The Open Race

"Every African," said Ghana's Minister of Information, "loves unity," and on the surface at least, the events of the week seemed to bear him out. In Cairo, President Nasser dramatically staged a "Quit Africa Day," aimed at what was described as the common enemy of both Arabs and blacks--the Western "imperialists," those "murderers" and "bloodsuckers." In Accra, Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah began welcoming hundreds of delegates to a giant All Africa People's Conference, which was ostensibly organized as one more step toward the creation of "an ultimate commonwealth of free, independent United States of Africa."

As they looked over Nkrumah's guest list, some London officials dubbed the affair "a conference of conspirators," and the Paris press was openly gloomy about the future of France's former territories, two more of which--the rich Ivory Coast and little Dahomey--last week chose autonomy within the French community. Said Le Figaro solemnly: "A grim race is joined between the French-African community and the countries who swirl in the orbit of 'positive neutralism.' "

Once before, Prime Minister Nkrumah had rushed to the center of the African stage by calling a conference of independent states to proclaim the new "African personality" (TIME, April 28). This time the delegates were not government officials to be whisked about in air-conditioned limousines, but representatives of trade unions, political parties, agricultural and youth groups. The whole idea was the brainchild of Nkrumah's "adviser on African affairs," George Padmore, a 55-year-old, Trinidad-born and U.S.-educated (Howard and Fisk) Negro who in his far travels has frequently fellow-traveled. "People of Africa, unite!" said his manifesto. "You have nothing to lose but your chains!"

But those who came to Accra were for the most part not angry, chained men but hardheaded realists, some of whom, now that their countries are becoming independent, can no longer live simply by indicting imperialism. They were getting an opportunity for the first time to meet other black nationalists from all over the continent, to size them up, to swap ideas, to get a psychological boost from the feeling that others were with them. For all the fiery phrases about "solidarity and fraternity" and for all the placards reading, "Forward to Independence Now!" this was no gathering of obedient line followers. They accepted as conference chairman Kenya's flashy young (28) Nationalist Tom Mboya--a good choice, everyone agreed, though many delegates bristled at the way Nkrumah railroaded his selection. The race for Africa's future, of which Le Figaro spoke, was still very much an open one.

Beware the New Colonialism. Even among the leaders of France's former territories, there are vast differences about where they should be heading. The eccentric Abbe Fulbert Youlou, Premier of the new Republic of Congo is not a man to want to join a federation that may cut down his own power within his present preserve. The abbe's more statesmanlike neighbor to the north, Strongman Barthelemy Boganda, of the former French territory of Ubangi-Shari --now grandly called the Central African Republic* fears that in the fragmentation of French Equatorial African states, the young republics might fall victim to a "new colonialism."

A natty and witty little former parish priest who was unfrocked for marrying a Frenchwoman, Boganda wants a federation, not only of French Equatorial territory, but also of Belgian and Portuguese colonies in the area. They are ambitious men, these new Premiers. But by their decision to stay in the French community, eleven of the twelve new states in French Africa (Guinea is the exception) have agreed to let France continue to control their foreign policy, defense and finance.

Beware the Limitation. The new French African leaders seem far from ready to forfeit their ties with France to answer the siren call either of Cairo, Moscow, or Accra. And though Nkrumah and Nasser make friendly noises, these two ambitious strongmen are plainly trying to outbid each other. Nasser's "Quit Africa Day" turned out to be something of a flop in Cairo. In Accra, his delegation, though finally reduced from 30 to eleven, was out to grab as much of the spotlight from Nkrumah as it could.

As Nkrumah's conference got under way, he found his African guests neatly divided. Those from the newly independent and largely black territories of West Africa were for a more moderate program --keyed to their need for foreign capital and advice--than those, like Kenya's Mboya, who back home are still fighting their colonial masters. The militant group objected to Nkrumah's cry for a Gandhi-style "nonviolent revolution" in Africa. They were joined by the Egyptians and the Algerians who want no such peaceful limits set on their future actions.

*Not to be confused, though it inevitably will be, with Britain's Central African Federation, made up of the two Rhodesias and Nyasaland.

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