| What
life has taught me on the question of
racial discrimination, I like to share
with those who want to learn.
That until the philosophy which
holds one race superior and another
inferior is finally and permanently
discredited and abandoned.
That until there are no longer first
class and second class citizens of any
nation;
That until the colour of a man's skin
is no more significance than the
colour of his eyes:
That until the basic human rights are
equally guaranteed to all, without
regard to race;
That until that day, the dream of
lasting peace and world citizenship
and the rule of international morality
will remain but a fleeting illusion to
be pursued but never attained;
And until the ignoble and unhappy
regimes that hold our brothers in
Angola, in Mozambique and in South
Africa in sub-human bondage have been
toppled and destroyed;
Until bigotry and prejudice and
malicious and inhuman self interest
have been replaced by understanding
and tolerance and goodwill;
Until all Africans stand and speak as
free beings, equal in the eyes of the
Almighty;
Until that day, the African continent
will not know peace.
We Africans will fight, if
necessary, and we know that we shall
win, as we are confident in the
victory of good over evil. It will be
self deceiving and a waste of time to
advocate dialogue with those who are
not ready to listen, because it is
obvious that the freedom of millions
is not a commodity subject to
bargaining.
It is a fact that young people have
always been impatient. This
intemational movement is therefore not
surprising. Such move ments sometimes
bring useful ideas into the open, but
very often these ideas turn out to be
harmful and contrary to ordinary
progress.
This impatience and agitation
result in larue part from a
rnisunderstanding of realities. We are
convinced that young people must learn
to use their heads rather than their
fists. They should be heard, but also
guided for the common good.
Young people will be young people.
You cannot change the uncouth manners
of the youth. Besides there is nothing
new in that: there is never anything
new under the sun. They can't know it
because they lack experience, they
lack wisdom. Examine the past: you'll
see that the disobedience of the young
has occurred all through history. The
young don't know what they want.
Life is like the theatre - One
mustn't try to understand it all at
once and immediately. It is no longer
amusing.
There are good men and wicked. The
former should be made use of and the
latter punished, without attempting to
understand why the ones are good and
the others wicked. We demand too much
of men to be able to respect them ...
That which man dreams of and to
Which he aspires, unless fulfilled in
his own lifetime, can produce no
actual satisfaction to him. It will be
self deceiving and a waste of time to
advocate dialogue with those who are
not ready to listen, because it is
obvious that the freedom of millions
is not a commodity subject to
bargaining. It is better to die free
than to live as slaves. |
