LOOKING AT AFRICA

Southland Times, Issue 25312, 15 June 1935, Page 13

LOOKING AT AFRICA

“African Dances” by Geoffrey Gorer (Faber and Faber) is described by Cecil Roberts as a shocking book, but fascinating. Gorer met a negro dancer named Benga in Paris. In order to increase his repertoire this young negro planned to make a tour of West Africa, chiefly in the French mandated territory. Mr Gorer suggested going with him. Together they set out in a car with two negro chauffeurs and visited the French and English colonies. Their ostensible purpose was to see native dances. They succeeded in this, but there is more than dancing in the book. A fortnight was spent in Dakar making preparations for the inland journey. The first part of their travel produced many strange incidents, including that of an ostrich which fell violently in loye with the chauffeur and spent her time stealing cola nuts, which she brought in her beak to him Stepping into a local bar, Mr Gorer tripped over a live lion that rolled on to its back to be tickled. The heat became terrible, and their food for 300 miles consisted solely of sardines. There was a fantastic hotel kept by a female impersonator who was having a year’s rest before continuing a world tour. He danced to an Albiniz record, with a fat, blue-bearded man who was a master of Spanish dancing, and who proved to be an excellent cook. Experience of French officials draws forth some scathing remarks. There is a great deal to be said against a ruling caste founded on money and birth, such as we possess; it is obviously unfair and excludes a great number of competent people; but it has many advantages over the French system founded on examinations and influence. He states that throughout the French territory the natives, on seeing the white man and his car, either sprang to terrified “attention” or ran away. In the English territory the natives laughed and waved. Mr Gorer does not give the impression of an observer biased by patriotism, and he confesses that what he saw of the English administra-

tion made him “reluctantly” proud of his nationality. The French, he writes, despite their doctrine of equality, do not put it into practice. A regular supply of prisoners Is absolutely essential for French administrators ... an empty gaol is unthinkable. As for the negroes who were called upon to fight in the Great War, they were simply blood sacrifices I on the altars of the white fetishes Gloire and Patrie.” There is a constant fleeing into English colonies to escape conscription and forced labour. SECRET WAR IN OIL The- settlement announced in the King’s Bench Division of a libel action by British Controlled Oilfields Ltd., against Messrs George Routledge ana Sons Ltd., of London, publishers, and Messrs Butler and Tanner Ltd., printers, of Frome, Somerset, depreciates the effect of the book entitled “Secret War for Oil.” Sir Patrick Hastings, K.C., for the oilfields company, described the matter as being of grave importance. “The book,” he said, “was partly a novel and partly alleged to be a true

record of the world's struggle in connection with oil. In the foreword it was stated that the book shows that world forces are being manipulated behind the scenes by utterly unscrupulous forces, over which the ordinary citizen has no “The allegation in the book is that thfe object of the authors, one of whom is an American and the other a European foreigner, was to show that the British Controlled Oilfields Company was not a genuine trading company in oil; that it was a concern completely controlled by the British Government, and that its objects, in the main, were to acquire large tracts of land in the nieghbourhood of the Panama Canal which would be useful to the British Government in the case of suggested war between England and America.’ “The authors go on to say that the position of the shareholders was completely ignored, and they were not allowed to get any profits out of the company, the reason being that it was the British Government which was controlling it and using it for improper purposes as distinct from those of a real company.” “The true facts,” Sir Patrick continued, “were that the plaintiff company had a capital of millions of pounds and

the British sharehqlders are protected by an arrangement which was made some years ago. “It is simply and solely a trading oil company. The British Government has no interest whatever in it—or' control over it—and every one of the allegations in the book in regard to suggested powers of -interference by the British. Government is absolutely without any foundation at all.” Mr Harold Murphy expressed the deep regret of the publishers and the printers for the publication, and the record was withdrawn _ on the terms agreed between the parties.