Lumumba Friendship University

Celebra

tes anniversary

By BERT WHYTE

This month the Patrice Lu-
mumba Peoples Friendship Uni-
versity in Moscow celebrates its
Tenth Anniversary.

Founded in 1960 as a centre
for training experts for the lib-
erated and struggling countries
of Asia, Africa and Latin Ame-
rica, its first freshman class con-
sisted of five hundred and nine-
ty-six students from fifty-nine
countries.

Today the student body num-
bers four thousand and sixty-one
persons, including three thous-
and and ninety-two foreign stu-
dents from eighty-four coun-
tries: nine hundred and sixty-
four from twenty-three countries
of Latin America, eight hundred
and thirty-four from thirty-three
countries of Africa, five hundred
and twenty-four from ten coun-
tries of Asia and seven hundred
and seventy from eighteen coun-
tries of the Arab east. ;

This year five hundred and
seventy-nine young experts from
sixty-five countries will gradu-
ate, including one hundred and
thirty-six from Latin America,
one hundred and forty-three
from Africa, eighty-two from
Asia, one hundred and sixteen
from the Arab East and one hun-
dred and two from the U.S.S.R.

The university has six main
faculties — engineering, scien-
ces, medicine, agriculture, his-
tory and philology, and econo-
mics and law.

Distinguished persons from
many lands have visited the uni-
versity and been deeply impress-
ed by the work accomplished.
J. D. Bernal made the following
entry in the university’s visitor’s
book: “It has been a great in-
spiration to me to visit the Lu-
mumba Friendship University.
After travelling over much of
the world it is a pleasure to
meet all together and working
in harmony the young men and
women who are going out to
build a new world of peace.”

Of course, all is not honey.
With students from so many dif-
ferent countries: and cultural
backgrounds some friction is in-
evitable. The student councils
are usually able to settle dis-
putes amicably, but there are
some dropouts and in certain
cases the University has’ been
compelled to expel students.
When I asked Rector S. V.

A LOT

The 23rd annual Spring Thaw
calls itself a “new bag,” and the
musical review at the Playhouse
Theatre on Bayview in Toronto
most certainly differs from all
previous editions. Last year’s
producer, you may recall, deli-
berately opted for a show with
a minimum of content. The 1970
producers, Howard Bateman and
John Uren, have consciously
turned out an even shallower
commercial property —lots of
sound and fury signifying. no-
thing. :

They hired a New York-
oriented Israeli director, Moni
Yakim, who couldn’t see why
‘Canadians should be so concern-
ed about Canadian content. And
Mr. Bateman, as reported in the
Globe Magazine declared:
“Now, I’m trying to produce an
entertaining show. No messages.
I'm ‘not interested in perpetua-
ting a Canadian tradition or sav-
ing a-23-year-old turkey.”

Very well. No messages. To
hell with tradition. Bury the

Rumyantsev to give me more
details on this problem he said:

“Some students drop out ‘be-
cause of illness, or because they
cannot get used to our climate.
In other cases it happens that
some young students are not ma-
ture enough. A few switch to
other institutes at the request of
their embassies, or decide to
take up other professions after
discussing the matter with us
and receiving our advice. So
some twenty to thirty students
drop out annually. Expulsions
are rare: they are sometimes

caused by inadequate knowledge

and failure to study.”

Students coming from warmer
climes are provided with heavier.
clothing suitable for a Russian
winter. All foreign students re-
ceive free hostel accommodation
and a stipend of eighty roubles
per month. Unlike most univer-
sities, attendance at lectures is
obligatory. Of the seven to eight
thousand young people who ap-
ply for admission to Lumumba,
only about six hundred foreign
students are enrolled each year,
plus two hundred and twenty-
five Soviet students.

Foreign freshmen undergo a
special course of studies of from
one to three years at the prepa-

.ratory faculty. The basic aims of

this faculty are to teach students
Russian and to offer high-school
refresher courses.

' The University’s 1970 prospec-
tus says:

“The main objective of the
University is to.assist the coun-
tries of Asia, Africa and Latin
America in training qualified na-
tional personnel imbued with the
spirit of friendship between na-
tions and to. give wide opportu-
nities to the youth of these coun-
tries, especially from low income
families, to receive higher edu-
cation in the Soviet Union.

“The University activity is
based on the principle of equali-
ty of all citizens, irrespective of
their nationality, race, sex or
creed, guaranteed by the Soviet
constitution.

“The main tasks of the univer-
sity are: to train qualified engin-
eers, agronomists, doctors, teach-
ers, economists, lawyers and
other specialists, so that they
master the latest achievements
of science and technology, and
are educated in the spirit of hu-
manism and friendship between
nations; to carry out scientific
research on important problems,
including those relating to the
development of national econo-
my, science, technology and cul-
ture of Asian, African and Latin
American nations; to train teach-

ing and academic research staff .

for the universities and higher

educational institutions both in.

the U.S.S.R. and in foreign coun-
tries; to promote _ scientific
knowledge; to cooperate on the
basis of mutual assistance in
educational and research prob-
lems with institutions in the So-
viet Union and foreign coun-
tries.”

The Academic year is divided
into two semesters and runs
from September Ist to June 30th.
Practical training is arranged
every year following theoretical
course of study.

Many student organizations
exist. Each one has separate
committees to deal with prob-
lems of academic and cultural
life, press, radio and sports. The
student associations take part in
symposia, conferences, solidarity
meets, sports, international con-
struction units in Siberia and
Virgin Lands. During the sum-
mer holidays (July and August)

students go to rest homes, sports.

camps on The Black Sea, volun-
tary work sites, or on tours of
the Soviet Republics.

OF NOTHING

dead “turkey.” Hail to the new!
Let joy be unconfined! Here
comes the entefainment!

But does it? Is it?

‘We look in vain for the
smooth actors of other years;
the veterans are absent. But
there are new players, young
and graceful, and they include
some excellent musicians (the
Icarus group), some _ bright
comics (Rosemary: Radcliffe,
Lou Vitacco), ‘and some strong
singers (Salome Bey, Bob Jef-
frey). PS.

Their material is something
else again. The writing is, for
the most part, very poor, too
often reminiscent of the crude
old burlesque house skits and as
unsubtle as a night-club act. But
don’t complain; there are four-
letter words and a long, front-
view nude love scene and dirty
jokes—you lucky people!

What more did you expect? A
review of the Canadian scene?
A laugh at our ludicrous Estab-

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEBRUARY 27, 1970—Page 10

lishment? A few shafts, perhaps,
at the insufferable pollution of
the U.S. soul? A few brickbats
at bureaucrats, profiteers, stuff-
ed. shirts, tartuffes? Wit? Hu-
mor? Satire?

Surely, after some _ three
weeks of paid public “previews”
the producers and the director
could have injected some blood
into the show, some ideas, some
theatrical style, some joy. Per-

~ haps some entertainment.

Sure, the music is well deliv-
ered, far too well, with too
damned many mikes to deafen
us in so small a house. Sure,
the company can be funny and
charming at times.

But do you remember nights
past when you left other Spring
Thaws glowing with pleasure,
tickled pink and walking on air?

Dare we hope that maybe in
a year or two Spring Thaw will
rise like the phoenix and return
to us? Return, that is, to Canada.

—Martin Stone

TORONTO YCL PLAN

LENIN PROJECT

By Y.C.L.-er

The youth have a special role to play in the commemoration
of Lenin’s birth. The youth represent the continuation of the
struggle so well understood and brilliantly carried out by
Lenin. Their carrying of this work, however, has to be rooted
in history, not only history made by Lenin and the Soviet ©
people, but also in the -history of the working people’s strug-
gles in Canada.

Inspired by Brecht’s poem, “The Rugweavers of Kujan-Bulak
Honor Lenin” (see below) the Young Communist League mem-
bers of Toronto felt that Lenin would be best honored by a
concrete, theoretical understanding which would help pre-
pare’ them for the way ahead in Canada. Thus we plan to visit
and interview the people in Toronto who have life-long parti-
cipation in the struggles and campaigns of the Canadian

- working class movement. We will record these memories and

compile a booklet which will honor Lenin and the struggles
he inspired in our country.

The work which goes into this booklet will be the YCL’s
recognition of not only the contribution of the individuals
interviewed, but of the whole. working class. movement—an
understanding essential to the YCL’s ability to develop and
grow. Thus we will “help ourselves while honoring Lenin” as
the poem suggests.

THE RUGWEAVERS OF KUJAN-BULAK HONOR LENIN
By BERTOLT BRECHT

Comrade Lenin has been honored

Often and plentifully. There are busts and statues.
Cities and children have been named after him.
Speeches have been given in many languages,
Meetings held, and demonstrations

From Shanghai to Chicago, in honor of Lenin,

But this is the way the rugweavers

Honored him in’ Kujan-Bulak,

A small community in southern Turkestan.

Twenty rugweavers live there; in the evening
As they sit on their humble weaving stools they are racked
with fever.

‘Fever spreads: The railroad station

Is filled with buzzing clouds of mosquitoes
Which arise from the swamp behind the old camel yard.
But the railroad, which

_ Brings water and smoke every two weeks, brings

One day the news as well

That Lenin Memorial Day is coming.

And the people of Kujan-Bulak decide,

Poor weavers that they are,

That also in their community a plaster bust
Of Comrade Lenin should be set up.

But as they collect the money for the bust
They are all ‘

Racked with fever and count

Their hard-earned kopeks with shaking hands.
And the Red Army man, Stopa Gamelov,. who
Is counting carefully and paying close attention,
Sees the readiness to honor Lenin and is glad,
But he also sees the unsteady hands.

_ And he suddenly makes the propesal

That they buy petroleum with the money for the bust of Lenin
And pour it in the swamp behind the camel yard

‘From which the mosquitoes come which

Carry the fever. :

Thus they would both fight the fever in Kujan-Bulak
and mightily

Honor the dead but

Not to be forgotten

Comrade Lenin.

They agreed to it. On Memorial Day they carried

Their battered buckets filled with black petroleum,
One after another,

And poured it over the swamp.

Thus they helped themselves while honoring Lenin and
Honored him while helping themselves, and likewise
They understood him.

We have heard how the people of Kujan-Bulak
Honored Lenin. Then in the evening of the day
When the petroleum was brought and poured over the swamp
A man arose in their assembly and he wanted ao
A tablet set up in the railroad station
With a notice of this event, containing the details
Of both the altered plan and the exchange
Of the Lenin bust for the fever-destroying barrels
of petroleum. :
And all this in honor of Lenin.
And they did this, too,
And put up the tablet.