Fourteen Hundred Delegates From All Over South

Fourteen Hundred Delegates From All Over South Africa Went To Maritzburg, Where They Sounded A New And Powerful Call For Unity - Nelson Madela. The odds were all against success, and yet the outcome was a triumph, an indication of a new spirit of resolve which has emerged among the African people. Few meetings can have been preceded by so many unfavourable omens as the the All-In-Africa Conference at Maritzburg. There was a ban on the two main political organisations, the round ups and the imprisonment of leaders, the last minute withdrawal of some Liberal Party and Ex-P.A.C. men, the difficulty of finding accommodation for delegates, the problems with transport. There was the decision to change the hall after tape recording wires were reported to have been found in the original venue. Yet despite all this, 1 4000 delegates from all over the Union got to Maritzburg and many of them slept out in the veld because there was no other place for them to stay. Mr Mandela who was able to attend only because a ban on him had been lifted ten days earlier, paid tribute to role played last year by the banned African organisation. The AA.N.C. which for nearly fifty years had been the sword and shield of the Africa People, had been suppressed. The People were now faced with two alternatives. They had either to accept discrimination, humiliation, Pondolands, the betrayal of the true interests of the African people, appeasement. That was one choice. The alternative was to stand firm for their right. The people coula allow themselves to remain disunited in the face of the Government's arrogance, or they could stand united to ensure that the Government's discriminatory did not work. He said the that Africans would be doing a disservice to the people of the Union if they allowed themselves to remain disunited. (Photograph by Peter Magubane @ Baileys Archives)

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4000 Able Accept Accommodation Africans Allow Allowed Alternative Alternatives Anti-apartheid Apartheid Appeasement Arrogance Baileys Banned Betrayal Decision Defiance Delegates Despite Difficulty Discrimination Doing Earlier Either Emerged Ensure Faced Fifty Finding Firm Fourteen Humiliation Imprisonment Indication Interests Laureates Lifted Madiba Magubane Mandela Maritzburg Meetings Minute Nearly Odds Omens Organisations Outcome Paid Preceded Problems Remain Reported Resolve Rolihlahla Slept Sounded Stay Suppressed Tape Themselves Treason Tribute Unfavourable Unity Veld Venue Wires Withdrawal

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