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FREEDOMWAYS          THIRD QUARTER 1966

"mutual interest". There were only eight of them and all accepted invitation. But no communique was issued after the "discussions" and the affair had not seemed worth noting. Now, however, it appeared that the heads of state had initiated plans for a conference of "all African peoples" and that Nkrumah had invited the Conference to meet in Accra. Such a meeting had never been held on a continent of Africa! No colonial power would allow it. Travel from one colony to another was strictly forbidden - except on "official business." So far the few, weak "independent states" had given little trouble concerning these restrictions. But now? Could anything be done? The Call suggested alarming possibilities!

But when reporters and “observers” arrived in Accra, they laughed as they tossed down their whiskey and sodas. Africa unite, indeed! Whoever saw a more motley, dissimilar multitude of gesticulating “delegates”! While most of them were black, every color under the sun could be seen in the crowd. They wore every conceivable different kind of coverings - from voluminous, flowing robes to shabby handouts, apparently from mission barrels. And the Ambassador Hotel might have been the tower of Babel with its confusion of many tongues.

Few reporters bothered to attend the plenary sessions of the conference which were held in a big, canvas-extended building. Whenever possible they cornered delegates in drinking groups while they pumped them for the “inside dope.” One journalist was arrested after being dragged out from under a waterfront cabin where one of the many committees of the Conference was meeting. Not until later, following subsequent events, was it known that Patrice Lumumba attended the Conference. Certainly after this conference the struggles and demands for independence swelled into an African chorus.

It was after this that the struggle to unite Ghana into a strong Republic really locked horns. There was determined opposition. Forms nearer a federation of regions were urged, something like the form later applied to Nigeria. But Nkrumah seemed obsessed with the idea of unity! Kwame Nkrumah’s revelation of this struggle in his book Africa Must Unite were extremely embarrassing to the colonial powers. It might also be noted here that Nigeria has since done away with any form of federation.

With the appearance of Africa Must Unite the small dark hand in the sky assumed alarming proportions! Reviewers tended to ignore the carefully documented details of conditions in and exploitation

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