BOOK REVIEW

Confused novel on Ghana

THE NEW ANCESTORS by
Dave Godfrey, New Press,
Toronto. $10. Cloth only.

A vastly overrated book which
purports in novel form to in-
troduce us to Lost Coast (cover
name for Ghana) — but in fact
succeeds in confusing readers
and distorting the complex of
circumstances which led to the
imperialist-backed military coup
that overthrew Kwame Nkru-
mah in 1966.

An author of undoubted tal-
ents, Godfrey, who- may have
started with an original sympa-
thetic purpose of setting out the
characteristics of the new rising
younger generation of black
Africans, winds up incapable of
differentiating between those
seeking to change the face of
Africa and those who want to
impose new forms of colonialism
on newly-independent regimes.

Ghana’s story is torn out of
the context of African politics
as a whole. British colonialism,
Marxism, US: imperialism,
careerists, militant fighters for
Nkrumah’s reform policies, ult-
ra-“left’”” elements — good guys
and bad guys — are thrown to-
gether in one big swirling mix of
episodes, flash-backs, sensuality,
African dialect and moralizing,
until the reader is left with the
total impression of defeat and
insurmountable odds _ against
which man — today’s African
man — The New Ancestors, is
powerless.

The spirit of ‘“abrado” — Af-
rica tribal goodness has been
perverted by the foreign pre-
sence no matter what its
origin: be it the colonialism of
Britain, the CIA, U.S. imperial-
ism or the helping fraternal hand
of the socialist world.

The author’s philosophy ap-
pears to be that evil is inherent
in the nature of man — instead
of in the outworn insitutions and
class society that oppresses him.

_This approach leads to foggy

estimations. For example the
gross and merciless caricature
of Nkrumah and his militant
followers; the incapacity to
examine the concrete struggle of
forces in Ghana; the equation
put between imperialism and the
international role played by the
socialist world.

The author who has made
something of a reputation for
himself in condemning U.S.
policy at home and abroad and
the “Americanization” of reader
and author alike in Canada, is
himself a clear victim of the
very influences he denounces.
His politics in his novel is bor-
rowed wholesale from Time
and Life and their canned ver-
sion of African realities.

May we suggest as antidotal
reading to readers of The New
Ancestors the following—Dark
Days in Ghana, Africa Must
Unite and Class Struggle in
Africa — all written by Kwame
Nkrumah, whose record and ac-
tivity deserve a much better
fate than that accorded him in
the above volume. The books
listed are all available from
Progress Books or your local
bookstore.

—George Mills

U.S. finds lots of

money for war

The--Us: spends annually
$3,200 million on the mainten-
ance of its forces in Western
Europe, and $14,000 million on
NATO. In 1965-71 it put $120,-
000 million into the Indochina
gamble. :

The White House has planned
military spending in this fiscal
year at $80,000 million, $3,000
million more than in the last.

d

eee

&

the shop below.

$15 in cash.

Fascist vandals
stroy Lenin books

Pictured here is the upstairs bathroom in the BOOKWORLD,
Toronto progressive book. store, where on the night of Sept.
10-11 vandals destroyed over 500 volumes of Lenin’s works.
Mrs. Maggie Bizzell, manager of the BOOKWORLD, reported
the vandals moved the store’s entire 600-700 Lenin volumes
into the bathroom from a stockroom. Using great force and
obviously taking much time for their filthy work, they pressed
as many of the Lenin volumes as they could into the bath tub,
the toilet bow! and two wash basins. The rest of the volumes
were strewn over the bathroom floor. All water taps were then ©
turned on and left running. Nearly all of the Lenin volumes
were completely ruined. In addition, the water did great dam-
age to one whole wall of books and important periodicals in

“As far as we've ascertained,” Mrs. Bizzell said, “the
criminals touched no books other than the Lenin volumes.”
She said they had forced open the cash register and stole

7

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1971—PAGE 10

Boe

BERLIN — The agreement
signed by ambassadors of the
USSR, USA, Britain and France
on the status of West Berlin
opens the door to greater inter-
national cooperation.

The 12 main points of this
historic agreement are:

e The four governments will
strive to promote the elimina-
tion of tension and the preven-
tion of complications “in the
relevant area.”

e They agree that there shall
be no threat or use of force in
the area and that disputes shall
be settled by peaceful means.

e The four governments will
mutually respect their individual
and joint rights which remain
unchanged. :

e They further agree that des-
pite the difference in their legal
views, the situation which has
developed in the area shall not
be changed unilaterally.

e The Soviet Union declares
that road, rail and, waterborne
traffic of goods and persons be-
tween West Germany and West
Berlin will be “unimpeded and
facilitated so as to take place in
the most simple and expeditious
manner and that it will receive
preferential treatment.”

e The three Western allies de-
clare that the ties between West
Germany and West Berlin will
be “maintained and ‘developed.”
At the same time they declare
that West Berlin is not a con-
stituent part of West Germany
and is not governed by West
Germany.

e The Soviet Union declares
that communications between
West Berlin and East Berlin as
well as the German Democratic
Republic will be improved. West
Berliners will be allowed to tra-
vel in the GDR under ‘‘compar-
able conditions to other per-
sons.”

e West Germany will be the
consular protecting power for
West Berliners travelling in the
Soviet Union. It will also repre-
sent West Berlin internationally.

e The Soviet Union will be
permitted to establish a consul-
ate general in West Berlin ac-

| Credited to the Western allies,

also a trade office and bonded
warehouses.

e Transit traffic to and from
Berlin will not be subject to in-
spection if sealed before depar-
ture. Individual travellers will
only have to produce identity
cards at the East German border
and will not be subject to
search, detention or exclusion.
(The only exception is where
abuse is suspected, if the com-

petent German _ authorities
agree.)
e@ West German legislation

will continue to apply to West
Berlin. But the West German
parliament will not be allowed
to meet there. However the
West German president, the
government, parliamentary par-
ties and parliamentary commit-
tee may meet in the city provid-
ed no constitutional or official
acts are carried out exercising
direct authority over West Ber-
lin.

e The problem of the small
enclaves on the borders of West
Berlin may be solved by ex-
change of territory.

The agreement also has sev-
eral annexes, notes, agreed min-
utes and a “final quadripartite
protocol” giving details of the
various arrangements negotiat-
ed by the big four power am-
bassadors.

i

“a

An internati

onal meeting of young activists of the
and Red Crescent Societies was held in “Zorka” Yound,
camp near Moscow. Representatives of more than 35 coun
Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America participated.
Above, General Secretary of the World Federation ©
and Red Crescent Societies Mr. H. Beer (left) and Direct?
International Youth Red Cross Mr. J. Kirschhofer (extreme
shown being presented with the bread and salt of hospitality:

Wer
ped Ct
f a

5
i:

Sudan reaction rage]
executioners are bull]

By CHRIS BRYANT

Sudan’s military dictator Gen.
Nimeiry will next week stage a
trial of six members of the Su-
danese Communist Party cen-
tral committee, according to in-
formation from Khartoum.

Among the six are Hassan
Gasmelseid, president of the
General Trade Union Council,
Salah Mazari, a member of the
political bureau of the Com-
munist Party and up to his jail-
ing in February by Nimeiry per-

“manent under secretary at the

Ministry of Housing, Mrs. Soad
Ibrahim Ahmed, a lecturer at
Khartoum University.

Eight members of the Com-
munist Party have sought asy-
lum in neighboring Ethiopia and
it is feared that Emperer Haile
Selassie will hand them over
after trying them for illegal en-
try.

He may try to strike a bar-
gain, hoping to exchange them
for Eritrean revolutionaries tak-
ing refuge in the Sudan.

Prisoners beaten

Among this eight are El Taleb
Abu Gideiry, former councillor
in the Attorney-General’s Office,
and Dr. Mohammed Suleiman, a
lecturer at the Higher Institute
for Teachers.

Nimeiry told United Nations
Secretary-General U Thant re-
cently that all trials were fair
and treatment of prisoners was
fair. The lie to that is given by
information coming from the
Sudan revealing what Nimeiry
has done to those who have
fallen into his hands.

soldiers who were Sb0! ij Uy

are ©

i ities j
Prison authori ly one

ing the detainees on
a day, consisting © “160
piece of bread and one rts |
water. In the scorching gif)
the Sudan this is equi” |
slow murder. rel!
When detainees wena
the Shagara concentra” iy
run by the Army,
badly beaten. us
El Sheikh and DF gid
Khogali, president of ©” a
Medical Association, ® ed 1
for 20 years, were fore: jit
tend the executions © oi)
Col. Babker E] Nur, Mali, Al
oy

uk Handalla, and Majo
Al-Atta, the leaders Of
19 revolution. :
_ Without trial LA q
Nimeiry ordered the”
tend a mass execullOr
squads without any ay ‘
verdict depending a isi |
Nimeiry’s personal d foo! i
Sheikh was denied any pe!
drink for the three 3 j
he was hanged. 7
A decision has peen of
the Army leadershiP wil,
munists and democté’ it
executed without tr i i
the Army can avoi stony
public and internation’, of

|

tte

The central committe

Communist Party 4 4
has elected Mohami vy oy
Nugud general sects of oe

ing Nimeiry’s murce® gal!

Khalig Mahgoub.

j dan.
met in the Su iY ed