Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1959-01-31
See African 80.
Continued from Page One)

particularly unlmpreSSlve show
ing in Accra.
When DIR. Banda arrived in
Nyasaland earlier this year to as
sumo command of the African Ma
tional Congress organization, he
came as the self-styled friend and
confidant of Ghana's Prime Min
lister Kwame Nkrumah.
Indeed, the last five years of
his long exile had been spent in
medical practice in Ghana. To the
Nyasalanders, DIR. Banda gained in
stature by the association, for DIR.
Nkrumah's name was already syn
onymous with liberty and self-de-
termination in Africa.
The Accra conference seemed to
lessen DR.: Banda's prestige. He
was overshadowed by the younger
leaders such as western Nigeria's
Chief Awolowo and Kenya's Tom
Mboya. Some thought his speech
dull and boring.
When photographers singled out
The important men at the confer
ence, DR.. Banda was not among
them. And he was passed over as
central African representative on
the conferences steering commit
tee in favor of Southern Rsodesia's
moderate, and less colorful Joshua
Nkomo.
Some observers argue that DR..
Banda consequently felt the need
to regain his position as virtual
leader of the freedom movement
in central Africa, and his first
step in this direction was to ad-
dress an open-air meeting in Sal
isbury on his way home to Nyasa-
land. 1t was this meeting that
was responsible for his being de-
clared a prohibited immigrant by
the Northern and Southern Rho
desia governments week later.
"They can do what they like
with me-" shouted DR.. Banda.
"They can send me to prison. They
can kill me. l am not afraid Of
anything. l will fight federation
from prison We have to be
prepared to go to prison. We must
fill their prisons, millions of US,
singing Hallelujah!"
Even before Accra, DR.. Banda's
preoccupation with prison has been
evident. And the Negro-run Afri-
can Daily News, published in Sal,
isbury, had adduced a reason in
a cartoon published two months
ago.
Against background of rioting
Africans stood DR.. Banda, with
likenesses of midas Prime Minis
ter Jawaharlal Nehru and DR..
Nkrumah lowering over him. The
caption reads: "Nehru went to Jail
and became Prime Minister. Nkru-
NAH went to Jail and became Prime,
Minister. want to go to Jail
7. :"
DR.. Banda has apparently re-
tanned his prestige in Nyasaland,
where the future nonetheless con-
tinues obscure. The Nyasaland
Government seems to be in the diff
ficult position of having to choose
between furthering DIR. Banda's
ends by failing him-thus making
him a popular maryland per-
hitting him to continue on his
present course, with speeches and
other political activity which some
think could lead to a disturbance
Of the peace.
DR.. Banda's position is weak
ened in some ways by the fact
that he has over the past six
months systematically pursued a
policy of ousting from the Nyasa-
land Congress every leader who
seemed capable of challenging his
leadership.
In this way he has lost both
of Nyasaland's Negro members in
the last federal parliament, Well
lington Chirwa and Clement Kum-
bikano. It was they who had
spearheaded Nyasaland's secession
4 movement prior to DR.. Banda's re-
turn home. Mr.. Chirwa in par
ing thousands of law violations, is