THURSDAY, JANUARY S, 1961
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, ORE.
African Nations Carry Numerous Unsolved 1960 Problems Into 1961
. London-IUPD-Optimlsts who
hailed 1960 in its early
months as the year of African
independence were only part
ly justified. Africa still has
its most stubborn jjroblems
left to settle in 1961-V?nd prob
ably in .a iJiod many years
to come.
But 1960 saw the tide of
Independence sweep down the
west coast of the vast conti
nent from the borders of Mo
rocco to the frontier of Portu
guese Angola; down the cen
ter to the border of the Fed
eration of Rhodesia and
Nyasaland; and down the east
coast to the frontier of lenya.
In the east anil cental-, tWv
tide was still how baeb ky
. the slrowghf late of wVnie set
tlement, althou-gb own ttkev
kea-s t rock lee-fore H. Asd
African atiali-s-s suffered
eae of their biggest disa-p-psintmeH'ts
to date when in
dependence tn the Belgian
Congo disintegrated into
chaos, internal conflict and
foreign intervention.'
; Yet i960 closed with 24 in
dependent states on the conti
nent of Africa and the big
island of Madagascar-now the
Republic of Malagasy-off the
southeast coast. This figure
includes the Union of South
Africa as well as the United
Arab Republic, whose biggest
.'part, Egypt, is in Africa.
It also includes the Belgian
Congo-nominally independent
since July 1, but with its bat
;tle for real independence still
to be won.
The beginning of 1961 saw
four more territories on the
verge of independence - the
British colony of Sierra
Leone, with independence
promised on April 27; the two
French territories of Upper
Volta and Gabon, whose full
independence appears to have
been delayed by decision of
their own governments, and
the British trust territory of
Tanganyika, which achieved
internal self-government last
year.
When 1960 dawned, Africa
.had .only 10 independent
states.
It was a year of great po
litical advance for Africa, al
though it left struggles for
independence o f different
kinds and intensity still rag
,ing in Algeria and the Congo,
throughout British East ' Af
rica and against white settler
'domination in the Federation
of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
the Union of South Africa and
Southwest Africa, mandated
to the' Union after it was
seized from Germany at the
.end of World War I.
These political conflicts are
enough to ensure that Africa
.viU continue to be one of the
world's storm centers in 1961
But a still more difficult
future problem for Africa and
for the outside world-partic-
ularlv the West in its rela
tions with Africa-was fore
shadowed in February of last
year at the Pan-African Peo
ple's Conference in Tunis.
The emphasis at that con
ferenre was on "neo-colonial-
ism." By that term the dele
gates meant the retention by
European powers of economic
control of African territories
even after those territories
achieved political independ-
anpfi
"Neo - colonialism" is the
wrnne term for this pnenom-
enon, since it actually is the
form of colonialism.
European powers exploited
African territories and their
peoples economically before
Russian Schooner
Used for Survey
Australia (Science
Service) - Russian scientists
aboard the three - masted
wooden survey schooner Zar
ja have recharted magnetic
maps of the Indian ana nv
Information obtained from
the ship is now being written
into new charts now being
prepared in Moscow and Len
ingrad. The work is expected
to affect ships' navigation on
all the oceans of the world.
Annti,nr rfisrnvrrv was that
of a new pattern in the earth's
magnetic forces wnicn cuaiiB
each year.
The vessel has sailed 9,
nnn miinc since it began sur
vey work eight years ago. It
is now engaged in a survey
of the South Pacific Ocean
ing Weight ail
Normal Led limed
they annexed them politically.
Despite criticisms, the prob
lem of economic colonialism
is at least as vital to Africa
as the problenwif political
imperialism. The experience
of Liberia and Eth'Opia has
shown that political independ
ence is of little or no benefit
to the mass of the African
people as long as a country's
main resources are channeled
out into foreign markets in
stead of boi-ng used for that
country's own economic development.-
Liberia and Ethiopia have
been independent longer tjan
any other African territories
yet the poverty and illiteracy
of their peopV is remarkable
even for Africa.
Experts say that one of the
cai$es of the increasing rural
poverty and deterioration of
African land is that the soil
is starved of phosphates. But,
African nationalists point out,
Africa produces nearly one
third of the world's phos
phates, nearly 90 per cent of
which is exported to enrich
the soil of Europe and Amer
ica. The nationalists add that,
Africa has by far the biggest
deposits of iron ore in the
world-more than twice those
of the U.S. and Canadapfour
times those of all Asia"and
six times those of all Europe
excluding the Soviet Union.
Yet, the nationalists point
out, Africa has virtually no
heavy industry or engineering
outside the Union of South
frica.
Among endless other "ex
amples of economic colonial-1
ism," tho. nationalists point
out thaMs'orthern Rhodesia
is the world's thir largest
producer of copper, yet she
has no industry for the pro
cessing of copper. And, they
add, American and European
firms are prepared to invest
huge sums for the extraction
of aluminum Aim Africa, but
Africa has had a hard fight
to persuade private iprise
to take any interest In
Ciena's plan to develop a big
afwninum industry on the
Volta river.
So the West must expect
demands in 1961 that firms
which extract minerals or
other raw materials in Africa
must help to develop indus
tries to process thos mate
rials in Africa, and must help
to devip the heavy Indus
try and engineering base for
real African industrialization
and economic independencO
African nationalists still arc
almost unanimous in their
hope this type of invest
ment from the West. And they
are now making it clear that,
if the West docs not yrtvide
it, th 'J1 it tarn tab
Com
Children Who Eat
Breakfast do Better
East Lansing, Mich. WPD -Breakfast-eating
children are
likely to do better in school
than those who skip the early
morning meal before going to
school.
Home economists at Michi
gan State University say chil
dren who do not eat break
fast often are less interested
in their studies and learn less
ily than when they eat a
breakfast.
... .,--! o.o.
New IDTK lociente ociv
iSO - A resolution important
to make and keep is one con
cerning overweight, which
overworks the heart.
The American Heart associ
ation here suggests adopting
the following New Years
resolution: "Resolved, that
during 1961 I will do every
thing within my power to
keep my weight at a reason
ably normal level as a means
of safeguarding my heart and
my health."
Insurance companies statis
tics show a significantly
higher death rate for men
who are overweight than for
men of average or less than
average weight. Overweight
women are also affected but
lei seriously.
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ALL
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1961
GENUINE
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irs SO EASY
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Mecliners! Swivel Mockers! Fntire Stock Meduced!
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501 EAST JACKSON - SP 3-6661
OPtN MONDAY AND FRIDAY 'TIL 9 P.M. FP.il PARKING
JJ
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