Le Portugal d’Outre-mer dans le monde d’aujourd’hui

Directed by Jean Leduc

This film, which was to be directed by Pascal-Angot, is characteristic of the communication war in these times of violent military conflicts. It presents a panorama of the benefits of the singular Portuguese presence, which harmoniously rubs shoulders with peoples and cultures: Macao, its cathedral, junks and casinos; the dances of the Timorese; Cape Verde and its morna; the Tchiloli Theatre of São Tomé; the riches of Angola and the development of Mozambique. And several sequences expose at length the Portuguese military power, especially in Guinea-Bissau and Angola – while a part of these countries is actually under control of the separatists. The film is punctuated by the words of Prime Minister Marcelo Caetano, who replaced Salazar in 1968: “These terrorist movements did not appear spontaneously, they originate in a neighbouring territory, and they would have disappeared if the help of the neighbouring powers had stopped. The people of our territories are fighting them.”