Talk with African Friends [1]
(August 8, 1963)

During the meeting, Chairman Mao had an extremely cordial and friendly talk with the African friends. In his conversation, besides condemning racial discrimination by U.S. imperialism, he also condemned the South African colonial authorities and racial discrimination everywhere in the world. Chairman Mao said: "Racial discrimination exists in Africa, Asia, and all parts of the world. The racial question is in essence a class question. Our unity is not a unity of races but a unity of comrades and friends. We must strengthen our unity and jointly oppose imperialism, colonialism, and their lackeys, and struggle for complete and thorough national independence and liberation."

After recounting the victorious course of the Chinese revolutionary struggle, Chairman Mao said: "It can be proven that the people's revolution can triumph and that imperialism and its lackeys can be defeated. The whole of Africa is now in a tide of opposition to imperialism and colonialism. Whether it is a country that has already gained independence or one that has not, it will eventually achieve complete and thorough independence and liberation. The entire Chinese people support you. The African people are awakening day by day, the people of the whole world are awakening day by day, and over 90 percent of the world's workers, peasants, revolutionary intellectuals, and all other revolutionary people can unite to win the victory of the revolution."

Chairman Mao said: "The oppressed people striving for complete liberation rely first on their own struggle, and only secondly on international assistance. The people who have already won victory in their revolution should assist the people who are still struggling for liberation. This is our internationalist duty."

[1] The African friends received by Mao Zedong were: the Delegation of the Basutoland Congress Party led by its Secretary-General, Godfrey Kolisang; Ali Mohamed Soimhi, President of the Comoro National Liberation Movement; the Delegation of the Federation of Black African Students in France led by Tatsoundou, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Federation; T. Makombe, Cairo Representative of the Zimbabwe African People's Union of Southern Rhodesia; and J. K. Gahengeri, a writer from Kenya. During the meeting, Mao Zedong issued a statement supporting the just struggle of the Black people in the United States against racial discrimination.