$1.75 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1973 Editor: John Storm Roberts Business Manager: Robert L. Denerstein Circulation Manager: Gale Ayinde Art Director: Dale Moyer Contributing Editor, Travel: Nancy McKeon Contributing Editor, Education: Leon E. Clark JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1973 VOLUME 18 NUMBER A colloquium Moderator, Carman Moore 1 2 Refugees: The million person problem Jon Woronoff 29 Interview: Roy Innis of CORE Afroman Canada 34 The All-Nigeria Arts Festival Robert M. Wren 36 Departments: Out of Africa 4 Education 38 In Washington 9 Travel 41 Africa Day by Day 25 Book reviews 44 Letters to the Editor 51 In this issue This issue "focuses on the arts—black music in the edited transcript of a colloquium sponsored by Africa Report at Brooklyn College, New York, and music, dance and drama in a report on the All-Nigeria Arts Festival just held at Kaduna. Both pieces contribute to the living dialogue on the problems of cultures in a shrinking world. Do such cultures die or—changing perhaps —survive? Do we fold our hands and wait for the death, if death there is to be, or do we fight for preservation? And if the latter, will preservation mean rejuvenation, or rather the freshly painted irrelevance of a well-embalmed corpse? Big questions, for which we have, not so much no answers, as too many answers—all different. Questions that concerned our distinguished panelists. Questions to which Bob Wren's report on the All-Nigeria Arts Festival gives a very cheerful answer. The festival showed that rejuvenation there can be. But—In the case of Kaduna at least—it was the people who did it, not the experts. Certainly, the experts provided some of the fuel, but the people provided the flame. Other important articles in this issue include an interview with Roy Innis of CORE that continues the debate raised in last issue's piece, Rethinking Black History. Innis differs radically from Professor Orlando Patterson in his views of African- black American relations. Also featured is an article on a group of people all too well known to the Africa "professionals" of the international community and hardly at all to most others: the continent's refugees, now a full one million weak. Picture credits: Cover—Dale Moyer; pg. 13, Drum magazine; pgs. 13-18, John Storm Roberts; pg. 21, Chris Strachwitz; pg. 22, John Storm Roberts; pgs. 31 and 32, United Nations. On the cover (clockwise from top left): Otis Redding, Billie Holiday, King Curtis, Art Blakey, African musician, Mahalia Jackson. Center, Louis Armstrong. Coming next issue Part of Africa Report's focus in the next issue is expected to be on Upper Volta, with interviews with important political figures as well as an article on the country itself. Among other items will be a major examination of books for children on African themes. Africa Report, a nonpartisan magazine of African affairs, is published bimonthly, in July-August, September-October, November-December, Jan- uary-February, March-April, and May-June, at 866 U.N. Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10017. Subscriber correspondence should be sent to this address as should aN editorial and advertising correspondence. Subscription Price: Regular Mail U.S.A. and Canada $9; Air Rate U.S.A. and Canada, $13; Air Rate Overseas $15 ( 125 Shillings); Special Price U.K. Europe, Africa, Asia (via air freight to London) $10 (83s/4d). Second class postage paid. New York, New York and at additional mailing offices. Telephone: (Editorial and subscription—area code (212) 421-2500). 341 © The African-American Institute, Inc., 1973 AFRICA REPORT, JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1973 OUT OF HFRICa Chad/Libya France is one of the main beneficiaries, Libyan Prime Minister Abdel Salam Jal- payment of government salaries, habit- and probably the initiator, of a surprise loud. For France the advantages of the ually paid late, and providing the cash rapprochement between Libya and its deal are the resolution of the contradic- needed just to keep the administration southern neighbour Chad. The problems tion of friendships with both Libya and of this vast country moving. between the two countries, including a Chad and the near-certainty that the What France has promised Libya as breach of diplomatic relations, stemmed costly military intervention, which for- its part of the deal is less clear. No from Libya's support of the Chadian mally ended last August with the recall communique was published after Major rebel movement. FROLINAT (Chad Na- of the commander of the Franco-Chad- Jallouds visit, but French and Libyan tional Liberation Front), which had been ian forces, General Edouard Cortadellas, sources indicated that the talks ranged carrying on guerrilla warfare since 1962. will not have been wasted. over many subjects. Some of these were (Chad, a country of around three million For Chad, the shift in Its foreign pol- known to be: inhabitants, is divided roughly half and icy stance on Israel, bringing it nearer First, new arms purchases, possibly half, between southerners whose culture to the FROLINAT point of view, meant tanks and shore artillery, and the French is African and who dominate the gov- that Mr. Tombalbaye's regime suddenly Middle East arms embargo which will ernment, and Muslim, Arabic-speaking became acceptable to his Arab neigh- presumably affect the sales of the I 10 northerners from whom came the sup- bors. According to reports from Fort Mirage fighter-bombers to Tripoli when port for the rebels. La my not confirmed by the Libyans, the Libyo-Egyptian union comes into Now, under a classic form of modern Tripoli even agreed to hand over FRO- operation next year; Libyan democracy, Chad's President LINAT members based in Libya. Secondly, possible French purchases of Francois Tombalbaye announced he was In addition, old development projects oil produced by the nationalized conces- breaking off diplomatic relations with dear to Chadian hearts were revived by sions of British Petroleum; Israel last November. The move was fol- the rapprochement with Libya. In Tripoli Thirdly, private French participation lowed by an official visit to Tripoli by Mr. Tombalbaye discussed joint oil-pros- in ambitious agricultural and irrigation Tombalbaye just before Christmas dur- pecting in the extreme north of Chad, projects using desalinated sea-water, ing which he was offered an immediate the construction of a metalled road to and a number of industrial projects. loan of $92 million—more than twice link their two capitals and the setting-up the landlocked state's annual budget. of a free port on Libyan shores for Zambia Under his policy of extending his in- Chadian imports and exports, which at fluence in black Africa at the expense present are transported by rail, river Zambia officially became a one party of Israel, Colonel Muammar al-Qadafi and road from Brazzaville. But much of country on December 13. At a cere- was this time apparently willing to sac- the Libyan cash will necessarily be mony witnessed for the first time by the rifice FROLINAT, whose main foreign needed to meet Chad's immediate cur- news media of the country, President base In recent years was Tripoli. FRO- rent needs—financing urgent imports, Kaunda ushered the nation into what has LINAT leader Dr. Abba Sidlck was at one time given radio time on Tripoli radio for propaganda broadcasts beam- ed to Chad, as well as cash, arms and Digest of Information on African training facilities for his guerrillas. It was in August, 1971, that President Colleges and Universities Tombalbaye broke off diplomatic rela- tions with Libya after alleging Tripoli The digest covers 32 colleges and universities in 26 African countries. was behind a coup plot. France, carrying It provides information on admission and degree requirements, academic on what African and French critics saw courses, housing facilities, tuition and maintenance costs, special insti- as a colonial-type military intervention tutes, departments, calendars, etc. against FROLINAT from 1969 onwards Price $3.75 while developing close relations with Make remittance with order to: Libya's soldier rulers, was severely em- African Universities Digest barrassed by the dispute. The African-American Institute Chad's diplomatic turn-about Is be- 866 United Nations Plaza lieved to have been arranged in Septem- New York, New York 10017 ber in Paris during a mysterious visit by AFRICA REPORT, JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1973 been termed the Second Republic by Assembly, Mr. Robinson Nabulyato, them five years to get rid of property signing the necessary legislation, which said this would be sub judice. such as houses, farms, etc. —in the form of three amendments to Although members of the now-de- Possible results of the one-party the country's constitution—was passed funct ANC will be allowed to sit as amendment are still unclear. According by parliament only five days previously. independents in parliament, the new to Foreign Minister Elijah Mudenda, a To most Zambians, the passing of legislation has effectively banned all member of the UNIP central commit- these bills was something of a non-event. other political movements apart from tee, there has been a 22 per-cenf swing Although it was the culmination of a UNIP. ANC will sit in parliament until of ANC members to UNIP since 1968. full year's exercise, no one was in any the end of its present life or until it is This has not only depleted the ANC doubt as to whether the Zambian parli- dissolved and general elections called. strength in parliament but also sapped ament would ratify the move. The longest ANC's present members in the morale of Its supporters in many parliament have been given is up to De- areas. Recently, ANC supporters on the The African National Congress, which cember 3 I, 1973.