YouSaid · the spoken record

Sékou Touré

lines on the record: 283
first: 1960-09-24
most recent: 1962-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“In the present case, we are compelled to recognize that up to now the action taken in the Republic of the Congo has tended rather to discredit the authority of the Congolese people and Government than to offer them disinterested assistance with a view to ensuring respect for Congolese institutions. When we study these acts, the conditions which have favoured them and their motivation,, we cannot but place on the United Nations the main burden of responsibility for the confusion created and cleverly sustained in world Opinion in order to disguise the nefarious action of the worst enemies of Congolese freedom and sovereignty. 33.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Whether or not it is voiced, African opinion condemns the ambiguous position of the United Nations representatives who have deliberately and illegally disowned the Central Government of the Congo and encouraged secessionist movements and the chaos desired by the Belgian aggressors. 31. The Government of the Republic of Guinea has often stated that it is less appreciative of intentions, whether they be good or bad, than of reality and of the impact of deeds as they relate to the specific interests of our peoples. It has also said that, in its view, intentions have never made history and can change nothing in this world unless they are translated into the corresponding deeds. 32.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Our fears are fully justified by the negative role assumed by the United Nations in the drama of the Congo. The confusion and intrigue generated in the ledgling Republic of the Congo have put the United Nations in a very bad light in the eyes of the African peoples. One cannot disregard the fact that the implementation of the Security Council's resolutions on the Congo has revealed serious deficiencies, thereby demonstrating the weakness of United Nations representatives, or their complicity with the enemies of Congolese independence and unity. Whether we like it or not, nothing can justify so-called "neutrality" in the conflict between the Government of Mr. Lumumba and the colonialist forces of division, exploitation and disturbance.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The Belgian Government had just ordered its parachutists on a mission whose only purpose was to attack the freedom and sovereignty which that very Government had only recently announced that it had granted to the Congolese people. 29. Since that aggression, international opinion has been bombarded by increasingly contradictory, fantastic and discouraging news from a Press which fears neither God nor man, to the point where people are wondering who is now the aggressor in the Congo and who is the victim of aggression. Day after day, as part of the campaign of lies organized by a certain Press, the simplest facts are being presented in such a way as to cause ordinary people to wonder whether the independence of the Congo was not, after all, a regrettable event mote damaging to the interests of the Congo than the Belgian colonization. 30.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“There is no degree of moral sublimity, no human emotion and no refinement of civilization to which Africa and the Africans are strangers. Imperialism must not introduce its philosophy and methods into the institutions of the United Nations, for that would be to jeopardize the moral authority and the esteem which the Organization enjoys in Africa. 28. Although, on 10 June 1960, the peoples of Africa and all the democratic forces of the world united in rejoicing over the political progress made by the former Belgian Congo in becoming an independent and sovereign State, a democratic republic, it must be generally recognized that hardly a week after the birth of this new State, there were profoundly disturbing developments which cast a shadow over our picture of the Congolese nation.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Some look only for traces of their own ideological antagonism in Africa, and are interested only in what may reflect their own prejudices, when what is needed is to understand the true facts and to see that a new way of life with its own values is being built up. 27. The United Nations has certainly acquired great prestige in Africa by reason of the hopes which it has awakened in consequence of a series of positive measures in the cause of human freedom, dignity and brotherhood. Africa sets great store by those ideals, because they have been familiar to it for centuries. It would be altogether wrong to imagine that Africa is only now becoming acquainted with the noble ideals on which the United Nations Charter is based.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“It must henceforth be clearly understood that, as we affirmed in this very hall on 5 November 1959, paternalism, or any attempt to intervene in Africa otherwise than in accordance with authentically African wishes and aspirations, will be doomed to failure. 25. The surest guarantee of the victory of our peoples lies not so much in the more or less forceful declarations of their leaders, as in the dynamic strength of our peoples themselves, now firmly wedded to the sacred cause of their emancipation. If the world Organization wishes to carry out a constructive programme of co-operation in Africa, free of all prejudice and over-sensitively, it is essential that it should heed the clear voice of the true Africa. 26.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Any others who have been making the same calculations in respect of other lost causes will be able, we hope, to draw the obvious conclusions. 24. There is no easy road to the achievement of complete liberation for Africa. The imperialists must renounce their privileges. There is no other solution. The men and women, the old people and the children of Africa have clearly grasped that fact. Although the paths of progress are not uniform and the form of the struggle differs from country to country, depending on the prevailing conditions, the struggle for liberation in each African territory constitutes part of the whole immense effort for the complete emancipation of the continent from poverty and servitude. This means that all the traps set for us will be avoided, one after another.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“They will not accept this new form of colonialism at a time when the need for liberty and dignity is becoming the primary concern of the whole African continent. They will show that the true objective of their peoples’ heroic struggle was not to secure a flag, a national anthem, and as has been well said, a seat in the United Nations, but to put an end to every kind of domination and to participate effectively in all measures for the promotion of peace and progress. 23. Our peoples have undergone oppression, but have never had a vocation for being slaves, and their leaders cannot accept the role of puppets which they are being asked to play in the United Nations. Those who are relying on sympathetic African votes in order to stay in Algeria, in South Africa, and in the colonies, will be the first to be bitterly disappointed.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Some Powers imagine that they can dissemble, behind enthusiastic applause, their secret desire to procure African votes in the United Nations, votes which can be used not to promote African emancipation and the struggle for world peace, in accordance with the high ideals of the Charter, but purely to advance their own cause — in other words, the consolidation of their economic position, principally in Africa and Asia, Yesterday's oppressors, speaking in the accents of pure philanthropists, are hoping to cajole the independent Governments of Africa and Asia represented in our Organization into supporting their reactionary policy. 22. Certainly, not all the applause greeting the new Members of the United Nations has the same significance; far from it. The leaders of the new African States are fortunately not children.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“For the same reason, we warmly welcome into this international family our new sister States, which, by taking their place beside us, reinforce our means of action and increase the prospects of the liberation of other peoples still deprived of their freedom and their sovereignly. Like us, these new States will discover the satisfaction of proudly withstanding all the tactics for isolating them adopted by the imperialists, who still dream of remaining the masters of Africa. The imperialists no longer oppose the liberation of Africa, but they each hope to have Stages in Africa loyal to themselves. The sanctimonious expressions of joy emanating from the colonial camp at the admission to the United Nations of a large number of, young African States should therefore be received with caution. 21.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“But we are also convinced of the absolute necessity of outside aid if we are to attain our goals speedily; we therefore attach great importance to frank and direct discussion with other peoples who are willing to lend us their fraternal support. 20. But our young States in Africa and Asia must, above all, be self-reliant. They must mobilize their entire population to eliminate the after-effects of former domination, and embark courageously on their new tasks. The Republic of Guinea has accordingly never ceased to proclaim that the struggle of the Guinean people is inseparable from that of the other peoples of Africa, Asia and the rest of the world.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“We are confident that the industrialization of Africa, far from lessening the opportunities for the development of other continents, will considerably increase them, since Africa’s needs are steadily multiplying in every field. Those who at present control the world economy must therefore be induced not only to accept the political emancipation of the African continent, but also to recognize that its economic emancipation is a basic factor in world harmony and the new balance of power, 19. The struggle of the peoples for their economic liberation is only beginning. We are in a better position today than ever before to achieve victory in that struggle.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“As we know, the idea of an African common market has recently made headway and it is beginning to be recognized that an authentically African economic entity must be created. On the basis of the peoples’ own interests. 18. The imperialists still need to be Convinced that, in the last analysis, all industries, however highly developed, will benefit if Africa creates its own economy and achieves the necessary conditions for its own industrialization. The false colonial idea that Africa cannot be industrialized must make way for a new outlook, for recognition of the inevitable evolution of all continents, including Africa, and hence of the absolute necessity of industrializing the African countries.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Can a system under which the economy is completely deprived of funds, has very few indigenous specialists at its disposal and is, in practice, compelled to contribute to the development of metropolitan countries that are already highly industrialized, lead to anything but ruin? This is why, despite all the philanthropic speeches, no colonized country has yet attained a social level comparable with what are considered the lowest levels in Europe. There is therefore a vicious circle which must be broken: the enrichment of the rich and the impoverishment of the poor; in other words, the colonial relationship must be totally eliminated if Africa is to have an economy of its own individual type, which will ensure a better future for its peoples.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The present economy of Africa has the characteristics of a colonial economy, the essential purpose of which is to make the colony an economic appendage to the metropolitan country, Africa being considered as a market in which any competition likely to prejudice metropolitan interests is studiously eliminated. As a result of the accidents of colonization, neighbouring African countries having identical economic features belong to completely different economic and commercial systems. In the majority of cases there is no capital accumulation which would enable our countries to make the investments needed for their economic and social development from their own resources. 17.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Political independence does not in itself mean complete national liberation, though it is certainly a necessary and decisive step forward. However, we must recognize that national independence presupposes not only political liberation but also, and above all, total economic liberation. No social progress is possible unless those two essential conditions are met. If Africa is to be liberated economically, it must cease to be considered as a reservoir of raw materials. It is worth, emphasizing that the present underdeveloped state of practically the whole African continent is a direct consequence of the absence of any typically African economy. The new States emerging from servitude are confronted with the serious problem of the fragmentation of the African economy and its integration with the economies of metropolitan countries.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Faced with a movement of revolt, the rumblings of which can be heard throughout the African continent, the colonial Powers show no signs of willingness to relax their economic, political and military stranglehold of their own accord, Africa, despised and cheated of its rights, today occupies a prominent place in the expansionist plans of imperialist Powers. By means of subtle manoeuvres and under the cloak of economic agreements, these Powers are pooling their resources and co-ordinating their efforts for the construction of the military bases required for the exploitation of the vast riches they covet. Thus, colonialism is beginning to appear in an international guise in which it naturally tolerates the flags and anthems of African nationalism, but will not allow any interference with its own interests. 16.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Quite apart from the artificial maintenance of all the measures of political and human oppression, every form of economic exploitation is being continued. Africa is therefore at present in a state of underdevelopment, which yearly assumes a more and more disturbing aspect. It has often been said that the central theme of the United Nations Charter, as it emerges from the discussions at the San Francisco Conference, is that peace cannot be safeguarded if oppression, injustice and economic exploitation persist in the world, if peoples are deprived of the barest minimum and, finally, if certain governments are free to impose on other peoples systems of tyranny and violence conducive to the perpetuation of their own privileges. 15.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“International opinion, sickened by that unspeakable measure, reacted most vigorously by condemning the infamous laws enacted by the racist Government at Pretoria. 13. Portugal, alarmed and disturbed by the vast emancipation movement now embracing the whole black continent, is feverishly strengthening its military forces in Angola, Mozambique, and so-called Portuguese Guinea, with the full approval of its allies, who wish to keep Africa in a state of permanent subjugation. 14. The situation created in the Congo as a result of Belgian aggression today threatens the peace and security not only of Africa but of the whole world. In central and eastern Africa, colonialism is paving the way for further conflict in its efforts to curb the rightful aspirations of the peoples of countries which are henceforward bent on independence and unity.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Our appeal, which merely voiced the feelings of the whole African continent, far from having received a favourable response from the colonial Powers, has been met with arrogance, stupidity, selfishness and incomprehension. The living forces of Africa in revolt against tyranny have come up against the strong defences of colonial oppression and exploitation. 12. On 21 March 1960, the entire world was shocked to hear of the appalling slaughter that took place in South Africa when the defenceless African population of Sharpeville was attacked by the South African police, On that date men, women and children peacefully proclaiming their right to freedom were shot down by colonialist bullets.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“All these profound changes were the result of a hard and ceaseless struggle for national independence, though that struggle did not always assume the form of armed revolt, as in the case of Algeria. Imperialism, too, has deviated from the conventional methods of oppression and has modernized the instruments of tyranny; it continues none the less to use brute force, for example, in the Congo (Leopoldville), South Africa and, of course, Algeria, A year ago, speaking from this rostrum, we urged the Members of the United Nations to remember that a world divided cannot stand, and that a state of affairs can no longer be tolerated in which one half of the world lives in bondage and misery while the other half enjoys liberty and plenty.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“When we addressed the General Assembly on 5 November 1959 [837th meeting], we solemnly affirmed in the name of the people and Government of the Republic of Guinea, which upholds the ideals of justice, solidarity and unity of the African peoples, that the liberty of Africa is indivisible and indissolubly bound up with the liberty of the whole world. We then stressed the fact that Africa was once again phasing through a decisive and critical phase in its history. In less than a year, more than fifteen African countries have freed themselves from foreign control and have attained full and complete sovereignty. I should like once more to greet the representatives of these new States on behalf of the Republic of Guinea and to congratulate their peoples on the victory they have just won. 11.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“We, on the contrary, are consumed with indignation at the fate of the millions to whom they are still denying their enduring and legitimate right of self-determination. The international community must recognize that it can never establish lasting peace in the world while the colonial Powers are still able to oppress other peoples. All peoples wish to express themselves directly, freely and as sovereign States, and any attempt to prevent them from doing so will lead only to chaos and misery. Humanity as a whole should mobilize in defence of a lasting peace, put an end to wars of conquest and re-conquest and turn its face resolutely towards the future, a future of justice and of progress through labour and brotherly love. 10.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The imperialist philosophy which restricts human development by force and makes it a prerogative of the so-called superior peoples is the main source of the conflicts in Africa between the oppressors and the colonized peoples, conflicts which lead to major crises and constitute a serious danger to international peace and security. It is the duty of the United Nations to free the world from the burden of colonialism, which has become unbearable. To proclaim the immediate and general independence of all colonized peoples is to comply with a fundamental objective of the Charter. There are some who list with pride and complacency the countries to which they claim to have brought liberty.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Until the false creeds of racial discrimination and cultural superiority are discarded, it will be impossible to tackle or to solve the basic problems of our time relating to world peace and stability. There are no inferior peoples, nor has any people the right to think or say that it brings the ideal of liberty to another people. We condemn exploitation and domination and are equally strongly opposed to the spirit of superiority which leads some to think that the fate of colonial peoples should depend on their charity. 9.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“This idea of the steady advancement of peoples, which is clearly postulated by the purposes and principles of the United Nations, is often overlooked, if not disregarded, by those who are now invoking the bogey of imaginary foreign domination for the unavowed purpose of masking or justifying the control they exercise over certain African territories and peoples. 8. There are some who still cling to a belief in their own superiority and have not yet rid themselves of their ingrained illusions with regard to those whom they have subjugated by force and whom they treat as inferior peoples. In the past, the excuse given for exploiting subjugated peoples, who became the victims of injustice and despotism, was those peoples' lack of any moral sense or culture.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“In our opinion, that community cannot continue to cling to its old beliefs about Africa and the Africans, or to remain inactive in the face of the new prospects opening up before it. Africa has ceased to be a source of wealth and profit to those Powers which once controlled it politically and economically. Those who fear that Africa may fall under the sway of a particular bloc and who tremble at the thought of thus being deprived of their former privileges are tilting at windmills. Africa is no longer a prey or a bone of contention — it is simply becoming itself. 7.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“This general advance of the African peoples towards a better fixture cannot now be halted or arrested, no matter what resistance may be offered by imperialist forces Political crises, procrastination, attempts at economic strangulation — all weapons employed by the champions of the colonial regime — are powerless to impede the rise of nations which were until recently enslaved, but whose strength is multiplied tenfold as they find new dignity and confidence, and unite for their continued struggle. 6. Such a profound metamorphosis in a continent which for more than a century has remained inarticulate on the fringe of history is inevitably producing a swift and decisive change in the whole aspect of the international community.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The fifteenth session can still become a turning point in human history, if we can lift our discussions above our own selfish interests, if we can act in a spirit of mutual Understanding and rid ourselves of prejudice and suspicion. 5. In Africa, the struggle of peoples for liberty and prosperity has gained momentum. Breaking their fetters. States are now emerging where once there were only vast spheres of influence, or rich areas of exploitation. In spite of repression, bloodshed and torture, colonialism is steadily losing ground.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“In other words, at a time when the world knows that all the ingredients of safety and prosperity are within its grasp, respect for law and for the equality of peoples seems to be declining, as does respect for self-determination, which has always been considered as the very basis for the settlement of international disputes. 4. Numerous obstacles stand in the way of the irresistible advance of the colonial peoples and the forces of peace and progress. Colonial Powers — Members of the United Nations — are still striving to maintain their privileges at the expense of the African peoples. It is an undeniable fact that the colonial question is one of the major issues at the fifteenth session, which is distinguished by the presence of so many Heads of State.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“New difficulties ate now appearing to hinder the development of the African continent and to darken the international horizon. Thus, at the fifteenth session, the General Assembly is beginning its work at a time when the peoples are anxiously wondering what the future holds in store for humanity, and when the glorious past of the United Nations is in danger of being effaced from man's memory. 3. Every day reports come to our notice of individual or collective actions which conflict with the ideals of the international community, actions constituting faring violations of the spirit of the United Nations Charter.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Rarely in the history of the United Nations has a General Assembly session been followed with more intense or hopeful interest than was the fourteenth session. All the peoples of the world believed, and justifiably so, that that session was to be the Assembly of peace, ushering in the new era of friendship and brotherhood of which the world has never ceased to dream. The fourteenth session was, moreover, not only the "Assembly of peace" but the Assembly of Africa. The problems of African development and of the establishment of lasting peace are indeed closely linked and attempts must be made to solve them simultaneously. 2. Unfortunately, the hope conceived by the nations, barely twelve months ago, that succeeding generations Would be saved once and for all from poverty and destruction, was soon disappointed.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)