MST celebrates 40 years in political event attended by ministers and party and popular leaders.

Brazil of Fact - This Saturday (27), the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) held a political event to celebrate its 40th anniversary, at the Florestan Fernandes National School, in Guararema (SP). The popular peasant movement is organized in 24 states of the country, with 185 cooperatives, 120 agro-industries and around 400 thousand settled families.

During the celebration, the movement released an open letter to the Brazilian people. The document cites several measures to combat hunger, encourage the production of healthy food, education, culture, combat violence, and bring more life to rural areas.

The event was attended by approximately one thousand people. Among those present were ministers Silvio Almeida, of Human Rights; Márcio Macêdo, of the General Secretariat of the Presidency; Paulo Teixeira, of Agrarian Development and Family Farming; and Luiz Marinho, of Labor.

"The MST teaches that we cannot fall into the illusion of separating knowledge from practice," commented Minister Silvio Almeida. "We are holding this celebration inside a school. You can't make a revolution without science. The MST has been involved in human rights politics for a long time," said Almeida.

The Minister of Agriculture, Paulo Teixeira, highlighted that the MST (Landless Workers' Movement) "is writing the history of Brazil by working with the poorest and organizing them to fight for agrarian reform and produce healthy food. The movement has enormous significance as a model for organizing the struggle for land."

Representatives of the Cuban Consul, Benício Pérez, popular movements and political parties from across the country also participated in the ceremony.

José Dirceu, former Chief of Staff, said that the MST's struggle is a pedagogical one. "It teaches us and, more than that, it summons us and aligns us with a direction. The MST has been pushing our political forces and alerting us to the challenges we face," he analyzes.

Press conference on the 40th anniversary of the MST (Landless Workers' Movement) Before the political event, a press conference was held about the 40th anniversary of the MST (Landless Workers' Movement), with Ceres Hadich, from the national leadership, and Jaime Amorim, from the national coordination of the movement. "Despite the right wing and part of the press calling us invaders, in reality it's the opposite. It's always the large landowners who invade," said Jaime Amorim.

Amorim also states that the movement will launch candidates next year. "We need to have representatives in city councils and compete with evangelical fundamentalists in the municipalities." One of the names already established as a candidate for mayor of Caruaru, Pernambuco, is Rosa Amorim. Amorim is currently a PT representative in the state. 

"The struggle for land, the struggle for agrarian reform transcends generations. It didn't begin with the MST. We are heirs to a historical struggle that is over 500 years old in Brazil," commented Ceres Hadich, from the national leadership of the movement.