African
Revolutionary Writers, Part 2a
Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson was the Chairman of the Council on African Affairs,
an organisation based in New York from 1937 until it was shut down by
McCarthyism in 1955. W.
E. B. Du Bois was vice-chair.
The Council on African Affairs was a vital link between the
struggles of the African-Americans of the Americas, and the National Democratic
Revolutions that were getting under way in those years.
In the Council on African Affairs can be seen the historical
and not just the theoretical unity between the descendents of the slaves that
had been taken from Africa, and the people struggling for freedom from
colonialism in Africa itself. The connection with the South African liberation
struggle was direct, via Mr E. S. Reddy and Dr Yusuf Dadoo, among others.
It was a two-way street. Sometimes the African-American (and
Afro-Caribbean) leadership was in front, and at other times the African example
was to an extent impelling the trans-Atlantic struggles. This is the main
reason why this body of literature, called “African Revolutionary Writers” does,
and must of necessity, include many African writers from across the sea.
Paul Robeson himself was an extraordinary man who achieved
excellence in many fields, including sport and scholarship, before becoming a
star of the theatre and the cinema, and becoming a performing, recording and
broadcasting artist as a singer.
The document can give a good idea of who Paul
Robeson was and the role that he played in the liberation struggle, as well as
among the people of the United States of America.
- The above serves
to introduce the original reading-text: Excerpts from “Paul Robeson Speaks”, 1953.
- A PDF file of the reading text is attached
- To download any of the CU courses in PDF files please click here.
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