NEWS OF THE WORLD

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 86, 10 January 1928, Page 12

NEWS OF THE WORLD

“THE PATH”

AFRICA’S BROADCASTING CENTRE.

A line of carriers is winding along a narow, well-beaten path through the unkempt bush of Central Africa. Ahead marches a white man, stick in hand and pipe in mouth, deep in his own thoughts, as likely as not miles away in the Homeland. , , Nothing stirs in the woodland; the little group has apparently.all the -world to itself, yet listen in with them for a while and you will hear news. Along the path in the oppose direction appears a rag-tag and bobtail Pp) jx The leader wears boots and ill-fittin,, cast-off European clothes; the next in fine has grown iired of being civilised and carries his boots slun o on slioulilers W. F. X“"S, ” ” "Glasgow Hoiwld >- 1 ~ n , a bicycie, ea women witn Kambwe.

a Malt bv the Wayside. and ne "s t* n f r i e nds and fellowXe°rs he« o? conditions, prospects ti h-wneniugs. The newcomers in and happening whence, whitriers guider iheir loads and move °\t an easy trot. they soon make up on their comrades and the bwana. And — one dispensing a precious elixir drop bv drop—and such, indeed, it is. ineie now The full tasting and appieciation will come over the evening camp-fire. Hardly has this first budget (no copyright reserved”) been given than ano her small group is seen appioaching a. o t e nath. This time two men Rad stalking, spear in hand, in - 0 fashion along the path, followed ny tno maidens who show signs o f “ nd a lad or two with a reluctant belter.

Piquant News Items. The carriere grow visibly ««ted. may be a piquant news item-a paia "■ranh from the police news or the 01 voice court. Nothing is more I nc l c ° for the African dearly loves a.law sui Yes they are in lucky s way this moin les, tney a a young, deserted fri?e and a disnute about the return of the dowry, which is to be; talkedla .the village of such and such a head nl The carriers settle down with a sign of adSrSIL, and. I. H» “i companiment. of snufon.,, t! e p ease are briefly tola. xu ,. fa meanwhile take shelter by an t ee and look with curious eyes at the group of The llelfer trWS 8 Tlmn'ahnoM Abruptly—without cwnnmnt for that is not expected and mi„hi indeed be unwise-the carriers rise again and follow the path, eager to ]om the fellows for the greatest pastime the African knows— 1 he unravelling of, 3 .* o'* 0 '* suit Woe betide the news-bearers if o analysis they are found to have left, out an essential bit of evidence. the African mind by agedong P ra^ ic f, IS N * its best in ‘ hearing a case. _ i'« white magistrate so commends b 1 ." 18 ,®. 1 to the African as he who hears patiently and carefully; and draws upon the inherited wisdom of the older men. These are major items of nows; local announcements” and lt ®® s nf of J® s n s ® r ri mn port may follow—a party _ of _y ” ear b v <min" to a marriage feast at a neai y ”il] a “e-a man followed by a train of womeh carrving baskets of foodstuffs, pots or other articles of merchandwe Here the carriers enjoy themselves like women at the eales-prices are asked, wares examined and criticised. Possibly if they are flush or have dried meat to exchange, a little bargaining ensues with •in eve to a snack at the fust halt, in anv case the discussion of goods and prfees will keep .their tongues happi y employed for quite a stretch. Into this discussion they may skilfully draw the bwana (probably none t°o loth to share in the gossip) and have then annetities titillated by talk ot ut ® Ss prices and values Some mg have had experience and can tell their less travelled companions wonderful tales.

Nothing Too Trivial. . c n nn it tioes. It is a blank day in, which no news is .picked up, though some days are more newsy than otheis a state of affairs .not unknown at home. One of the unwritten laws of lhe rain is that news must be shared, and .home papers again may note-no item is too trivial not to be welcome. It is an amazingly effective broadcastin'’ system. From group to group tiavelling both ways on The lath goes the news, to be repeated ln tha J lllage J en route and spread ever fuither and further No stone makes ripples quicker or more widely than the gossip of T The Pa power of The Path as a distribillin'’ agency is enormous—for good or ill "Often we Europeans are amazed at the Africans’ knowledge and remembrance of details of past happenings in the corners of the district. Often, too we find our pame—the name cunningly chosen by the African who Ims measured us to portray our charact r ir know where we have not been, i Path has carried it. and “the one « io smiles" “the one who hears patiently, are welcomed; while the “angry, buzzing bee ” or the “roaring bon, find pern L shy of them. The broadcasting of lhe Path has its drawbracks we admit rue-

fully, for the names, once known, are not'"easy to live down. And many are more descriptive and Tess pleasant. Newspapers may come to Central Africa in the years to be: some day, perhaps, we Europeans will be able, at stated times and considerable expense to hear a clarion voice sayin„, IHIS is London calling the British Empire, but for the African for many a long day The Path will remain his • wireless, and on it he will continue to hear and relay all the news of the countryside.