7 April 2008
Maputo — Chilembene (Mozambique), 7 Apr (AIM) - The Mozambican Women's Organisation (OMM), which is affiliated to Mozambique's ruling Frelimo Party, on Saturday paid homage to the country's first President, Samora Machel, at his birthplace in Chilembene, in the southern province of Gaza.
Machel was a driving force behind the creation of the OMM in 1973, during Mozambique's war for independence from Portuguese colonial rule, and so was always regarded, despite his sex, as "member number one" of the organisation.
At the ceremony, held as part of the commemorations of the 35th anniversary of the foundation of the OMM (which fell on 16 March), Machel's widow, Graca Machel, declared that "a people without history is a people without roots".
"Chilembene has an important significance in the history of this country", she said. "This is a historic place for Frelimo. It is here that we should look for sources of inspiration to help us meet the challenges of today".
Graca Machel stressed that the OMM was the largest association in the country, and had won "many battles" over the course of its history. Nonetheless Mozambique still had a high illiteracy rate (51.9 per cent overall, and considerably more among women). Furthermore, women were the main victims of the AIDS epidemic, and currently 16 per cent of all Mozambicans between the ages of 15 and 49 are carrying the HIV virus.
"If we can defeat illiteracy and win the battle against AIDS, then we will have achieved important victories in overcoming today's challenges", Machel declared.
Mozambique's First Lady, Maria de Luz Guebuza, also recalled the country's first leader. "With Samora Machel, we sped across rivers, and sprang over mountains with the mission to liberate the country", she declared.
Guebuza, who is President of the OMM, stressed the increase in the number of girls in the country's schools, and the increasingly active participation of women in political life, as among the gains made by the OMM.
A publication launched at the Chilembene ceremony, entitled "Samora Machel and Mozambican Women" stressed the importance of establishing the Women's Detachment of Frelimo's guerrilla army, an achievement Machel had to fight for in the teeth of conservative opposition.
"This was a radical break with the organisation and preconceptions of traditional and colonial societies", said the publication. "Furthermore, including women in combat offended the mentality of many male members of Frelimo. They still believed that women were physically and mentally inferior to men, and thus incapable of taking part in all the activities of the national liberation struggle".
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