Original subtitles

Dedicated to Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho

The estate is, more or less, 4.200 acres.

- Not 20.000? - I said 4.200 acres!

4.200 acres... I repeat.

But is it this estate, or the company's estate... ?

The estate belongs to eight people, eight brothers.

We are six boys and two girls.

All of us boys have a university degree.

This is not common in our country with such a large family.

Can you be more specific as to those degrees?

Two of us have a Law degree, two are engineers

and two have a degree in Ecomical Science.

There is no agronomist engineer.

How many employees do you have on this estate?

Before answering that question,

I must say to you that this estate's vocation...

... is sylviculture.

And that's what we have done so far.

Since when you do that?

Since... more or less...

... 15 years. We have forced that vocation.

And why did you shift to sylviculture?

We have shifted to sylviculture because we have concluded

that through the productivity of the land,

this land was not meant for cereals...

... wheat, oat and so on.

Because we have seen...

... that in the best productive years...

... the profit would only be enough to pay for production costs.

How many employees do you have now?

Very few...

You know that with sylviculture, we need few employees.

Do you sometimes need to hire more employees depending on the season?

Yes, of course, but that's every nine years.

Throughout the year, how many people do you have here?

More or less...

... residents...

... we have residents and wage earners.

Residents we have, I don't know... perhaps nine or 10.

And wage earners depending on the seasons of the year.

And we are mechanized, of course.

Since we have a strong mechanization in vineculture,

we have very few people...

... so that the costs are as minimum as possible.

This is a problem, right?

Because if we have machines to lower product costs,

of course we'll have less manpower.

As far as the wage earners are concerned,

how many months do they work, more or less?

I can say that we have wage earners all year long.

But not, for instance, for a week or so?

Yes, it depends on the work.

Because there is no problem...

There's plenty of work around here, everywhere.

There is no problem with that. There never was.

- But there are people coming and... - I don't know what they want.

I don't know what is the problem that you are talking about.

But do you know where they come from?

Yes, they come for around here.

Yes, I think they come from around here, but I don't know.

But are they people who worked for you... ?

I don't know, I didn't see them.

I know everyone that works for us.

This was all moor and they never cared about it.

After that, l returned to Lisbon, to Alenquer

and l acknowledged the issue and he says...

But this has a pine-grove, that l don't want.

All l wanted was the land, which is rightfully mine.

So... and they did to more people. They did it to all the people.

They did it all, because it didn't belong to them.

This isn't born with us, it's not in our mother's womb...

... all these lands.

This is an estate that belongs to me,

which borders with these people's estate.

And they wrongly had 14 acres that belonged to me.

- They stole 14 acres from you? - 14 acres, yes.

l mean, not from me, from an ancestor of mine,

my father's uncle.

... more than 100 women and the Guard come to condemn us.

And we all agreed not to pay the fine, we're going to appeal,

because it's a sin to bury the olives into Satan's kingdom,

they are burying the olives, we collect them

and they send the Guard to bury our olives,

so that we now collect a handful of thistles.

Why do you think they've done that?

l don't know... perhaps they wanted them for themselves.

For a number of years they bury it and do not collect it.

But this year, after April 25th,

more than 100 people gathered here to collect the olives.

He said: ''You drop it and you are already condemned.''

And we replied: ''We're not paying any fine, we're going to reply,

because we collect what they bury and that's the sin!''

We heard olive oil we be sold at 100 escudos,

so we collect the olives, and then he said:

''Well, l will not condemn them, since they're going to reply.''

So we began gathering them again.

Tell the man we want a cooperative... nothing else...

... that's all we want, to till the land.

We will not go down, we will remain here.

We are not going to meet the gentleman, we have to remain here.

Nobody goes down there. All of you, stay here.

For God's sake, relax!

Who's the worker beside me?

Antonio Sim�o...

Rural worker from Ma�ussa.

- l want a piece of paper. - lt's impossible.

Filipe, get him a piece of paper so he can write.

Wait a minute.

Will you get me a piece of paper?

- Wait, let me get a piece of paper. - Only one from each village.

A piece of paper... paper...

From Manique, Antonio Sim�o. From Ma�ussa...?

Jos� Neves Paiva.

Only rural workers, OK? From Ereira, who's here?

That boy who was here yesterday and that has been doing this with us?

lsn't he a rural worker? Thank you.

- lt's Joaquim. - He's a rural worker, right?

- What's his name? - We call him Joaquim.

- He's not here. - He's not...?

But he's coming...

He's he coming for sure?

The only problem is when the five or six men will have to talk, that's it.

From Alcoentre, anyboby?

No one from Alcoentre.

- From Aveiras, anyone? - Yes...

ls there any village missing from around here?

From Lapa, anyone?

No one either. Another one from Ma�ussa.

Diogo Alves!

Please pay attention to the people who were summoned for this.

Joaquim Albertino, from Ereira...

... Jos� Louren�o Carvalho, from Ma�ussa...

... Diogo Alves, from Manique...

... Antonio Jos� Ferraz, from Aveiras-de-Cima...

... Leonardo Fernandes Ventura, from Ma�ussa...

... Herculano Valada Monteiro, from Manique... Martins, from Manique...

... Jos� Neves Paiva, from Ma�ussa

and Jos� Manuel Mota Morgado, from Manique.

Do you all agree?

For export, we can take it out from these guys,

they're not interested in investing anymore.

They're taking out 10 %%% and if we take 50 %%%, they'll have to lower the price.

They don't want the land, they only want to work.

No more talk about the olives.

Something that l don't know if the workers will accpet, but l think so.

A workers committee would come with your union controllers and me

to talk with the landowner.

May God choose what's best for us, which is peace and quiet.

He now says that on Monday he wants to employ us all.

Already?

But only for a few bunch of people. How are you going to survive like that?

And he wanted that no one would be in the farm anymore.

We have to stay till we sort this out.

We are more than 100 people.

lf it is only a few people, what about the rest?

So they go away... but they were talking about the trailer,

not to let them take it. And he said:

''The man with the trailer even injured two people there

and we did not offend anybody.''

lt was at night, of course.

He said that the man injured two people when he took the trailer there.

Said he wanted to kill them with a gun.

And we said: ''We are here to work, not to kill anyone.''

Now they're arranging a meeting for Wednesday

and come to an agreement.

Now that you solved your problem, your cousin is waiting for you...

But somebody must stay here... a few people.

- We have to wait. - We shift people.

There has to be a solution.

He says he will not give the land because he cannot till it.

He would give it to his father. So l said:

''lf he would give it to your father, he would give it to you too.''

''l began working at the age of 10 to earn my life,

so now l could work for you too.''

He must have gone to Switzerland, of course.

He is needed in Portugal.

So he is not Portuguese, then. He must be Swiss.

- We don't know if he is Swiss. - Of course.

He is needed here. We are not leaving till everything is sorted out.

What's left here still has value.

He didn't take the land, which is still productive.

Of course, we belong here.

We want to work.

We want to work and we are willing to work!

Three people only, for a farm like this, with cattle and all...

This is not a farm, this is a kingdom!

We need all these people from Manique, Ma�ussa...

... Ereira, Alcoentre, Aveiras...

... and Lapa, l'm sorry... Lapa...

All the people from around here.

Every time you talk, you should always use the name of these villages...

... so that you don't loose face.

My father worked here for 33 years! He was thrown out like a dog!

lf it was not for me, he would have starved to death!

And he is saying that no one from Ma�ussa worked here!

He's an impostor, l'll tell him a thousand times!

Go see the sheets, if he dares!

He's an impostor! He lies to his teeth!

When there was wheat, who weeded it? Me and the others!

Now these miserable people

are going through starvation and cold until Wednesday,

waiting for them to sort the case. lt's not right!

Then they stopped collecting it and gave it to feed the cattle...

And buried it!

And that impostor says no one from Ma�ussa worked here!

We cannot give up on any item.

lf we do, the burgeois will win over the worker!

lt's the worker who has the labor force! He must stop!

No giving up on any item!

He's ruling again!

lf we wait until Wednesday, he will be ruling again!

He cannot be ruling, because we have already been subdued...

... me, my parents, my grandparents, my great-grandparents,

all of them subdued by their kind!

We cannot be subdued by any marquis, in his case.

Nothing will make us give on, not on a single item!

The masses in front! No giving up on any item!

All of us must be united!

People united...

This is what we need in the parish of Manique,

the localities of Ma�ussa, Ereira, Alcoentre, all this region!

United! United! We won't give in to any item!

All the neighbors who want to cooperate with us, are welcome to come.

They will be welcome.

We didn't come here to kill anyone, nor to make a fuss.

This farm is enough for all the souls around here.

Don't do that! Avoid any violence!

You let him go freely because he will not take the land with him.

He will not take anything with him.

He doesn't want a war, and neither do we.

We only want what is rightfully ours.

Now, what happened is that we have discussed the tilling of this land,

if the land was or was not tilled in the proper manner,

we've discussed unemployment and, regading this issue,

he was informed that...

... well, these gentlemen that got out of the car are going to Ma�ussa,

to Manique, to Ereira, to ask if in fact there is unemployment.

Th Duke says there is no unemployment,

because in fact he was informed by people from Ma�ussa and Manique

that there was no unemployment.

What happened there was to figure out the way we are going to work.

We're going to work for a cooperative,

we're going to try and solve the unemployment problem on our region

and this has to be absolutely clarified.

The Union, the Ministry, everyone is on top of this problem.

Until Wednesday, if by any chance someone comes here

from the Agriculture Department...

... if things can be cut short... we will give the alarm through the bell,

which means that one of us goes to Manique,

the other to Ma�ussa, another one to Ereira

and the bell will mean that the majority of the people should gather here.

However, there are 10 men... l think 10 will be enough...

Do you think 10 men are enough?

More! More!

Those 15 men...

This is an invitation to everyone.

Everyone can come here, as long as they are honest.

lt wasn't decided there that 10 men had to be here.

There's a decree issued by the Revolutionary Committee

by which it is forbidden to wildly occupy any estate.

That's why we are not occupying, but in surveillance

to avoid the exit of any material and blame the workers for it.

Now they want to profit from the land?

That's impossible.

You're being attacked and now you want to profit from the land?

Are they recording this?

Attention please, my friends!

Attention, please!

Attention!

We made a short recess to come here and discuss our part, the workers.

They remained there to discuss their part, the employers.

The Ministry and lRA are discussing their part too.

The owners of this land do not agree with the cooperative.

They'd rather work with the Union.

They don't mind employing some people, as the Union stipulates.

We don't want to solve only the unemployment issue.

The land must be handed over to those who till it.

The Agrarian Reform is a fact.

lt may take a month, or two, or three, to be enforced, but it is a fact.

Until then, we are going through a transition stage.

Therefore, during this time and until the Reform is enforced,

we are going to make a contract similar to a cooperative,

which is now put to your vote.

We want a contract right now that will give us jobs here,

but we'll work as a cooperative.

Let us work for the benefit of all, not for one man alone.

Comrades, what you did was'nt only to have a job.

You did it to have the land, because it's you who are going to till it.

Perhaps they come today to offer you an odd job over at the estate.

l would'nt settle for an odd job,

because the workers cannot be pleased with that.

lt's a charity.

We think that's not enough.

And you shouldn't give up on this. Because an odd job is not enough.

But if we establish here a cooperative on part of this land,

it is necessary that the large landowner who is there,

who has empty houses fot the weekends,

for hunting and for his friends,

who have exploited the people for years and years,

our parents, our grandparents...

Relax!

Silence!

With a lot of serenity, but we have to be aware of our rights, of what we want.

But with serenity.

lf there is a contract for a number of workers

as a begining to the establishment of a coop,

you should not settle for that!

This guy here cannot keep the rest of the estate.

lt's not right... and this is another problem you shall have to think about,

if not now, in the future... and you will have to think about it...

lt's not right that we have empty houses here

when our villages have housing needs.

You need those houses. Do you, or do you not?

lt's not now yet. Now, it's only a fraction.

But don't disband... and keep on fighting so that this land shall be yours.

This is the tip... but the rest shall have to come too.

When? We don't know that,

but if you are determined, the rest will come.

Thank you, Mort�gua.

Attention, my friends! Attention, please!

Comrades, l wanted to tell you, as you all know,

the Agrarian Reform will be implemented in two or three months.

No doubt, what is in progress and it is being studied,

are 1 235 acres of dry land and 1 23 acres of irrigated land.

The large landowner is going to profit from what he despised.

What he threw away is what he's going to get.

lf it suits him. lf not, it's for us.

Because enough with our exploitation, as these comrades have said.

And that's our fight.

Our friend over there has spoken well.

You have to think carefully what will be our future

after the Agrarian Reform.

Our comrade here has already said which way to follow.

Now, you have to think very carefully.

We have to study what you've been studying over here.

That's why we came outside,

to ask you about your idea and bring it to that gentleman.

Let the Spanish go to Spain, because they don't belong here!

Not only with this one! There are plenty!

With the Agrarian Reform, and on this transition stage,

we have to get a contract pro-coop...

How much are we going to pay? That's important.

And we cannot accept a price the workers do not agree upon...

... first of all. Secondly...

... land, but also facilities, houses, machines

and all that is necessary to till the land.

We will have to till the land with a purpose

and to do it, we need money...

... we need machines and manpower.

Manpower we have and plenty.

As far as machines are concerned, we have some, but we need more.

- As for money... - There's lRA.

There is experience of large estates in Alentejo that have already started.

- And there was no Agrarian Reform. - My friends!

There's a gentleman here...

... when l asked if you all agree with the coop,

he heard very few opinions. l ask you again...

Do you agree with the coop?

People who agree, please raise your arms.

Come on... get down.

Antonia... you said you couldn't!

You threw your ass there like l wouldn't be able to do.

- So, there are no mugs? - There are mugs over there!

WE CANNOT PUT AN END TO MlSERY AS LONG AS THE LAND AND THE FACTORlES BELONG TO THE BOURGEOSlE

Mr Guerra! Don't you have anything to give my poor daughter-in-law?

She didn't eat the potatoes because they had skin...?

- Eat some of that, from Donzilia. - l don't like it.

lt's liver. Don't you want liver?

She didn't like the potatoes because they had skin.

l would offer you some chicken, but l'm on to eat some more.

People are vigilant

Victory will be hard, but it is certain!

What is the value of your tool? How much is it worth?

l don't know. lt costs more these days.

So that's what you say. This belongs to the cooperative

lt all belongs to the cooperative.

Not to me, not to him... to the cooperative!

What about the others who bring in no tools?

Their tools stay in their houses, mine go to the cooperative.

Mine belongs to the cooperative,

while they don't bring any for us to work with,

who will not bring them so they won't go astray,

they take over the other's tools and keep their own.

lf you don't mind, this is worth 100 escudos.

Correct.

lt goes to the cooperative, the cooperative gives you 100 escudos.

Then it's no longer yours. lt's mine, it's his, it's evrybody's.

lt sounds right, but l'm the one who needs to work.

Tomorrow l must work on my own plot, the little land l have...

And if l buy another tool, then it goes to the coop too:

if l buy another, it's the same.

l mean, next thing my clothes and shoes are also the coop's. But l bought them.

That's right.

Right, tomorrow you take my boots, they belong to the cooperative,

always the same, you take everything from me and l go naked.

That's our aim.

No, you won't go naked.

You'll have more clothes than you have now.

That's not what l see. lt's not what l see.

Never in life of slavery...

You are a fool and you should be in an asylum.

Those who died and that weren't born yet, they haven't seen it.

- Listen, you lost that tool... - l didn't loose it!

- We will pay for it! - Maria Vitoria, excuse me...

What this comrade of yours is telling is that she really understood.

Today you don't understand a thing and l don't know why.

l'll tell you one more time...

You told me a few moments ago that you would be left naked.

Our purpose, your purpose, the purpose of all this work

is to provide you with more clothes than you have now,

so that you have it all. But remember...

To prevent problems, and that's something we must discuss at once,

this tool you say is yours, as from today,

it belongs to the coop. lt's the only way things will progress.

lf you pay 40 or 50 escudos for it, the coop gives you the money.

When you come in, it's yours, it's your tool,

so you respect it, you must handle it properly.

But there's no problem anymore of 'this is mine, this is yours'.

Mind you, no one can stop this process, no one should try to.

We still can sow beans and corn here.

Green beans.

Cabbage.

All that.

And if we could build some greenhouses here...

There, on those valleys down there.

Plenty of water to irrigate.

A little while ago l went by a valley... ask my brother-in-law...

... with some green pine-trees.

But that practically isn't a valley, it's a plain.

That wood is good when grown in barren land.

lt grows slowly.

Will you excuse me...?

He's not in charge, he's not at the table!

There is a problem here!

lt's the problem of a region!

lf you want to speak, come over here!

No, l'm a man of the people.

Now let this man speak.

Shut up!

We only ask this: why did they remind themselves of...

... Joaquim Manuel and not of someone from Manique?

l could also ask the governor who put him as president of the parish!

lt was this one, this one and that one!

Take it easy! Take it easy!

Forget the fascist and go home!

Sit down! Sit down there, because Ramiro only scolds you!

Today he told my father what l was, this scumbag!

Scumbag!

Forget about the fascist!

We can see the benefits that they bring to the land!

Down with fascism!

My only goal was to protect the interests of our parish

and l did it!

Not only the medical post!

We are going to receive a subsidy of 800.000 escudos

that no other parish will receive!

A meeting to ellect a guy from whatever parish it might be

and under these conditions, not even at 5 o'clock in the morning!

Not even on a Sunday or a holiday!

lt had to be held with everybody's consent.

Meanwhile, l heard some applause...

... why didn't they ellect someone from Manique

instead of a man from Ma�ussa?

Even a man from Vale de Carril could be ellected, for all l care.

He could even come from Charneca,

but he could have been a good man.

We all can make mistakes, that's only human.

lf we think that the parish committee,

which is here with these elements should not be here,

we have to choose others.

And l hope that they are up to the task ahead.

This is my opinion and if someone wants to speak...

Now l'm forced to be on their side.

lf you're against them and they give you the chance for a new ellection,

and you all remain quiet, why are you always forcing them out?

ln that case, let them be there.

That cannot be solved now.

Perhaps not, but we schedule a meeting.

And if the people want it, we schedule a meeting for next week

to ellect a new committee for the parish, if needed.

lf that's the will of the people.

We all know that a resident's committee must, no more no less,

cooperate with the administrative committee of the parish,

with the administrative committee of Azambuja's municipality

and represent us close to the government.

So, as it was already said, are the only parish of the county without it.

We need one and we must have one.

l volunteer myself, if the people agrees,

since we will have a vote for the 10, 15 or 20 members.

So the question is...

... are you or are we not going to have a resident's committee?

Yes! Yes!

Congratulations!

l came here to have a word with you.

And we thank you for that, Captain.

We came here to see how we can support you.

We need all the support available.

Specially from the Armed Forces Movement, right?

We've been here for 27 days in precarious conditions,

as you should know, sleeping on the ground...

... tension is growing...

... and the people say that being here without working

is worse than working with no pay.

Yesterday we held one of the meetings that we've been holding for some time

and we all agreed that tomorrow, Monday, we'll start working again

without any technical or financial support.

We are going to work without being paid,

until later on, where we can be paid.

l consider this form of struggle very advanced.

l even said that in a GNR meeting, 2 or 3 days ago

and l think it deserves to be supported.

l think lRA (Agrarian Reform lnstitute) considers this not so big...

l went to talk to lRA on Tuesday

and they told us that technical and finanacial support

was out of the question, at the moment.

What they could give us was an authorization for us to work

without that technical and financial support.

There was a big problerm when l asked to most needed rural workers

who wanted to come here...

They want to work, but they can't.

They work 2 or 3 days every fortnight.

Unemployment here also derives from that,

people who work 2 or 3 days a month,

which can be considered as unemployment.

The fact is the guy didn't believe in unemployment.

l didn't believe in water, which is impossible

because if we go for a walk, we'll find lagoons, moors and so on.

Being technicians, lRA says the soil is not what we expected,

but if we look at the properties around here,

we find good plantations, good orchards, good corn-fields.

Of course there are some portions of land that were good

and today is rotten, due to the eucaliptus that blew those soils off.

But there are so many grounds good to be cultivated

and that is absolutely abandoned today.

But the truth is that we need to tell the people

that this country is on the verge of poverty,

but we do have good people, good manpower to work.

We know that in most of the country everything is still controlled

by those who controlled it before...

... and today, even after the ellections, we see movements from certain parties

to stop the interests of the working class, they are always the same.

We have here two representatives from MFA

and it's to them that we owe all this.

We owe all this to them, my friends!

The Duke is not here... he never is... he's never been here!

His heart was never here!

All he had here was his hatred to exploit the people,

a hatred to take all of this!

IBut he cant take any of this and he will not!

He will only do it if you want him to!

What relationship may have a man that dies at 60

and rethinks his own life...?

This is a problem and we can talk about problems, examples so that you see!

What can that man say if he falls sick to bed, at the age of 60 and dies...

''What have l done?''

What could he have done of useful, after he's dead?

Does he die with a clear conscience? No, that's a lie!

He dies... Bastards, they exploited us all their lives!

Don't worry! You have the power!

We are gathered here, we're from this region.

The region is not tilled, but it must be.

We are 35 men and 9 women and we're going to till it.

Without money! Not one cent!

l don't know if l'm getting through to you.

We're going to work without pay, but we have to eat!

Give us something to eat! l'm asking you for something to eat!

l beg you for something to eat!

Relax!

Gr�ndola, village morena

Land of fraternity

The power belongs to the people

Inside your walls, oh city!

A friend on every corner

Equality on every face

In the shade of a holm-oak

From which the age was not known

I've sworn to have as my companion

Your will, Gr�ndola

l'm from the workers committee.

We invited all the people from around here.

And they've never... gone along with us.

Monday we had a meeting in lRA...

... and there were some rumours that people from Lapa

were coming to invade this and throw us out of here...

ls there anyone from Lapa?

Yes... those who never went along with us

and they came today.

A guy came in here with a tractor, he reversed and tried to slam the gate.

Down with the Reaction!

The fact is that after you're gone,

he may stay here all night with his reactionary ideas...

No, he will be gone soon.

- No one's going to hurt him. - Of course not.

The meeting did not take place

and perhaps there's a justification for that.

So, the meeting will take place shortly,

but l can't tell you now exactly when...

Since everyone here came for the meeting,

according to what l've been told,

and according to what has been settled with Mister...

... l don't recall his name... - Wilson!

lt was an industrial who has a tractor shop, if l'm not wrong...

lt has been settled that the people who came in for the meeting,

and since the meeting did not take place,

they would withdraw from the farm

and would come back when summoned for the new meeting.

So, as of this moment,

l would appreciate that people who do not include those workers

who occupied the farm, please withdraw from the farm...

We the workers that came to occupy the farm, who are inside,

we are also forbidden to come here?

Come again...?

We came to occupy the farm when the workers remained here by law...

- No, no, you can always come in. - Can we come in too?

What the Corporal here said is this:

we, the Workers Committee, the workers who are inside,

we have the responsibility to let people in or not.

Only the people summoned for this meeting will be allowed in...

Those persons who we know are against the will of the people

will only come in with the authorities. lf not, they will not come in.

Now, a friend who has been with us during these last three days,

that man has to be allowed in every time!

The people supports the MFA! The people supports the MFA!

The land is like a hoe, like any other tool.

So, when a coop is created,

the goal is not to get more landowners. That's not the goal.

The coop is created so that the land should be a working tool

for those who till it.

Being a landowner is not the issue here.

The issue is that everyone is going to work and profit from the land

to have a better life.

Down with Reaction!

Soldier, our friend! The people supports you!

MlLlTARY POLlCE

lf you have problems occupying the Palace

because you have clothes there

and they don't give you people enough for the inventory,

your committee makes the inventory of what you think you must do

and occupy the Palace and the facilities...

You can't wait for a decree

saying you can legally occupy.

You occupy and the decree will follow.

l'm sure all the assembly here

and all the MFA will agree with this process.

You cannot wait for laws to be issued.

You have to issue your own laws.

You have to occupy so those laws are issued.

We are the ones who do it, Captain.

The people is the one who legalizes.

You cannot fear the Republican Guard.

First, you occupy and the law will follow.

Man, it's not exactly like that.

To pay 500 escudos for the rent and food, 3000 escudos...

... we all know it's nothing.

l have two kids and there was hunger everywhere.

So l have to keep on paying those 500 escudos for the rent

without even living there, l only have furniture there,

l mean, my children, my wife and my father-in-law live there,

but l don't, because l live at Torre Bela, l do shifts.

Why don't you empower the workers committee?

This is where l stand and where we all stand,

total and unconditional support to your occupations.

Of course, you are with us, so what's the problem?

And you can't wait for the Duke to stop manoeuvering...

... for a decree to come from the Commander, or something...

You occupy the estate and the law will follow.

No doubt.

ln both aspects, we can immediately establish a liaison

with the families that are now occupying the farm, as follows:

to create a committee which, tomorrow or even today,

will go to deal with the comrades about the issue of the 'dough'

to lRA or the Revolutionary Committee.

You'll have to see who sent the letter, l'm sure you have a copy,

when was it sent and to whom.

Secondly, the problem that was raised concerns Santar�m,

because no one wanted to go there for the inventory.

The problem of Santar�m

can be raised on several other units throughout the country,

which are being controlled by men

who do not go along with the Portuguese revolutionary process.

This goes on in Santar�m, Beja and other places.

So, what can we do?

We gather here privates, corporals, sargents and officers,

we go to the farm and together with them

we can make an inventory and more...

... we contact directly with their reality,

we can acknowledge their needs and what can we do about it,

in cooperation with Engineering and our military vehicles.

l think that's a brilliant idea....

lf in fact we are right about following a correct policy

to support the working masses,

l think that all of us... this is an example...

ln the case of Unimogs, vehicles that came from overseas...

Those vehicles are stopped, with no purpose at all.

Mozambique will be handed over during this month,

so the vehicles are going to come here.

Now l ask: if the working masses want to develop agriculture,

if appeals are made to them for the production battle,

why can't we put those vehicles plowing the land,

improvising techniques so that can be done?

lf there was fuel to burn overseas, why can't there be fuel here...?

The General Staff has been giving instructions

to units throughout the country to support the revolutionary process

and to support the populations. But nothing was ever controlled.

From Lisbon here, where everything is centralized,

we have to send controlling columns...

We have to, l think so!

- But to decentralize... - Let's not go there, for now!

We have to solve a real problem here.

But that real problem is part of all the other problems

that you're not aware.

Right, l even agree with some of your issues,

but now l think we should focus on this particular problem

and try to sort it out. We already have two proposals

that were introduced by Rosa there.

The question is the regiment of Military Police

cannot do all that alone.

Apart from solving this particular problem,

we also have to know how the other units are working

and what can we count on. We are making a Revolution.

The other units also have to cooperate.

l'm sure there are guys who want to cooperate,

despite the fact that someone might be boycotting them.

lt's not the units who make the Revolution, the people is!

That's my interpretation.

Besides, l want to say more: the MFA is descredited,

because the workers problem can only be solved when they seize power.

We will move ahead, but we have to do it reasonably.

ln that case, l will only say this...

lf April 25th is represented by the man who says we should occupy,

l will consider this man

and two other people that said the same thing.

l've talked with hundreds of the military who said the opposite.

You may occupy the house since you need it.

You need to sleep, to eat and therefore to cultivate.

So you need to get that support because the Revolution is you.

You are the ones to pull the MFA forward

so that they do what you want.

We've agreed to collect the olives before the tractors.

And one of them told that the Duke sent for the Guard.

They came to arrest us.

l said that l wouldn't run away, nor would l pay any fine.

l was collecting what they were burying, so l won't pay no fine.

And the other one, who pretended to have sold the olives

with only 4 people for such a big olive grove...

... the other one collected the olives hanging there with sheets,

but the olives on the ground, lots of them, he didn't collect them.

l said: 'l won't pay the fine. l'm going to appeal.'

'God would prefer us to collect these than to have them buried.'

So, he came and asked me my name,

and the other guy who had bought the olives,

picks up a bucket for the olives that me and two other had collected...

... because everybody ran away, but l didn't,

l'm too heavy and l don't want to run.

He picked the bucket up and put it into the tractor.

We were so full of thorns from the thistles, the hands full of blood,

every day we had to scald our hands to collect the olives the next day,

because the ground was not tilled. They plowed the soil, but didn't till it.

So, a hundred women were gathered there.

And the Guard saying that we had to pay the fine

and l said l wouldn't pay, that l would appeal.

So, no one paid the fine.

After all, we didn't appeal, nor did we pay the fine

and we kept on collecting the olives, still a lot of them.

The other one only collected the olives above, with the sheets,

but not the ones on the ground.

And we thought: 'Thank God for April 25th,

so that we could profit from these Torre Bela olives.'

All of us women got a nice amount of olive oil.

The fact is that the workers occupied the land with a firm stand.

That's true. This stalemate took two months.

The lRA told us to hold meetings, to politicize yourselves.

With the presence of the MFA, it wouldn't take more than a week.

lt would have been enough.

As you said that the Duke could get some guys

from lntendente or Bairro Alto

to go there and launch some grenades in the farm,

perhaps causing some damage or hurt someone,

we should create a defensive system, not pickets with sticks or crooks,

but a more advanced system, with guns.

This along with that idea to create the revolutionary workers advisers...

And if you do not arm us, you that have the real power now,

we may reach the ridicule situation that will be neither you, nor us.

They would not forgive us, for sure.

lf they would come back now, from Spain and other places,

they would not forgive us.

We are going to proceed with the ellection of a committee

formed by an officer, a sargent and a private

who, starting tomorrow, will be in charge of this process.

We all are going to vote.

The ones who think it should be an officer of the staff

nominated for this committee, please raise you arm.

lt produces every year.

But you have no one here to extract resin, do you?

But that's the easy part.

lt's just cutting the bark to lose sap and put some springs.

lt's always easy and profitable.

Now we have to change our course.

Forward, comrade! Forward, comrade!

ls this the man?

Here they were still young.

You've been here before?

No, l've only been in the kitchen where they are now.

You've never been here.

lmagine, you've never had permission to go into the Palace.

No.

What is this?

Let me go get the eggs!

Look here! You want a rosary?

Hang on!

l'm going to put this jacket on.

Give the jacket to Gina.

Do you like this?

A trifle big, but...

Now l look like a real Duke.

Look at this, look at this jacket... 'Ol�'!

But it only covers so much, only part of your chest.

Mind the cigar.

We will all be arrested.

l would like to be arrested by the head...

What is this?

Look, ladies, such beautiful things!

Slips...

- Let's go to the meeting. - ls there a meeting?

The so called bourgeois ways, but one even feels bad about it...

God forbid if l took them!

Look at them hostias...

''Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee.''

''Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb''...

Please, lady.

Can you read?

Approved by Pope Paul Vl, on April 3rd, 1969.

ln the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. �men!

They touch things, but they shouldn't!

But l live in the Palace!

Do you want me to sleep in the street?

l want a morning shift and a night shift.

And we want to establish an hour to go home.

l only have 5 days this week. That's the payment l want, not 6 days.

Stop! We're not talking to you!

The coop is poor.

All have come to work, except three who stayed at home.

You walked around the palace, smoking, like a 'Doctor'.

lf the coop is poor, you have to work like all the rest.

Who stayed today? This one, Z�, that one and Z� Manel.

You could come to me and say: 'Look, l cannot work today'.

Carlitos here stayed! He's here.

lf so, why aren't they upfront and say: 'Look, l didn't work', like others did?

Wilson, will you excuse me?

They cannot look at me as their boss!

You say you don't want him to stop living in the Palace.

You're saying that you're not talking to him, you're talking to others.

So you're trying to separate them from the others.

- No, l'm not. - Yes, you are.

- No, l'm not. - Yes, you are.

lf you don't mind him to stay

and if you mind that some of them go on sleeping there,

then you are separating them.

ln that case, we close the Palace and nobody gets in there.

l only want to be paid for my working days.

When l work, they pay me. When l don't, l'm not paid.

l don't want to be there searching this and that.

We can eat well here or on that house there,

but we close the other houses.

l've already told you 40, 45 days ago that l didn't hear what you said...

... l don't understand that.

l speak for the people who feel themselves oppressed,

who do not have courage enough.

Speak here.

But you don't say anything, damn!

l haven't heard you say a thing yet!

We want to fight the bourgeosie, we don't have to be like them.

l got up at five in the morning.

The ones who don't want to work, just stay at home.

Will you excuse me?

What l want to know is if the problem of the Palace will be discussed here.

Wait a minute, wait a minute...

l shouldn't tell you 'l worked for six days',

l don't want that.

l do my part and l want to be paid.

But this is not to make 4 or 5, but 6.

You remember l failed one day and you know where l went.

You don't have to tell me, you have to tell all of us.

This is ruled by all of us.

However, do you see what's happening here?

l don't think is right to destroy a palace like that,

l don't think is right to go to the palace.

They might be needed in the future.

That belongs to the people and it might be needed by all.

You, no one else... and this one, and this one...

This is a shame.

We come in a building full of everything and there's nothing.

Tomorrow this may be a hospital, this or that,

and there's nothing. - What was in there, is still there.

Shame is not only for one, it's for all.

There's a lot missing there. And l didn't take anyhthing.

l have a coat there to take, if you all agree.

l don't know who it was. Damn, l don't konw who it was!

There's too much slackness, too much shrewdness

and we can't do anything that way.

We can't raise Portugal like that. Never.

We all have to work equally to raise Portugal

that Salazar and Caetano have destroyed

and now we have to build a new Portugal.

Everything will remain the same.

You'd better start working.

Nobody works more than me, here.

lt's alright. Something's bitten me.

l don't have a jeep like you so that l can go home and sleep.

The jeep belongs to all.

lt's you, it's you.

They will not be paid from this moment on.

From now on, they won't be paid, it was the general assembly's decision.

Everybody agreed and it wouldn't matter. lf that's settled on the assembly...

They said in the morning they would work without pay!

You worked 6 days, so it's 6 days of work.

The ones who didn't go said they weren't paid.

Alright, fine.

But l don't want to be working while others don't do a thing.

lf l don't come, l will not be paid.

lt is not the way to raise neither the coop, nor the country.

But they said they didn't want any money.

lf the price of this victory was to blow up that palace,

l would do it.

There should be someone strong to control this,

because this is worth a fortune.

This is a farm that has one of the finest soils.

The order is that in a few days, or perhaps a year...

... some are going to work in Retorta, others in the olive groves,

others in Tapada, so you loose a lot of time coming here for lunch.

Whoever is interested, can cook the meals here for them

and that's it.

OK. lf some would like to cook the meals here, very well.

lf others are not interested, no problem at all.

As for the problem of the cook himself, this is my suggestion,

we'll vote afterwards...

Joaquim's idea will be the grounds for this.

What if you do like this...

Since all of you are working and so that you don't waste time cooking,

delaying your work and exhausting yourselves

and not being so keen on preparing food in good conditions,

the women would take shifts preparing the food.

Each of them would loose two or three hours cooking

and they would take turns with themselves

and food distribution would be arranged among you.

ln the future, everyone working shall have lunch and dinner.

What we want is food for all of us who work here. Got it?

Food for all.

We want equality for all, right?

My wages are all for my family, l provide for 4 persons,

so l end up being discriminated.

- That's not our fault... - Wait a minute!

l'm talking now!

l provide for 4 persons.

lf l have to provide for these 4 persons,

l think that a single guy could deduct that amount for his wife.

So, you would feel yourself harmed if the coop would pay 5000 escudos

to a woman who would cook for 14 of your brothers,

who are not married because they haven't found a spouse yet?

Very well, it's settled then. No problem at all.

l would rather take that money

and give to the men who have more children,

and not to the cook. That's a wrong principle of the coop.

- lt's a valid idea. - Wait.

lf we're going to dissolve the pickets, my wife can come and work here.

lf the pickets have come to an end, no one stays here,

unless who lives here. The others go home, eat there,

bring the food here, which they have done so far,

they have lunch and they can have dinner at home.

Like our comrade said, you who have more needs

because you provide for 4, 5 or 6 people,

what this coop should do is the give a bonus at the end of the year,

to share equally the profits, considering those who need more,

that's fine.

The coop and all of us should not forget those who need more.

The coop should pay that woman...

But that's impossible, because the majority of people do not agree.

The cook's salary should be paid directly by them.

But the cook could not be paid by the coop.

Apart from all this, there is a responsibility...

General Assembly meeting, July 11th, 1975

presided by Fernando Amaral and...

... President and Vice-President fo this Assembly.

As you know, we had a sole issue to discuss,

which was the mess hall.

If you all agree, I'll read an operating plan of the mess hall

and you will discuss it later.

At the end, either you approve or not.

So... Regulation Project for the operation of the mess hall.

Location.: the mess hall shall be located on the first room, upon entry.

It will be prepared, fixed and cleaned to be used as the mess hall.

The kitchen shall be in the kitchen

and there shall be a storage room only for the kitchen personnel,

which is the room right next to the kitchen.

It shall be the food storage.

- Schedule... - There's something missing.:

only the cooks are allowed in the kitchen.

That's next.

Schedule and composition.:

breakfast, from 8 to 8.:30... with tables ready the day before.

''On December 1st, 1975, 572 days after the occupation of the lands,

''the Popular Commune of Torre Bela was sieged and then occupied

''by armoured units of the Portuguese Army.

''The members of the workers committee were arrested,

''the officers of the military police submitted to court martial

''and the production was stopped.

''The carnation's revolution had come to an end.

Tradu��o e Legendagem Carlos Valentim