Africa Is The Forefront Of Struggle

Date: 1961-04-27
Source: en:FLP-Diplomacy
AFRICA IS THE FOREFRONT OF STRUGGLE*
(April 27, 1961)
Africa is the forefront of struggle. Some places in Asia, for instance, the
Arab countries, are also the forefront of struggle. Take another example, the
contradictions between Indonesia and imperialism are not solved yet. A very
acute struggle goes on in Laos, which is near Vietnam. So is the struggle in
South Vietnam. A mass movement has also been going on in South Korea
recently. All these struggles are against imperialism and its running dogs.
Furthermore, there was a large-scale mass struggle in Japan last year.
Eisenhower had wished to visit Japan, but could not do so, as the Japanese
people closed the door to him. At that time we welcomed him by shelling in
the Taiwan Straits. The day he arrived in Taiwan, our guns fired the whole
day. The reason the Taiwan issue remains unsolved is that the United States
has occupied Taiwan. So our country is also in struggle. U.S. imperialism has
made trouble everywhere. However, in your Africa it is mainly British, French,
Portuguese, Belgian and Dutch imperialism making trouble. As for Latin
America, I met a Cuban cultural delegation recently, on the 19th of this
month. We did not know then it was the very day Cuba wiped out invaders.
Have you heard this news? Cuba has won a battle. Latin America has a
population of 200 million. The population of your Africa is also 200 million.
The Arab countries have among them a population of 80 million. We should
all unite. I have heard that at the current Bandung Conference of the Council
for Asian-African Unity the unity of Asia and Africa will be expanded to
the unity of Asia, Africa and Latin America.
It is possible for revolution to be successful. Among those countries that
did not win victory in the past, has Guinea not won victory already? There
are more countries in Africa that have won victory. For instance, the United
Arab Republic used to be British territory, and it has won independence,
too. In Asia, Indonesia used to be Holland's colony; it has won independence.
* This is Mao Zedong's talk with guests from Guinea, Jordan, South Africa, Senegal,
Northern Rhodesia (present-day Zambia), Uganda and Kenya.
China used to be a semi-colony of all the imperialist powers. It has become
independent, except for Taiwan, which is not liberated yet. The population of
Taiwan is only nine million, whereas the entire population of the liberated
areas in China is more than 600 million. In another instance Cuba has won
independence. It is very worthwhile to study the conditions of Cuba. It is so
close to the United States, only 180 kilometers away. It has been independent
for over two years, and all the people of the country are truly mobilized to
drive away U.S. imperialism and its running dogs. Our country is yet another
instance. In the Chinese revolution the armed struggle against imperialism and
its running dogs took 22 years.
China underwent all kinds of hardships and difficulties. Only by going
through victory, defeat and again victory, through such twists and turns, did
we win final victory. Contributing to our defeats were policy mistakes. Our
Party once committed Right opportunist mistakes, leading to the defeat of the
First Great Revolution, that is the defeat of the Northern Expedition in
cooperation with Chiang Kai-shek. After criticizing the Right opportunist
mistakes, we carried out armed struggle. However, during the struggle we
committed "Left" opportunist mistakes, what we called dogmatic mistakes.
Later we criticized such mistakes. Without those mistakes and their correction
we could not have found the right path to victory. These lessons do not belong
only to us; as international experience they can be studied and taken for
reference by all our friends in their struggle against imperialism and its running
dogs. It is a bad thing to make mistakes, but it is of benefit, too. It is just like
when people become sick, some germs give them immunity, such as in
pulmonary tuberculosis. Once one suffers from TB, one will not suffer from
it anymore. Typhoid is also like this. Once you get it, you will never have it
again. Only because we committed Right and "Left" opportunist mistakes was
it possible for our Party and people to find the right line.
Our understanding of conditions in Africa, taking myself as an example,
is less than sufficient. We should set up an institute of African studies to
conduct research on the history, geography and socio-economic conditions of
the continent. As we do not know much about African history, geography and
current conditions, it is highly necessary to publish a simple and concise book,
which should not be too heavy. One or two hundred pages will do. It is
advisable to ask our African friends for help. The book should come out in
one year or two. Its content should include how imperialism arrived there, how
it oppressed the local people, how it encountered their resistance, how the
resistance failed and how the people have risen up again.
Imperialism has created conditions for the struggle of the African people.

created conditions for them to bury imperialism. It has created conditions for
them to become independent and self-reliant, for it has given rise to the
working class and trade union movement among the African people, and it
has, out of its own interest, brought education to part of the African people,
who have become intellectuals. It seems to me that all of you are such people.
Imperialism and its running dogs set up schools for you with the original
intention to train intellectuals who would serve their interests. Later some of
those people turned to the side of revolution, and a split occurred. In China
some of the intellectuals brought up by imperialism and its running dogs
followed them, some became advanced elements against imperialism and its
running dogs, and still others were middle-of-the-roaders. It was imperialism
that forced us onto the road to struggle against it. Imperialism has helped you
command the instrument of language. Some of you speak English; others,
French, both being main languages. These languages have become common in
the colonies. Perhaps you could not have communicated with one another with
the different languages native to Africa, but now you can do so by using
English and French. Using English and French, people unite against British
and French imperialism. This is life: Imperialism has educated its opponents.
When we were students, we were not conscious of this. For instance, when
China resisted Japanese aggression, many of those who had studied in Japan
took part in the War of Resistance Against Japan. Many of the generals had
been trained in Japanese military academies. There were others who were not
generals, but cultural and political workers. Comrade Liao Chengzhi, for
one, speaks Japanese very well. Now the conditions of Japan have changed. As
a defeated country, it has been dominated by the United States.
As I said just now, it is possible for the revolution to be brought to
fruition. I have raised the examples of Guinea, Cuba, and China to illustrate
that the revolution should rely on the masses and win their support. Only by
doing so can there be a correct line and can victory be attained. The
Democratic Party of Guinea is a party linked to the masses. President Touré
is a leader linked to the masses. It will take time for the people to be politically
awakened. Their awakening will not occur overnight. It should come through
their own experience, from which they draw lessons. That is the way to make
progress. As long as there is a core of leadership, like the Democratic Party of
Guinea and other revolutionary parties, serving as a core of unity and
propagation, the political awareness of the masses of the people will improve
step by step.
The political awareness of the people of Asia, Africa and Latin America
is on the rise. They have gradually gained a clear understanding of U.S.
imperialism. Just a few years ago their understanding of U.S. imperialism was
less than adequate. Now they have gradually gained a good understanding. The
United States says that it is not imperialistic on the ground that it possesses
no colonies. It somehow seems plausible. True, it has no colony, which can be
used to deceive people. However, its virtual colonies go far beyond those of
Britain or France. They may as well be termed as semicolonies. For example,
it uses the Pan American Union to dominate Latin America and uses military
organizations, such as the NATO bloc, the Central Treaty Organization
and the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, to control the broad land masses
of Europe and Asia. Now it is using the United Nations to organize aggression
against Africa, for example, in the Congo.
Our struggle enjoys your support and your struggle, ours. We support the
struggles of all the peoples in the world, including yours, and unite with all
friends who are struggling against imperialism and its running dogs, regardless
of country or political party.
(From the verbatim record)