africa south

AN INTERNATIONAL
QUARTERLY

EDITOR: RONALD M. SEGAL
UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE: SYLVIA P. PAULEY

OFFICE: 2 VLAM GEBOU, PARLIAMENT STREET, CAPE TOWN
OFFICE: 320 WEST 87TH STREET, NEW YORK

August 19, 1959

Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, N. Y.

Dear Mr. Hughes,

Because I once had the pleasure of meeting you and hearing you read poetry (in the Mt. Vernon 'Y') and because of your obvious interest in the magazine AFRICA SOUTH, I am taking the liberty of enclosing a copy of a recent press release.

This latest attempt on the part of the South African government to stifle opposition to its Apartheid policy by attacking the freedom of the press - in the person of Ronald Segal - is particularly shocking.

Any way in which you could spread the information about Ronald Segal would be helpful and most gratefully appreciated.

NEWS

FROM

THE AMERICAN COMMITTEE ON AFRICA, INC.
4 WEST 40TH STREET, NEW YORK 18, N. Y.
L'Ackawanna 4-9738

George Rouse, Executive Director
BAN ON SOUTH AFRICAN EDITOR SEEN AS
THREAT TO FREEDOM OF PRESS

The South African government has banned Ronald M. Segal, editor of *Africa South*, from attending any gatherings for the next five years. *Africa South* is a quarterly journal published in South Africa whose contributors include the Anglican Bishop of Johannesburg and other church leaders, opposition members of the government, and occasionally dissenting members of the ruling Nationalist Party itself. The magazine has consistently opposed the government's *apartheid* program of total racial segregation.

The ban is seen by many prominent South Africans as a flagrant attempt to intimidate the press, and another step towards absolute rule by the white Nationalists through complete suppression of criticism of government policy. Although Mr. Segal is on public record as an opponent of communism and has never been a member of any political organization, the order for the ban was made on July 17 under the "Suppression of Communism Act." "Communism" is broadly defined by the Act to include advocating "any political, industrial, social or economic change...by the promotion of disturbance or disorder..."

Mr. Segal, whose passport was seized by the government in June of this year, visited the United States in 1958 on a speaking tour sponsored by the American Committee on Africa. Since the ban occurred, he has received a series of threatening telephone calls, and his car was burned. Although Mr. Segal is prevented by the ban

347

FROM

-2-

George Houser, Executive Director

from attending board meetings or news conferences, he has stated
that he will attempt to continue editing *Africa South* without any
change in its policies.

The ban on Mr. Segal is viewed with alarm in many circles as
a further threat of doom not only to freedom of the press in South
Africa, but to the remaining democratic institutions of a country
which has already limited all governing powers to whites only, and
by increasingly repressive laws is forcing most of the 80% African
population into remote areas constituting only 12% of the land.
Other critics of these laws, like the well-known Christian leader
Chief Albert Luthuli, have previously been banned this year, and
thirty Africans, Indians, and Europeans are still on trial for
"treason" because of their opposition to *apartheid* laws.

###

17 August 1959

347

africa south

AN INTERNATIONAL
QUARTERLY

September 25, 1959

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, N. Y.

Dear Mr. Hughes,

I do hope that you received the three copies of AFRICA SOUTH you requested, in order to keep your files complete. As you know, the magazine sells for 75¢ per single copy - may I ask that you mail your check for $2.25 (made payable to AFRICA SOUTH) to me at the address below?

Many thanks for your interest in the magazine. And Best wishes for your FIRST BOOK OF AFRICA. I shall have to get a copy for my own children.

Ch. #225
sent
Sept. 29,
1959

C O P Y

(Also sent Sylvia Pauley)

March 19, 1960

Mr. Ronald M. Segal,
AFRICA SOUTH,
2 Vlam Gebou,
Parliament Street,
Cape Town, South Africa.

Dear Ronald Segal:

In my forthcoming anthology, AN AFRICAN TREASURY (Crown, June, 1960) which consists of writing by indigenous Africans of color, I would like to include the following material from your most interesting magazine:

REQUIEM FOR SOPHIA TOWN by Can Themba
Vol. 3, No. 3, April-June, 1959

WEAPON (Poem) by I. W. W. Citashe
From "Toward An African Literature"
by Dr. A. C. Jordan
Vol. 3, No. 3, April-June, 1959

DING DONG BELL by Kwabena Annan
Vol. 3, No. 2, January-March, 1959

WIDOWS OF THE RESERVES by Phyllis Ntantala
Vol. 2, No. 3, April-June, 1958

And giving, of course, proper credit to AFRICA SOUTH---if you would
be so kind as to indicate how you would like your credit line to read.
Also, please, send me 4 or 5 lines of biographical information about
each of the above persons, or request for me that they do so. There
is a payment to each writer of $25.00 for prose pieces, $5.00 poems.

I have received permission for the use of DING DONG BELL from Annan in London; and I have written Dr. Jordan c/o AFRICA SOUTH. I am enclosing herein permission forms for Can Themba and Miss Ntantala, if you will be so good as to send them on to these authors. (If you see them, please request prompt return to me, as the anthology is now ready to go to press). You (and each author) will receive a copy of book upon publication.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of the above matters.
With great admiration for your courage---and editorial acumen,

Telephone MURRAY HILL (TO: Ronald Segal, Sylvia Pauley, Miriam Singer)
Cable Address LETOUT NEW YORK

Crown Publishers, INC.

419 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 16, N.Y.

TO: AFRICA SOUTH

January 31, 1960

May 7, 1960

As you may know, for many years now I have been compiling an anthology of African writing, which will be published by Crown Publishers under the title of AN AFRICAN TREASURY. It will consist of articles, essays, stories, poems, and miscellaneous items by indigenous Africans, and one of the distinguishing features of the collection is that all of the contributors are writers of color. I think this will make for not only a rich and stimulating reading experience but also an important expression of what African writers are thinking and saying.

In keeping with the high standards we have set for this anthology, I would very much like to include the material listed below, the rights to which, I understand, are controlled by you. If you do not control the rights, would you please pass this letter on to the person or publication which does. Since there is a time consideration, I would appreciate it if you could return the form below to me Airmail. We will of course give you appropriate credit in each instance, so would you please indicate exactly how you would like that credit to read. Since this is a small book which we are trying to put out at the lowest price possible to reach the widest market, our budget necessarily is limited; but if you do give us permission to include your material, we will pay you $............

Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.

Selection(s):

Sincerely yours,

WIDOWS OF THE RESERVES by Phyllis Ntantala
REQUIEM FOR SOPHISTOWN by Can Thoeba
WEAPON (poem) by I. W. W. Citashe
from TOWARD AN AFRICAN LITERATURE

Langston Hughes

by Dr. A. C. Jordan

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, N.Y.

TO: AFRICA SOUTH

(AIRMAIL)

Dear Mr. Hughes:

I control the rights to _________ OF THE RESERVES, Ntantala
which I understand you wish to include in your anthology, AN AFRICAN TREASURY, to be published by Crown Publishers, Inc. You may include this material, for which I would like the credit to read as follows:

and for which I accept the fee you offer. This permission covers distribution in the United States, Canada, the British Commonwealth, and the English-speaking market throughout the world.

Sincerely yours,

(FOR AFRICA SOUTH)