One of the reasons for holding the first Pan-African Cultural Festival was to celebrate the emergence of African culture from under the shadow of colonialism. African countries, under colonial domination, found themselves in the same position, experiencing the same situation, politically, economically, socially and culturally. But colonialism, even ignoring its more subtle forms, the neo-colonialism that Fanon described, is far from dead. Today 45 million Africans still live under the yoke of direct colonial rule; 6 million square kilometres of the African continent are still occupied by the mercenary forces of western imperialism.
The First Pan-African Cultural Festival in Algiers was organised by the members of the OÃU — the politically independent African nations and representatives of various national liberation movements, as a reassertion of African culture - to show that despite the tragedies of slavery exile, deportation, and depersonalisation, Africa has succeeded in preserving its entity, its spirit, and creativity. It was also conceived of as an assertion of unity Pan Africanism, the unity of shared experience a common soil. The festival probably succeeded in the former aim in that it was a powertul manifestation of cultural Africanity, but in its latter aim, as a statement of unity at a mass level, it met many obstacles. Not least among these was the primitive racialism of the Algerians towards black Africans and the disappointingly low level of mass involvement. Most of the spectacles took place behind closed doors - including the Symposium, an OAU debate on the meaning and role of African culture - for the benefit of members of the national bourgeoisie of the participating countries and for European journalists. The events which did take place in the streets were Tarig Ali EDITORIAL BOARD DESIGNER CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING David Kendall DISTRIBUTION John Weal SECRETARV marred by the jittery Algerian police, ever wary of large crowds. Algerians jostling for a view between TV and film crews ran the risk of getting their heads flattened by a matraque Also to the discredit of the host country was the cultural repression imposed by an islamic culture on that of black Africa censorshit the covering up of beautiful black breasts inhibiting the freedom of movement that is such an essential part of the African dance Although each country offered its own traditional and modern dances, choral ensembles, theatre and cinema presentations, in an attempt to show a panorama of African culture, the competition for the best performance in each category with its Olympic games type prize ceremony, tended to have a decisive effect. On the other hand, one of the most significant events of the festival was American sex-man Archie Shepp's jam session in the Casbah with Algerian musicians playing traditional instruments. It epitomised what the festival should have been - a communication through culture between Africans (from Eldridge Cleaver at the Conference Anthony Barnett, Vinay Chand, Clive Goodwin, Fred Halliday, John Hoyland, Adrian Mitchell, Sheila Rowbatham, Bob Rowthorne.
Mike Newton, Ruth Prentice, Agitprop Publicity Group. different countries, even continents).
The festival was basically, in the words of a comrade from Guinea, "a bourgeois carnival" with the exception of the revolutionary culture of the national liberation movements; delegate from PAIGE, relating culture liberation, said: "Since the armed struggle for national liberation affects all aspects communal life of our fighting men, it would appear to be a cultural activity in the highest sense of the word." The liberation movements represented included FRELIMO (Mozambique); MPLA (Angola); SWAPO (S.W. Africa); ZAPU (Zimbabwe) PAIGE (Portuguese Guinea) ANC . Africa) and an Afro-American delegation. The Afro-American delegation consisted of two factions, The Black Panthers (including Eldridge Cleaver, Minister of Information who has been in 8 former colonised countries since he went into hiding last December) and Stokely Carmichael, who recently resigned as Prime Minister of The Black Panthers and has come to the festival representing himself. Stokely, whose presence was barely felt, was rarely seen around the Afro-American Centre, nor did he attend any of the many Panther meetings at which he could have engaged in polemics with the Algerian Students. That was probably a wise course of action, as the criticism initially leveled at the Panthers arose from the mistaken belief that they were pushing what was essentially Stokely's line. Stokely's basic difference with the Panthers arises from their "continual co-operation with white radicals" (whom he criticised as being inately racist) and from his dismissal of socialism as a "white man's bag". He is a passionate Pan-Africanist believing that black Africans need a base in Africa. He plans to re-emerge in the political limelight by "leading Dr. Nkrumah back to Ghana" Stokely, the man the Panthers accuse of being braver the further he moves from the scene of actual struggle, has said he will live and die beside Kwame Nkrumah. The Panthers, who recently took the initiative in the States by calling for a conference of all militant groups to form a 'United Front Against Fascism', held public meetings and film showings, not all highly successful. At the first meeting David Hilliard, the Panthers' Chief of Staff, incensed the audience composed mainly of students and young party (FLN) members, by refusing to answer criticisms about the Panthers claim to be a marxist party while retaining its racial basis. Cleaver, subsequent meeting, defended the party by stressing the degree of co-operation with white groups while opposing the idea of a permanent alliance at the present time, as the most important thing was to JOLICH TE of GET THEE BEHIND ME STALIN As we go to press it is not possible know how the oppressed citizens Czechoslovakia will demonstrate August 21, 1969. The stay-in strike successful, could act as a morale boo of immense significance. It would s the bureaucracies throughout Eas Europe that the spirit of resistance is alive in the Czech workers and stude More important it would demonstrat each and every individual Czech v opposes the presence of Russian tro that he is not alone.
It seems quite clear that unless political necrophiles, who sit in Kremlin determined to prevent so and political revolutions throughout world, remove their troops fr Czechoslovakia the situation mi deteriorate further from their point view. This autumn might see beginning of armed Czech resistance the Occupation. If it does, revolution socialists will support the Czech figh by all means necessary. We shall ren them both moral and material aid march of history can not be dela
DWARF Mr. Donald Smith erstwhile "security advisor" at Leeds University has moved to a similar post at Cambridge. Mr. Smith achieved notoriety at Leeds following the Patrick Wall affair last year when it became known that he had been keeping political files upon left wing students in the University. It is well known in Leeds that Smith had been retired from the Leeds City Police for over zealousness (believed to be in connection with the arrests of police officers for drunken driving after police parties). He then moved into the University where he proceeded to militarise the University security force and set up his student spy system with the help of right wing members of the Conservative association.
Members of the security force at Leeds have on two occasions threatened strike action against Smith's methods unless he was removed. Perhaps his transfer to Cambridge is promotion. Anyway we trust that Cambridge comrades will know how to deal with him.
MORE ABOUT PULLEY This general council of the North Kensington Labour Party is concerned about the serious allegations that have been made against an officer at Notting Hill Police Station, Constable Pulley. We feel that it would be in the best interests of the local police, the people of North Kensington as a whole and, not least, Constable Pulley himself, if an enquiry could be set up to look into these allegations. We therefore call upon the Home Secretary to instigate such an enquiry without delay.
A few weeks ago the Colonel commanding the Green Berets in Southern Vietnam was arrested along with some of his junior officers on charges of murdering a Vietnamese civilian. Peace groups in the United States must have been somewhat puzzled as the Green Berets -the Asian equivalent of the Gestapo - has been murdering civilians for the last seven years. THE BLACK DWARF AT PORTON The Black Dwarf writes: I wasn't invited, by some clerical error, to the three-day bunfight for defence correspondents and other domestic animals at Porton Down, Wilts. But I couldn't pass up the chance to see how I was going to be defended by the Chemical Defence Experiment Establishment. And am a keen-minded investigator - if I want to find out the truth about beating and bullying at public schools, I attend the Eton-Harrow match.
Like Richard Cox of the Daily Telegraph, I was totally convinced by the hospitable boffins. As Dicky put it: *the myths put about by demonstrators in the past about it, and its sister establishment, which deals with microbiological warfare. were effectively dispelled." I can honestly say that I did not see one polio bomb, not so much as a vitriol grenade.
It was, dialectically speaking, a fun visit. They showed us a movie of Commandos trying to organise an attack under the influence of LSD, falling over each other and giggling. This had a notable effect on my colleagues from the Street of Adventure, who fell over each other and giggled. We were told that it had been decided that in fact acid couldn't be used in war because it was much too hard to spread. At first I thought that maybe this could have been worked out before they paid our gallant commandos 3s. 6d. a head for their trip - then I recalled the first principle of security, check and double-check.
We were assured that any locked doors we noted would be opened for us on request. Requests were mainly aimed at a suspicious The looking cabinet which turned out to contain reviving drinks.
By now our party was in hilarious mood, but we sobered considerably as we heard that Porton's scientists have now developed two antidotes to nerve gas, ane of the nastiest weapons with which the Russians/Chinese/Cubans/Angolans planning to conquer the Free World The first of the antidotes is an oxime tablet Directly you know that you are about to be bombed with nerve gas, you swallow an oxime cube. Sooner or later it will dissolve and then you will probably be immune to the odd drop.
The second, and even more spectacular, antidote is the wonder drug atropine. As soon as the nerve gas hits your skin, you pull out your special atropine syringe and give yourself a There are only two minor snags yet to b negotiated by our boys in white. The first is that neither antidote can be tested on humans properly, since only the smallest unit of nerve gas can be taken without a very unpleasant death. The second snag is that atropine is for one year in une rust mustance some of the Dwarf's friends. Using the natural reaction against the tapioca of Radio One, the campaign is being pushed by businessmen who only have eyes for money. If they get their stations, their programmes will be confined to sales promotion record companies, interrupted by commercials.
That's not what we need to pull radio out of the dark ages. It's certain that we do need more stations, but stations controlled by non-profit making trusts. We want the kind of free radio which makes it possible for groups journalists, musicians, writers, actors, etc. to create and broadcast free from the bureaucracy of the BBC and also free from the money-junkies of commercial radio.
And it can be done. If SUBSCRIPTION RADIO was legal in Britain, broadcasting could be raised from the dead. An example: in the States, Radio Pacifica exists entirely upon money sent in by listeners. Pacifica continually defies political pressure to transmit a varied, exciting, leftist schedule including pop, jazz, open-ended irguments plays, classics, commentaries and documentarie Ate hands, bot desting. thin country ris in hands of the Commercial radio wouldn't change that. Subscription Radio is our only chance of grabbing some airspace for the revolution. Roll on, Radio Dwarf.
An aspect of the Kuznetsov affair that must have struck many people as a bit weird was why he should have chosen the Sunday Telegraph to announce his defection. It seemed to us that Observer might have been a more appropriate place for a liberal convert to declare himself. Apparently, this was in fact Kuznetsov's first idea. He actually did walk into The Observer office and asked to see the editor He speaks very little English and had some difficulty in explaining why he should want to see the editor and no one else. The doorman decided he was dealing with just another boring middle European with an axe to grind and threw him out with the suggestion that he should write a letter. Kuznetsov's feelings at this point must have been interesting: whatever they were, he went straight to the Telegraph.
Repercussions at the Observer when they discovered they had missed such a giant scoop were intense and farcical: there was a lot of pacing up and down and various arrangements were made by the owner/editor David Astor to make access to him a little easier. Nothing much will change, of course, but we know one optimistic member of the Observer staff who having tried to meet David Astor for the last 2 years is now busy learning Russian. The Black Dwarf August 30th 1969 Page 12 Adventure Pa interst intance starting salary Starting £1,000 p.a. Wide scope for individual initiative. Details Holman, c/o Social Administration Department, Birmingham University, Birmingham, 15.
chools Comrades contact Schools Action Union, didderpore Gardens, NW TREVOR PATEMAN, 154 Barnsbury Road, London N1. Tel: 01-278 1791. from Tuesday July 29 4n. eek or possi so ok from Tuesday 29 on. No rent, and some food but anyone who might like to live the UST be be prepared to work with them on the following projects Building a workshop for children from the Adventure Playground; Starting a silkscreen poster workshop to do posters for tenants and housing associations; Work with local Tenants Action Committee over GLC eviction threat. They will also be continuing then local landlords, racketeering, SULYCY profits, etc.
FOR SALE. 1926 BOUND EDITION OF LABOUR MONTHLY, spirited defence of Leon Trotsky by Palme Dutt. Write Box JS69, Black Dwarf, 7 Carlisle Street, London W1A 4PZ LEEDS SQUATTERS: Douglas Jordan, 28 Grantham Road, Bradford 7 is willing to start a squatters group in the Leeds-Bradford area, or co-ordinate with "
ACTION GROUP in Edinburgh, to create interest and promote sales, contact lan Miller, 35 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh.
The Dwarf always needs help from illustrators, designers, and photographers, so if you have some good pictures, or want a commission (expenses only!) Jerus ROW.
SPECIAL ISSUE OF INTERCONTINENTAL PRESS: DOCUMENTS OF THE WORLD CONGRESS OF THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL. Includes Resolutions and Reports on New Rise of World Revolution, Latin America, "Cultural Revolution" in China, World-Wide Youth Radicalisation, Tasks of the 4th International. 70 large size pages (printed), 5/- post paid from Pioneer Book Service, 8 Toynbee Street, London E1.
HOW CAN THE JEWS SURVIVE? A socialist answer to Zionism by George Novack, 2/6 post paid. THE LAST YEAR OF MALCOLM X (The evolution of a revolutionary by George Breitman, 17/6 post paid. Both from Pioneer Book Service, 8 Toynbee Street, London E1.
alcolm X Poster. 4s 6d including postage from Pet artin, 19 Fairmount Road, London SV
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existing groups there. Leeds comrades please contac Anyone interested in starting a BLACK DWARF