Page 154 - Afrika Must Unite

TOWARDS AFRICAN UNITY 139
some kind of African solidarity, a conference of independent
African states met in Leopoldville from 25-30 August, at the
invitation of Patrice Lumumba. At the conference, which was at
Foreign Ministers’ level, delegates aired their views on the Congo
crisis. Although the conference did not achieve its purpose, it
was significant in that it enabled the delegates to see for them ­
selves what was really going on in the Congo and to report on
this personally to their governments. A valuable object lesson,
however, on the imperative need for unity in defence of the
independence of Africa had been demonstrated.
Against a background of continuing struggle in the Congo,
and of trouble in South Africa, Algeria, and other parts of the
continent, an All-African People’s Conference met in Cairo
early in 1961. About two hundred delegates attended. The
conference warned independent African states to beware of neo­
colonialism, which was associated with the United Kingdom, the
United States of America, France, W estern Germany, Israel,
Belgium, the Netherlands, and South Africa. It also warned
states to be on their guard against imperialist agents in the guise
of religious or philanthropic organizations. Resolutions included
a call to the ‘anti-imperialist’ bloc to help in the development of
African economies by granting long-term loans at low interest
rates to be paid in local currencies. They demanded the ex­
pulsion of South Africa from the United Nations Organization;
the dismissal of M r Hammarskjold; the immediate release of
Jom o K enyatta; the immediate independence of the Rhodesias
and the dissolution of the Central African Federation. The
conference also called for a trade boycott of the Rhodesias;
criticized policies in Angola, Cameroon and the Congo, and
affirmed that M. Gizenga’s regime in Stanleyville was the
legitimate Congo government.
As the years go by, further All-African People’s Conferences
will take place, and their resolutions and declarations will
become increasingly significant as they gain more power. O ther
all-African gatherings will continue to make their impression,
whether they are held to discuss political, social or economic
problems. Hardly a week goes by without news of some gathering
together of Africans from different parts of the continent. As the
whole of Africa becomes free, these gatherings will gain in