The   FRELIMO   Central   Committee's   historic   proclamation,
read   by   President   Samora   Machel
at Machava Stadium, Lourenco Marques, on June 25, 1975
"Mozambicans,
Workers and peasants, workers in the
plantations, in the saw-mills and in the
concessions, workers in the mines, in
the railways, in the harbours and in the
factories, intellectuals, civil servants,
students, Mozambican soldiers in the
Portuguese army, men and women,
young people, compatriots:
In the name of all of you,
FRELIMO today solemnly proclaims
the general armed insurrection of the
Mozambican people against Portuguese
colonialism, for the conquest of Mozambique's total and complete Independence.
Our struggle will not cease until the
complete liquidation of Portuguese colonialism.
Let us unite from the Rovuma to the
Maputo.
Long live Independent Mozambique!
Long live FRELIMO
Long live united Africa!"
It was with these words that almost
eleven years ago, on 25 th September
1964, the Central Committee of FRELIMO issued the historic watchword
for thc launching of the general armed
insurrection against Portuguese colonialism and imperialism.
This watchword met with a deep response from among the broad masses
who, from the Rovuma to the Maputo,
were equally submitted to the savage
rule of the occupier, to the greediness
of his exploitation, the infamy of his
continuing humiliation. The Mozambican found himself deprived of his
national personality, his civilisation and
culture completely denied and despised,
his habits and customs ridiculed, transformed into an enslaved foreigner in
his own country.
14
The brutality of repression and the
terror it aroused, the cultural obscurantism systematically and deliberately aimed at uprooting people from their environment, the cold-blooded spreading
of alcoholism and other vices, prostitution, the establishment of racism with
its inherent complexes, the programmed
division of the people on the basis of
religion, and ethnic and regional origin,
the systematisation of passive and submissive behaviour towards colonialism,
with the active support of the churches,
were some of the various methods used
by foreign domination to stifle the creative ability of the masses, and keep
them divided and impotent.
However, if colonialism succeeded in
its purpose of conquest and domination, it did not manage to dominate the
spirit of the masses and destroy their
desire for freedom. The more blind
the repression the more hatred was
aroused against the barbarian aggressors. The greater the oppression and
humiliation, the stronger became the
desire for freedom. The more brutal
the exploitation and plunder, the more
powerful grew the desire for revolution.
Throughout the whole historical process
of the war of conquest, the Mozambican People everywhere continually
rose heroically against colonial greed.
From the resistance of Monomotapa
to the insurrection of Barue, Mozambican history can pride itself on the
glorious feats of the masses in their
struggle to defend freedom and independence. The historic resistance of
the People owed its defeat exclusively
to the treachery of the feudal ruling
classes, to their greed and ambition,
which enabled the enemy to divide the
people and thus subjugate them.
Even after colonial domination was
entrenched throughout the territory,
opposition to foreign domination persisted and was even intensified: there
were successive revolts against the colonial administration, an increasing exo-
The birth of the People's Republic
Machel, Presic
dus of workers abroad, and protest
movements were organised in the urban
areas.
The transformation, of colonialism: into
colonial-fascism did not succeed in stifling the determination of the People.
Throughout the country, mothers educate their children in the traditions of
national resistance.
The liquidation of nazism, the creation
of the socialist camp, the victory of
China, the defeat of the colonial armies
in Indochina, the Algerian uprising,
and the emancipation of the African
and Asian peoples, all stimulated national resistance.
Though still disorganised, there were
popular uprisings like those in Mueda
and Xinavane. The bloodshed of the
workers who were^ imprisoned, -depor-