St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1962-07-20
Focus On
Africa
BY EDDIE L. MADISON, JR.

ILL LOH-4NA 11S4N 1hOCIldS
tional Labor Organization, dur
ing its 46th session at Geneva,
Switzerland, decided to enlarge
its Governing Body to give in
creased representation to the
newly independent nations of
Africa. The Governing Body,
the agency's key executive group,
now consists Of 20 government,
10 worker and 10 employer dele
gates. By unanimous vote the con-
ference fixed the executives total
membership at 48, instead of 40,
by adding four seats for govern
ments and two each for workers
and employers. No specific prov
ision was made on how the four
additional seats for governments
were to be assigned because their
holders must be elected, under the
Ito constitution by the confer
ence. However, it was generally
recognized that the Governing
Body was being enlarged to give
increased representation to the
new African countries.
A RECENT report on the ILL
ness of President Joseph Kasavubu
of the Congo (Leopoldville) has
removed the question mark in the
minds of many observers who had
expressed concern about his alb
sence for a period of time from
the Congo scene.
The ailing Kasavubu made his
first public appearance in more
than a month at the Congo's re-
cent observance of its second an
niversary as an independent but
still troubled nation. Onlookers
were shocked when President
Kasavubu had to be lifted out of
his open limousine. Amid cheers
from his countrymen, he then hob
bled on a cane to his seat of honor
on the reviewing stand to see the
Congolese army march past Leo
poldvilles Central Square.
There has been no public an
nouncement of Kasavubus illness,
but reliable sources said he has a
blood clot in the leg and can move
only with great pain.
DIR. JOSEPH DANQUAH,
Ghana's Opposition leader who
was recently released from prison
along 1852 political and criminal
detainees, has called for an end
to his country's "barbaric" Pre-
ventive Dentention Act - the
same act which led to Danquah's
detention. mo civilized country
should have such an act" Dan
quah said. DR.. Danquah, now Sc,
said that he hoped the release of
political detainees would lead to
an improvement in the general sit
uation lin Ghana) and repeal of
the Detention Act.
In a recent dispatch from Accra,
AMP correspondent Adolphus Pet
erson, who interviewed DR.. Dan
quah, observed that President
Kwame Nkrumah last May said
he saw a continued need for the
Detention Act. The Ghana presi-
dent made the comment when he
announced the release of the in
itial group of detainees.
DR.. Nkrumah, at the same time,
intimated that the security situa-
ton in Ghana had improved suf-
ficiently to allow a number Of de-
tainees to be released" President
Nkrumah has ordered the release
Of some 312 detainees.
NIGERIA'S PRIME MINISTER,
Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Bal
eva, has commended the efforts
of President Sekou Toure of
Guinea to bring together the Mon
rovia and Casablanca Groups Of
African states. Sir Abubakar, who
was on holiday at his farm in
Bauchi Province, Northern Niger
ia, expressed his confidence in
President Toure's sincerity.
]. v. Clinton, AMP Nigerian
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