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ebell>, foiinlstry f Information

,Jose Ca.rles Lobo, floZ,Rn bican Mlssic)l'l to the United. j,atiL-.nE
FROM: CHl'ole Collina, Chlc8.g,o Comm1ttee for .African Liberation
(formerly Chicago Committee for the Liberation of JUlgola,
Hoza.mblque and Guinea-B1ssa.u)
a~ J ~umrnary of activities following v1sit to the Peopl~'s Hepubl1c
of Mozambique, 1977
DATE. June 1978

-
Introduotion
On behalf ()f the Ohlc~J.r:o C01m:dttee for Afrlc.';&l Libera.tion, 1 want to
express once aga1n our profound thanks to the Feople·s Republio of
i10zamblque t FHELlIt10 and the HInlstry of Inforl'ie.tlon for thf11 r ald.
and asslstRno~ d1trint~ my visit to Mozamb1que in Feh1~I&~y-March 1977.
we appr(tciat;{'~d the fact ti1at both government and party official3,
worke . . ;l .s:.ncl responsf.l:.rels at all l€vels ss.crlflct?'l 'Vsht~ble time from
the1r 111l1)Ortan.t. tasks wi th1n the struggle to share their ('XI erlen~es,
knowledge and information so that we could Rhar~ these with people
1n the e~ited states.
Theasslstance of the Mlnistr:v- of :i:nformatlon in arre,nF.11.lfC~ 1nte:cvlew-fS,
s~ttlnF up ~ tour of' Manica and ;Sofal. prov1nces, and ese:.1stlng with
viss oooplex1tles and travel arrangements is greatly apprec1.ated by
our ~ort~1ttee. Our part1cular thanKS to Daniel Anton10 and t19XOOS
CUemberlo for their helr, as well as to th~ many people we were able
to intervlAW in Mozambiqu.e. Despite the 'luta da l1ngua,· I felt :L
wa.s able to coliect n substt..-\nt1!al r:.mount of 1nformation and lnsleht
1nto the revolutionary trabsformntlon go1ng on today 1n Mozambique.
Our fraternal relat10ns w1 th FHELHW and the people of MozPtmblque
were 1mmeaaureably strengthened by this v1s1t. It greatly e~p~~ded
our under£4tnndlng or the n~w tasks of the i'1ozamblcan revolution end
has given us 1mportant tools in OUT efforts to cbl11~e people in
the Un1ted states to greator poli.t1cal and mi:ltar1also11dar1ty w1th
the MozA.t!1blca·n revolution and with stl~uggles for l1berat1on throughout
southern Afrioa.
The purpose of th1s br1ef sWllIl1sry of aot1vlt1.$s 1n 1977-78 1.s to
share, 1n llSht of the orig1nal purposes of CCAL's vis1t (listed
in our or1g1nal request tor a vBS), what we have been able to
accomplish. At that t1me, we Lad requested an opportun1ty to learn
more about the new 1nstitutions Mozamb1que was developing since
Independence. to 1nterv1ew members or women's and workers orgartlza-
tlons for \tse 1n art10les and for a slIde shQ1~. B,nd to meet '\f1.th
member::; of the Zimbabwe L1beration Army. We were also concerned to
explore the question of reoruitment of progresslve AmeriC&lS to work
in Mozamb1que.
Before revIe'~lng QUZ' reoent activit1es, however, ,1 would like to
r~haresome vivId impressions of Mozambique penned to comrad.es in
the Ur,l ted St~l.tl)S a fe,v days after leavlD€ ~1ozambique in i,;lRroh 1~7'1.
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"1 0fn'not f-lll-' expr, s th profound ~" ._ lne~ for

?rlELIMO n its lead rchlp urln th 5 nt 1n
Mozf~olque. Th t re p at 1s de pened by
x )erience~ urin .. the revlou~ "onth t tra';1 1n r-

URGn~a, Ken and Zam.b1a The hi

f Tanza 1
mobl11zatl0 which OZ 1M u nd FRELIMO h V
th·n toy ar of 1nd p nd no at nds, ut n c ntr
\The on exp .r1 no in v1rtually' .11 tIl' ~bove countries
J

the p ,-rtlal exc .ption of Tfi.nzanlrt). On s n a oren",!v

dlsclp11ned ner~ gro lng ong th peo 1 J an k nlng
ttle full pot nt1 11tie of bu1lding th 1r 0 'n utur a
One s~es 1 in s all every ay th1ng: (0 Grup DYn 1z dore
decides to de 1 oreatlv11 itself 'lth a n 1 'hbo hood. factory
o c.ity problem. th num er of peo~le s 'n studying l't orfic ,
in r~~tau~ants, at lrport~J the eas an conf1d 0, with whioh
workel"S and e'tT ryday, eople on th tre It -1 euss natlo11 1 and'
international p~obl s, rly mornln' or1' of workers hlstllng
FRELI' 0 songs on th lr ay to wor _ th tremendous sens of
11ttmo:r of Moz mblcans. ev n a they tru ~ .'1., '1 th' th ve ti ~B
of ~iolon' a1 att1 ttld 1', themse ... ., 's a. oth4=br t' the ~~!·fiSp t "y
h.a.\T of th dyna los of th 11' hlstor , of the str
w' ::le a' n t J

:. IJ r~ f 1"t ",.. n ll8~ ).

)1 th,i'~ 1s not to deny th many pro 1 s r8~C ng' the ,oz mbic. n
P~-o .. 1 l(h ch one e s, ec1e.lly in th b ttle or Fl:~ C 'uctj 0-'"1
~nd r1..~r~n th", ,ubtl (n<l not.. o--s,ubtle) "r' th t 1 pert 118m
~il1 try to oabota~e pro'ress on this front. But th~ high ld .010 leal
m~ hl1.1/..." . . tlon of the pee 1 . . . 11111 greatly a oele)r tt~ "}1f?, c!~eatio' of
thA .~terl~l pr oond1tions for th t bllsh t of sociall mo
Th s. 0 us strugglln in ttle Un1ted state to create l,he 1d 010 10 1
cOY'!d.1t1a. r oel_.ll s.n t11e efee.; ~ o. 1.m ric liF,rr. .a"
p ofOlLna les ons to lea.rn from FRELl;' 0 1n th, way it appr chd
th(~8 . t~tsks. in th, p_ocess 1
01 has uri er- on 1n root1:ng 1 t elf
9Vf.. yt .or fir 1y mo:n th peas' try ,d 'Tiorl 1ng cla;;s. Th .
1 Ie tlca,l and sclent1fl ~ ,.Y in 'hlch th oz bie ~n ... ~~n lyz
th 1r tas.k: 1 truly 1m r'Jsslve. Wh11t:: appreo1 tln the, any
differ ne b teen oond1tion in Mozamblqu~ and tte ~nlted st t ,
, r t ev b n t "r ho need to approach Q ana] ysls of
v

Ollr contrr. 1ct1ons 1n lmlla:r ay. I n .._/~rer kn hat sci ;nt.1flc

soc1, .111 m nt .... but 1ng 1 t in 1 ra,ctlc in ~1oz I1blque ak ri

t muoh mor el r how different it 1 fro t e 'bourg~ol mar 1 •

(). acad" c lf3ft1stsl so prv· lent 111 the Jn1 t,---d stat q.

Th ~~~k md Sofala av man w a)· reel tlon of

p ~t in M nlaa
th'. contr- ,ats b tw n city 'nd country, f th~ diffl ultles 0
tr n~ orm1n colonial soo1. 1 and anom1e relations in such a
\:Jhort ~ erlod o. t1m • I sta.yed brl fly in hotel at 11 run
bV a . ortlgU~s colonl list ( oon to part), h ch as a micro-
CO~. of' hat aolon1 1 r 1 tlons ere l1Jt tlll"OU }10ut Me zamb1q
b fora in ep nd no • Yet 1 t as clear t"h t s1 tu ,tlon? 11k.' this
one wer ~ on the ay out. ,j'flchronl'~ms n th U foldill of th~ r
'

OZ .bioan r volutlon which ~"'ou11 aoon be tr fO%'m·:I ttlemselv s.

And cO.trB tin it w1th y P r1 'no 8 in SUdan, Zs 'la, Keny~ -~
J

.t w r llY 1mpr 1v
n 1 groltil in ttl
ot, the ereate t
blc U ll'11 h' t I
and on,. t,r. 1
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lJl ·t ~! :.. !wi za.mbican a,net. k~O the! r. •. fr. C '1 atr 1
r 1 e.n ostl.E·, tho·fl. I} thl, 1t.., less l\ obi
thall i111l~jor' 0 tl'·g i :r<~ nat 01'#1
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