Greetings to you all, to the builders, to those who organise, conceive and project, to those who disseminate the Avante! Festival, who sell EPs - Permanent Entry Tickets - and raise their militancy, and transform it into a unique human realisation, in a Festival of the Youth, in a Festival of April and its political, social, cultural, brotherly and internationalist solidarity values, where there is a place for all those who come in goodwill.
This year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Festival. A bigger and better Avante! Festival, taking into account the acquisition of Quinta do Cabo. We launched ourselves into a bold national fundraising campaign at a time when the workers and the people were battered in their wages, incomes and rights. We have achieved the targets, some organisations have surpassed them proving that when we commit ourselves with conviction and confidence to any task there are no insurmountable difficulties and obstacles.
The fundraising campaign funds enabled fulfilling the commitments with the acquisition of Quinta do Cabo and the militant work to integrate it in the Festival area the space brings a reflection and two conclusions.
When today some say that the PCP has significant assets, they always omit how this was achieved. We had no favours from the State or from any economic or financial group. It was the contribution of militants and friends of the Party, of many Democrats and friends of the Festival who have the assurance of our golden rule. These contributions are not for the benefit of militants, or elected members or leaders. They follow the principle and ethics we have in politics, not to serve ourselves but to serve the workers and the Portuguese people.
Moreover, this militant readiness to participate, build and hold the Avante! Festival is a freely assumed readiness by free men and women, only possible in those who have ideals and convictions in the struggle for a better life for the people and country, who find in this Festival the concrete expression of the values of social justice, culture, progress, democracy, national sovereignty, solidarity with other peoples, these values which remain anchored in the heart of the majority of our people, the values of April.
Once the goal of the fundraising campaign was reached, we were soon left with another requirement.
To integrate harmoniously the Quinta do Cabo in the area of the Festival – overgrown with weeds and where it was necessary to execute all the groundwork.
A word goes to the comrades of the cell of the Festival and from the permanent staff who were involved in the necessary works to start and prepare the grounds.
With the special days of work to give the decisive impulse which is not visible, there were earthmovings, building a new fence and a new entrance to the Festival, build from scratch infrastructure for public lighting, water, sewage, communications. We built new roads carrying and laying curbs by hand, planted new trees, prepared the grounds to put up Party organisations and central areas, we built a new space for children. Year after year we will have a better Festival. Yes, work has always been a source of fulfilment of the human being, but this work, this militant commitment has a deeper meaning. It is made up by men, women and young people who pay their EP to enter, build the Avante! Festival, making themselves available for the tasks during the three days of its realisation, feel it as their work shared with thousands of visitors, international delegations and where stands out the huge participation of the youth.
And yet we are not closed for the construction of the Festival.
We respond to the demands and daily tasks with our intervention, our action, to the new stage of national politics driving the struggle and setting in motion the preparation of the XX Congress of the PCP.
We take pride in the Party we have and the Party we are. Grounded in the unwavering commitment to the workers and the people, affirming its communist identity, honouring its dimension and path of a patriotic and internationalist Party, here we are, ready and dedicated to giving our best to ensure a developed and sovereign Portugal, firmly engaged in the affirmation of its programme and project in the materialisation and affirmation of an advanced democracy, the April values in the future of Portugal, with the horizon of socialism and communism.
Long live the Avante Festival!
Long live the PCP!
