Africa's Plea: Independence, Equality
A Tunisian Tells Why 7
The West Must Aid,
But Not Try To Control
This Crucial Area
"Those of you who have to hold back the urge for explor-
been to Africa know something ation, adveiture, and domination
of its vastness. You have felt
its mystery, you have been THE FIRST serious interest
stirred by its almost inredible 1 sown by the Euocans in es-
possbiltie. Yo hae, er.tablishing themselves on the Af-
haps, found your own i emotion. tncan coasts came from the Dutchla - r-
shaken, as never before, by the in 1652, with the discovery of the
power, the force, that seems to Cape of Good Hope,
well up out of the very earth. Then
You have been faced witl the hen,~ diacoveiing the need for
realty f Aficas awkenng, cheap labor, the Europeans found
it a rich business meeting this
It is as if a great giant stirred need by slave trade
for the first time in many cen-
turies, stretching himself, Europe needed cheap Iabor, as
opening his gentle eyes upon did America, for its extensive suo-
an unknown and very disturb- ar and tobacco plantations. This
ing world. Perhaps you too trade went on for about two-and-
have found your own world a-half centuries, during which
shaken by direct contact with time it has been estimated that
this awakeiing, and all it eai fifteen million slaves were taken
mean to the future of man- from West Africa.
kind ..:.
-Frances P. Bolton FROM slave trade, the interest
in Africa grew wider.
W HETHER you land on the The wealth of this continent Africans Are Taking Control of Their Industries
Northern shore of Africa, the brought the European powers into
Southern, Western, or Eastern, rivalry. Napoleon's efforts to con- centuries in Europe now virtually ternity, liberty, and self-determi- ants of these territories are para-
the first striking words you will quer Egypt, to safeguard the disappeared. nation, mount.
hear, see, and learn are Istiilal, shortest route to the wealth of the The flow of manufactured goods With the flow of students from
Diotsarev, Ablode-Independence. Far East, were lost to the English out of Europe and of food and raw Africa in modern times to Europe THE AGGRIEVANCES, threats,
One, and only one revolt shakes in 1763. To counterpart the materials into Europe gave reality and America, those students, after and brutalities of some Western
the whole continent. Independence French move, the English con- to the long-hoped-for dream of going back home and comparing powers towards Africa made it
is the key for the future of the quered South Africa from both stability, prosperity, and success. the two different regimes, could impossible for some countries in
Africans. the natives and the Dutch in 1814- not help but revolt against the Africa to keep up with Europe, and
In the northern part of Africa, 15. SO ONE THING has to be clear rulers of Africa and demand that thereby changed their course to
the only country which is still This rivalry among the Euro- in mind: that the Europeans those principles should be put into Russia for help.
carrying on a bitter fight for its peans for the partition of their did not come into Africa for the practice there. This does not at all mean that
independence is Algeria. The rest prey was ended in the 19th cen- sole purpose of helping the Afri- they like Communism, but rather
were liberated mostly after World tury by the large number of agree- cans. CURRENT EVENTS in Algeria they are practicing that "the
War . ments signed among the Europe- Those who came were interested and in South Africa are cases enemy of your enemy is your
an powers. Worth noting are the mainly in African markets and re- in point. friend." Communist Russia is
South of the Sahara there is Anglo-French Entente Cordial of sources. To this aim even wars Apart from unjustly depriving ready to extend a helping hand
Ghana, which obtained its free- 1904, which placed Egypt and were fought when resistance the Africans of equal rights, some to Africa and rescue the people of
dom n March, 1957, the first of Morocco under Great Britain and barred the way and had to be other cruel actions are taking Africa from the control of the
the European dependencies to do France, and the agreements made subdued. place today. West by liberating them.
so. The liberation of Ghana was by Italy and other European pow- In the latter part of the 19th In South Africa, for example, The recent Soviet offers of trade
the path for the rest of Black ers to enable Italy to acquire pos- century and the beginning of the some laws against Africans are and economic assistance are gen-
Africa to follow' session of territory in North Af- 20th, those nations in Africa which still in practice: the Native Labor uine and pose an obvious challenge
French Africa after the Refer- rica. were subdued for the good of Regulation Act, making African to the West and the United States
endum refused to keep the status This expansion of the European Europe at the expense of their workers subject to criminal prose- in particular.
quo, and all voted against it. Thus, powers which resulted from the own development, gave rise to the cution for such things as being According to the African Spe-
obtaining independence within theIndustrial Revolution gave Europe movement of today. We must not absent from work without leave; cial Report of January, 1958, Com-
French Union were the Republic the greatest economic security. forget the principles of the great the Native Land and Trust Amend- munism as a dogma has had little
of Senegal, Republic of Maurita- The famines that had occurred leaders of the French and Ameri- ment Act, enabling the South appeal south of the Sahara. Here,
nia, Soudanese Republic, Ivory nearly every ten years for several can Revolutions - equality, fra- African government to uproot large the Russians are handicapped by
epubaic ofpDahomeyigeRe-e, numbers of African rural families the lack of any diplomatic repre-
Republic of Dahomey, Niger Rewithout providing any alternative sentation. (There are Soviet mis-
public, Chad Republic, Gabonese land for them sions in Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya and
Republic, Central African Repub The Africans also receive less the Sudan, and Czech missions in
lie, Republic of Congo, and Mal- e i a Leopoldville and Capetown.)
d education than the whites and it
gache Republic.
is much ineferior. BUT DESPITE these disadvan-
T E MOVEMENT of iidpnd- .NE MORE FACTOR helped the tages, Russian agents and pro-
4nc is eliminatng all French - wkngadegresfr pagandists are expected to be at
possessions in Africa, re.athing the awakning and egernes f orpgadssrexecdtoba
panssis tritris, adhing -self -determination of Africans, work increasingly, supporting local
Belgims, eand that is the increased depend- grievances, presenting Russia as
Belgium's. ence of Western countries upon the champion of legitimate eco-
Guinea was freed in September, Africa. nomic and political aspirations of
1958. The Cameroon will be inde-, n Africa's peoples, and attempting
pendent in January, 19600 og In our time the demand is no
onn prilm29,1960; J Ner og Ge- .. -longer for palm oil, ivory, or pre- at the same time to portray the
on April 29, 1960; Nigeria on Oc- sous woods it is a rising demand United States as a supporter of
tber 1, 1960; and Somalia on De- for minerals. Uanium is required "Western Imperialism."
cemnber 2, 1960. ,for the manufacturing of atomic . To the African some of these
wh neednemvmn n{frteapons faideasnthentic.mIn
The independence movement in weapons- Africa is the greatest ideas are accepted as authentic. In
Africa today is the first indispen- source for this indispensable, ele- the case of the Algerian War,
sable step towards economic de- ment France, without the support of the
velopment. This attitude of dis- United States, could never be able
satisfaction, hatred, and enmity The United States no longer to carry it on for such a long
towaids the white man, the set- possesses an adequate reserve of period. Army uniforms, artillery,
tler, the colonialist is justified by copper, lead and iron, and she and the financement of the army
must turn to Africa - to LieriacmfrmteUidSaes
the behavior of those Europeanscome from the United States.
who left their homes and immi- -for the quantities required. So today, Africa is the strug-
grated to Africa. Just as the West's dependency gling scene between East and West,
The idea of the immigration of - * on Africa increased, Africa be- and it seems that in Africa this
Europesns to other lands in came alarmed and sensed that the struggle will be settled.
ew. If we look back on Eiopean security of the West depends on It is up to the West, while there
history, the Industrial Revol ution ,the insecurity of Africa, and thus is still time, to win back the friend-
the surplus of foods, the demand G: gradually the resistance increased. ship and the support of the Afri-
and the urge to find new markets The West did not live up to the cans. The prosperity, security, and
for the unwanted foods, etc., all promises of the Atlantic Charter, the democratic institutions of the
made it impossible for Europeans nor to the United Nations Char- West all depend on the future of
ter's Article 73, which recommends Africa.
Tnsa Ah dJekdito the members of the UN which The resources of Africa are vital
Tunistan Ahmed Belkhoda have or assume responsibilities for to the West as well as to the Afri-
is at the University ths year asthe administration of territories cans, and there will be no further
the Foreign Student Leader- whose peoples have not yet at- cooperation between Africans and
ship Proect representative. He - tamed a full measure of self-gov- Westerners unless the principle of
contributed an article on Tu- enment, to recognize the principle Liberty - Equality - Fraternity is
tisia to last month's Magazine. Running a Cigarette Machine that the interests of the inhabit- practiced.
Page Six THE MICHIGAN DAILY MAGAZINE