscurantism. Closely related to
this programme should be a programme of
seminars for comrades with higher scientific knowledge - agronomists, engineers,
mechanics, sociologists, nurses, etc. - to
help raise the general level of knowledge
of leaders and cadres in the districts and
provinces. These should be specialised
seminars on precise subjects such as irrigation, hygiene, mill construction, the
introduction of new crops and the introduction of new production methods.
In this way our comrades will be able to
relate their scientific studies to practice,
and raise the level both of their own work
and of the work of the masses. Soil without manure produces weak plants, but
manure without soil burns the seeds and
also produces nothing. Our intelligence,
our knowledge, are like that manure.
Manure must be mixed with soil, intelligence with practice. Because their very
existence depends on exploiting us, capitalism and colonialism keep knowledge
away from the masses, creating an educated elite which does not work and is
used only to better exploit the masses.
We say that it is the workers who must
have knowledge, who must rule and who
must benefit from labour. This is what
we say and practice. And this is why our
Armed Struggle has been transformed
into a Revolution, why everything is in
constant transformation and we are liberating the creative energy of the masses.
This, finally, is why the enemy hate us.
Nothing exists without production, and
nothing exists without workers. The
planes and bombing raids, the colonialist
crimes, are aimed at keeping the workers
producing for the capitalists, at keeping
them exploited. The target of our bullets,
the purpose of our struggle is, definitively,
to end the exploitation of man by man,
colonialism being its principal form in our
country today. Our objective is to hand
production over to the creative ability of
the masses.
We are going to enter our eighth year of
war. Next year we will celebrate the 10th
anniversary of the founding of our Front.
We are growing a great deal, but to grow
more, to meet the growing needs of the
war and the people, it is essential that
our production increase in both quantity
and quality, that more things be produced
in our country.
Revolution liberates man. It liberates his
intelligence and his work. This liberation
manifests itself in the development of
our production, which serves the people,
which serves the struggle. Therefore, at
this time when preparations are being
made in agriculture for sowing the crops
of the new season, we say to all the comrades:
TO PRODUCE IS TO LEARN. LEARN
IN ORDER TO PRODUCE AND STRUGGLE BETTER.
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