STATEMENT AT THE 377^TH MEETING OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE AGAINST APARTHEID, TO PAY TRIBUTE TO PAUL ROBESON ON HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY

10 April 1978¹

... To the African people throughout the length and breadth of the continent, the peoples of the Third World in general, and the oppressed and struggling people of South Africa in particular, Paul Robeson was more than a legendary artist whose unparalleled talent always inspired the downtrodden blacks with confidence, pride, and the spirit of self-assertion. To our people, Paul Robeson was also an outstanding and selfless freedom fighter, political leader, whose single-minded dedication to the cause of the black man throughout the world, and human and social progress in general, made him a target of the most vicious persecution by the reactionary forces in the United States; the forces that were committed to the perpetuation of exploitation of man by man.

In his extensive travels and professional performances abroad, Paul Robeson won himself unparallelled fame, respect and influence. If he had sought personal growth and wealth, if he had remained unconcerned and silent over the sequels of slavery and the plight of the blacks in the United States, the plight of the colonised people in Africa and the world, he would have been acclaimed by the dominant group in this country, through its powerful media which it owns and controls, the greatest roving American ambassador of the time. But Paul Robeson was made of finer and sterner stuff. He spoke out. He clearly and unequivocally declared his stand, and the virulent campaign conducted against him only served to temper and steel his commitment and immensely increased his fame and prestige.

Any appraisal of Paul Robeson shows that his internationalism, his all-embracing humanism, was developed through his deep communion with the Afro-American heritage. To the African National Congress, this day is of special significance because of his close association with our struggles. As you recalled, Paul Robeson attended the meeting of the Coordinating Committee of Colonial Peoples in London in 1949 - at which the African National Congress was represented - and travelled from London to Paris, with Dr. Yusuf Dadoo, to represent the Coordinating Committee at the World Peace Congress.

In South Africa, Paul Robeson is considered an outstanding champion of the emancipation of the country. No doubt, when the time comes, since victory in South Africa is now as certain as sunrise, he will be one of the first to be honoured by our people...