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Three Letters to Ladipo Solanke from George Padmore, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Obafemi Awolowo

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Three Letters to Ladipo Solanke from George Padmore, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Obafemi Awolowo Three Letters to Ladipo Solanke From George Padmore, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Obafemi Awolowo Takehiko Ochiai * Ladipo Solanke (1885/6-1958) founded the West African Students' Union (WASU). an association for West African students. in London in 1925. Little needs to be said to demonstrate the historical importance of the W ASU. The WASU was established in London during the inter­ war period, when African nationalism was quickly gathering pace. The Union was a hotbed of intellectual. political and cultural activism that produced many preeminent African nationalists such as]. B. Danquah (Gold Coast. today's Ghana), Kwame Nkrumah (Gold Coast). H. 0. Davies (Nigeria), and Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya). Moreover, the Union was in contact with Pan-Africanists. at that time represented by people such as Marcus Aurelius Garvey Oamaica) This paper is the revised English version of the author's following Japanese essay: Ochiai. Takehiko "Solanke eno shokan: Padmore, Azikiwe. Awolowo". The Keiai journal of International Studies, No. 2. November 1998, pp. 205-219. The author would like to thank the Editorial Board of Ryukoku Law Review for the permission to publish the English version of the essay in the journal. *Professor of International Relations and African Politics. and Dean of the Faculty of Law. Ryukoku University. Kyoto. japan. E-mail: [email protected] (Iilli;}; '18) 51-2. 439 0405) and W. E. B. DuBois (the United States of America). The WASU also became a historic location for the rising ideological tide of Pan­ Africanism that aimed to achieve the solidarity and unification of African peoples. Thus. the W ASU played a historic role in the creation and development of political awareness in African nationalism and Pan-Africanism, far beyond the framework of a student group. Solanke founded the WASU on his own initiative, and although many students who joined the WASU returned to Africa when their studies in the United Kingdom concluded, Solanke remained in London and continued to be materially and spiritually active in the W ASU for more than 30 years. During that time, as the Secretary of W ASU and the Warden of the hostel WASU ran, Solanke made contact with many African nationalists and Pan-Africanists and built a wide network of contacts. Solanke's extensive correspondence with friends and acquaintances, as well as his journals and book collection, were donated after his death, by Opeolu Ogunbiyi, Solanke's wife. to the University of Lagos in Nigeria. These are stored as the Solanke Collection in the Gandhi Library of that university. The aim of this paper is to introduce and attempt a brief explanation of Solanke's correspondence with African nationalists and Pan-Africanists, the existence of which is not known by researchers, having never been published. In this paper, I will introduce three letters collected during a survey of the Solanke Collection that I carried out on two occasions: August-September 1995, and December 1997. (flllU; '18) 51-2. 440 (1406) Three Letters to Ladipo Solanke Letter 1. Padmore to Solanke1 21. 2. 34 Ladipo Solanke Esq. Barrister at Law 62 Camden St., London My Dear Friend and Brother. Best greetings to you and all my African friends. I am sorry that I could not write you before. There is always so much to do that one finds himself constantly on the go. I am pleased to inform you that I got a letter from Mr Jones who has returned to America. His mission was a success. He will inform me more of it later and I shall keep you posted on developments. How is the W.A.S.U.? I would like to receive your journal and, if possible. any old copies of W.A. papers except the "Gold Coast Spectator" which I receive directly from Accra. I want to keep in touch with current events and this can best be done via the African press. All the young African friends made a great impression on me. I now feel that despite all our difficulties and the terrible plight of our Fatherland, there is a future for Africa. The youth of today are waking up. We who are getting old must encourage and stimulate them to hold up their heads as much - equals of all. Once the black youth has the spirit of pride and self-respect, all the forces of reaction are of no avail. For you may crush a man's body but the spirit goes marching on. It is the spirit of a people that counts. I would like you to give my address to young (fltii* .18) 51-2. 441 (1407) Prince Kessie. I want to establish direct contact with him. I have just read a book on Ashante which he made a great impression on me. I want to know more and he can help. Take care of yourself Solanke and carry on your fine work. I salute you on behalf of all my comrades here. Yours in brotherhood, Geo. Padmore Commentary George Padmore (1902/3-1959), born Malcolm Ivan Meredith Nurse, was a noted Pan-Africanist who worked mainly from the mid-1930s until the late 1950s. Padmore. who came from British Trinidad, went to the USA at the age of 24. and studied at Columbia University, Fisk University, and Howard University. At the age of 27. he joined the Community Party of the United States of America and began to expand his activities as a communist. He adopted the name George Padmore around the year 1928, after joining the Communist Party. Thereafter. Padmore moved to the Soviet Union, and expanded his vigorous activities as the head of the Negro Bureau of the Red International of Labour Unions (Profintern), moved again to Hamburg in 1931 after a visit to Vienna. and worked actively as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Trade Union Committee of Negro Workers' (ITUC-NW) newspaper The Negro Worker. Padmore was arrested and imprisoned in Hamburg in 1933 but was released several months later and sentenced to deportation. From this time on, Padmore became deeply dissatisfied and publicly criticised the Soviet Union and Communist International (Comintern) for its Oil!it "18) 51-2. 442 0408) Three Letters to Ladipo Solankc passive stance regarding support for struggles for Asian and African liberation. due to the Comintern's improving relations with the imperialist powers of Britain and France. Padmore was finally expelled from the Comintern in 1934. Later, Padmore converted from Communism to Pan-Africanism and, in 1935, moved the base of his activities to London, took on vigorous activities as a Pan­ Africanist and worked a great deal on the Fifth Pan-African Congress. held in Manchester in 1945. He travelled to Ghana in 1957. played a major role as a political adviser to Ghana's first Prime Minister Nkrumah. Padmore passed away in London in 1959.2 When Padmore wrote to Solanke in February 1934. it was right before Padmore received his punishment of expulsion from the Comintern. At that time, he was living in Paris with Garan Kouyate (Mali) who had already been expelled from the Comintern. In the previous year. when he informed the Comintern about his breakup with ITUC-NW in August 1933, and resigned from all his ITUC-NW duties, his separation from the Comintern was a foregone conclusion. Then. he quickly turned towards the Pan-Africanist movement represented by DuBois and Garvey, which he had previously criticised as petit bourgeois. In the book Black Revolutionary: George Padmore's Path from Communism to Pan-Africanism, James R. Hooker quotes a letter written to Pan-Africanist DuBois on 17th February 1934. four days before Padmore's letter to Solanke, as an example of Padmore's conversion to Pan-Africanism. In that letter, Padmore states the following: (fflW~ '18) 51-2. 443 0409) The French Negroes recently held a conference under the leadership of a young Sudanese [sic] whom you no doubt have heard about. Mr Garan Kouyate, the editor of La Race Negre. The Negro problem was discussed relative to the present economic and social crisis the world over. and the fascist danger which threatens our race's extermination. It was the most serious political discussion which I have ever listened to among Negroes. The Conference decided to take the initiative to convene a Negro World Unity Congress. for the purpose of hammering out a common program of action around which world unity among the blacks can be achieved. The Negro students in Europe are demanding action. I also found this attitude very evident among the West African students when I was recently over in London.3 Regarding this letter. Hooker states, 'The letter also indicates how clear was Padmore's break with the Profintern by this date'.4 The contents of Letter 1, which was written four days before the letter he sent to DuBois. claims that the black youth should be encouraged to promote racial pride as black people and. in that sense. Letter 1 may reaffirm that Hooker's analysis of Padmore is correct. By February of 1934, Padmore had already separated from the Profintern and had converted to Pan-Africanism. A 'Mr. jones' mentioned in Letter 1 could be Chris jones, a person from Barbados who led the Colonial Seamen's Association. Padmore went to Britain after being deported from Germany in 1933 and had contact with jones through Nancy Cunard.5 jones travelled to (ftt{~ '18) 51-2. 444 0410) Three Letters to Ladipo Solanke Photo 1. W ASU members with the British Colonial Secretary and the officials of the Colonial Office (August 1940) Ladipo Solanke is in the front row. third from right (Photo courtesy of the University of Lagos Library) America, but the purpose of his visit is not clear.
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