The heat rises Long Walk Original Manuscript (Image #306)

everything in his power to give material aid to all African liberation movements, an undertaking he faithfully tried to carry out. With an independent Ghana Pan Africanism ceased to be a remote idea associated with black patriots in foreign countries. Now it became a stem growing on African soil, shooting its roots in all directions and giving us that exhilerating feeling of confidence that springs from the knowledge that we are part of a great movement that spans the whole continent. A decade before the emergence of Ghana we witnessed the independence of India, Pakistan and other Asian states whose political organisations defeated mighty imperialist powers and threw away the yoke of oppression. Because of close historical ties between India and Pakistan and a significant section of our population, and more particularly the strong line India took on racialism and the association of Mahatme Gandhi with the South African freedom struggle, her independence had a positive influence on us. All these events deepened our hunger for political power and quickened the pace of developments. It is against this background coupled with the heightened political activity and consciousness among the black masses following on the Congress of the People and the Treason arrests, that we should look at the events that took place in South Africa between 1956 and 1961. The rapid strides made by the independence movements in Africa were celebrated at a mammoth "Africa Day" rally organised by the Congresses at Alexandra Township. The rally was preceeded by intensive organisation and a propaganda campaign which included a colourful float manned by