THE COLOUR BAN.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 164, 13 July 1929, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE COLOUR BAN.

BLACK WOMEN AND WHITE.

By PAUL ROBESON, the Famous Singer.)

The comparatively short time at the disposal of the American negroes for cultural development has already produced notable results. After all, it is only in the past few decades that they liave been liberated and able to take their stand among free citizens of the world.

Negroes are in no way inferior to the white race. There have been, and still are, many American citizens of the negro race who have reached prominence in various spheres of activity. As for myself, I have no inferiority complex. I am proud to be a negro. My racial consciousness was inherited from my father, who rose from a state of slavery to become a Methodist minister. Fame and fortune do not kill in me that love for my people I have always felt. Steeped in negro tradition, I have always tried to give expression to the negro spirit by means of my art. What Negroes Like. My people are misunderstood. There is a widespread belief in Europe that negroes have a marked predilection for white women —but this is not true. Negroes prefer women of their own race. Should a white woman be marooned on an island inhabited by negroes,- she would Only create amazement. None of the population would be fascinated by < her.

Now, as to my life. I was never meant for the stage, but was studying medicine. However, .my voice determined my career. Even as a child of ten I had a voice which augured well for future* development. When I sang with my brothers they quickly silenced me, perhaps because they were jealous. It was the penalty for being the youngest member of the family. . To-day I am singing—my brothers keep silent. Sang "Messiah" at Fifteen. Early in adolescence my voice took on that bass quality which is seid to be. its attraction now. It hardly changed in subsequent years. At the age of 15 I sang in my school Glee Club. I remember singing so heavily in Handel's "Messiah" that everyone the oratorio sounded at times like a bass solo.

Yet my first recital in New. York was almost a failure — was so nervous that I trembled like a leaf. My opening number, "Go Down Moses," one of the most majestic of the spirituals, evoked disapproval from the public as well as the critics, but I soon recovered and achieved one of the biggest triumphs of my career thus far.

I have been in some measure successful as a play-actor, notably in Eugene O'Neill's dramas —my interpretation of "Emperor Jones" has been considered my real triumph —but my true sphere is song. I have sung in almost every country in Europe, and I prefer singing the songs of German composers in German. My appearances on the concert platforms of Berlin and Vienna have always been attended by success. Reinhardt, the famous German producer, has invited me to play under his direction, but I cannot take advantage of his offei; owing to my London engagements. My Most Amusing Experience. Well, perhaps it was during the run of "Emperor Jones." In the opening scene I had to sit on the throne and have a long dialogue with another character. One night, tired from the strain of the work, I actually fell asleep on the throne. The other actor spoke his lines to me—l did not answer. To those in the wings it looked as though the curtain would have to be rung down. Happily the actor seized a bell which was one of the "props" and rang it lustily. I awoke startled, the audience laughed and laughed, thinking all this part of the play, and the scene was saved.