the former, Mozambican carvings bore
witness to the cultural vitality of the
fighting Mozambican people. These carvings, the product of a rebirth and reexamination of traditional cultural forms,
illustrated the Mozambican life of today
— combat and production - while also
recalling still fresh memories of exploitation and colonial repression - the
palmatoria and the mashila.
Agricultural produce from the liberated
areas was displayed on a special stand
at   the   Agricultural   Production   stand.
Samples of products from the liberated
regions — cashew nuts, sesame seeds,
groundnuts, tobacco, wax, castor oil seeds
of various types — together with statistics on the growth of the major exports
from the liberated areas, enabled the visitors to acquaint themselves with certain
aspects of the economic life of free
Mozambique.
However, the main feature of the FRELIMO display was the FRELIMO House.
Built out of materials brought from Mozambique arid using the type of construction used in the liberated areas, this
House, situated near the Liberation Movement stand attracted more than 50,000
visitors who, as they toured it were able
to see various aspects of the Mozambican
people's struggle. Aspects of oppression
and exploitation were shown through
cartoons, photographs and carvings. The
display, with its accompanying texts,
showed the development of the armed
forces for liberation and their equipment,
the participation of women and the involvement of the masses in the armed
struggle. Education, health, agricultural
production and handicrafts in the liberated
areas illustrated either by photographs
and statistical charts, or by examples of
the textbooks used in our schools and in
health education and production incentive campaigns.
FRELIMO militants showed all the groups
of visitors around, telling them the historical background of the various features
of the struggle and answering their questions. Two Mozambican sculptors worked
ebony and ivory outside the FRELIMO
House before a crowd of curious and
interested people who came back in the
evening to see the photographic slides
projected onto the central facade.
The FRELIMO house was honoured by
visits from illustrious guests. The President of Kenya, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta,
made a lengthy tour of our House, listening to the explanations of the head of
The FRELIMO House was a big attraction for visitors to the Fair.
the FRELIMO delegation, Joaquim Chissano, who presented him with a parting
gift of a souvenir album on the liberation
struggle and records of FRELIMO songs.
The encouraging words of that veteran
nationalist fighter, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta,
expressed Kenya's unreserved support for
the liberation struggle.
The Second Vice-President and Prime
Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania, His Excellency Rashidi Kawawa,
accompanied by the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, His Excellency John Malecela
made one of his first visits at the Fair
to the FRELIMO House, where he renewed the fighting greetings and profound solidarity which unite our two
peoples.
The OAU Secretary General, His Excellency Diallo Telli, came to express the
OAU General Secretariat's immense satisfaction at the great success of our display.
Among the other notable visitors were
His Excellency M. Koinange, Minister of
State in the Office of the President of the
Republic of Kenya, His Excellency A.
Jamal, Minister for Commerce and Industry of the United Republic of Tanzania, Robert Gardiner, Director of the
Economic Commission for Africa, the
Director of the Fair, the Vice-Minister for
Agriculture of the Republic of Kei. a,
the heads of the delegations from Algeria,
Cameroun, Madagascar...
The Kenyan people and other visitors
from Africa and other continents participated massively in this great festival of
solidarity by contributing materially to
the Mozambican people's struggle. A
large number of publications in English
and Swahili and also writing pads — sold
at support prices - were completely sold
out.
Giving the most dynamic proof of the
emergence of a new unitary and revolutionary Mozambican culture, a group of
30 young people coming from the schools
the health centres, the liberation army,
the women's detachment, the co-operatives and the militia, these young nonprofessional artists presented a 35-minute
programme of dances from the various
regions of Mozambique and allegorical
sketches on the liberation struggle. The
group performed twice in the Grand
Arena. During the last days of the Fair,
the group performed on three more occasions outside the FRELIMO House,
amidst popular enthusiasm.
Mozambique's participation in all aspects
of the All Africa Fair was a great success
from the point of view of informing the
people. Above all, it showed the will of
FRELIMO and the people of Mozambique to be present and playing their full
part in the common endeavours of the
African masses for their advancement
and true independence.
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