Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-03-03
BY PRESTON GROVER

PARASITIC SueZ Canal affair
has pushed the struggle for control
OF Africa and its dark millions into
high gear.
For long time history has been
catching up with the slow pace of
colonialism in the world, and espe-
cially in Africa.
Now the two great colonial powers
in the world, England and France,
have been so greatly damaged in
their prestige and financial power
that whole new time schedule on
colonialism seems in the making.
The boiling up Of the Suez affair,
OF course. is only the latest in a
long series of developments that
have forced new look at the fate
OF dark peoples held under control
Of white powers. Except Russia,
whose colonial" attitude toward
its satellites has aroused much
Western criticism. the colonial
problem in modern times has always
been one-Sided. 1t is the control of
dark peoples by white peoples.
In most parts of the world the
problem has already been solved
except in Africa. India, Pakistan,
the Philippines. Indonesia, the Mid
die East States-all have found
their liberty in recent years.
But Africa. except for Egypt, has
never provided civilization of its
own and its dark peoples have been
the most backward in the world.
Their forward surge has in recent
years resulted in formation of polit-
ical parties. and in demands for
independence which are getting
results.
Westward From Egypt
Moving westward from Egypt,
the whole of North Africa except
Algeria is already independent. That
includes Libya. Tunisia and Mo-
rocco. Algeria is in rebellion which
will inevitably result in a form of
great autonomy if not independ-
ence.
1t is in the great belt of African
territory south of north" that the
self-rule or independence fever is
spreading. Farthest along the road
is the Gold Cost which on March
becomes Ghana. a self-ruling and
independent member of the British
Commonwealth.
For the West. the great danger
lies in the direction these new indie
pendence movements take. Russian
influence was vastly increased in
the colonial world by the Suez crisis.
1t championed Egypt. an Islamic
nation. against the West - and
Islam is the most popular religious
movement in Africa.
There is the additional fact that
most modern independence move
mentS have started from the left,
and that is true in Africa. One of
them, in the French Cameroons. is
actively directed by the French
Communist Party. Communist Party
activity has increasd in Algeria and
there are some indications that it
is working its way into the ranks Of
the newly independent government
in Morocco.
United Nations intervention in
colonial matters also has spurred
along the movement toward self
government. Travelling U. N. COM
missions have visited all the trustee
territories in Africa. hearing COM
plants by the scores of thousands.
Within the U. ~ itself corps of
people has developed to whom free
dom movements have become not
only sort of new religion but who
have found fine means of beating
white nations over the head with
these new colonial problems.
France. whose colonial position
has kept her in hot water in the
U. N. ever since the war, is the
special target of these groups.
The freshly liberated states OF
Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
are getting bigger and bigger
voice in U. N. affairs. and they are
being Joined constantly by the So
Wet bloc in harassing the powers
with overseas possessions"
Americas Position
AS a people, Americans are OPP
posed to colonialism. Yet we have
some ourselves. which our enemies
and even our friends are eager to
point out to us
We have a strip of land right
through Panama where the canal
is. We hold Okinawa and clearly
don't plan TO give it up soon. And
there are all those little islands in
the Pacific whose residents, meas
ured sometimes only in hundreds,
make their voices heard in the
world every time we explode a new
"nuclear weapon" out that way.
Yet, in general. the American
colonial reputation IL good. Cuba