21 August 1927
The 4th Pan-African Congress was held in New York City, USA. The congress was sponsored by the American based African-American women's organisation, Circle for Peace and Foreign Relations. The congress was opened with 208 delegates signing "Lift Ev'ry Voice". Other delegates were attracted from the West Indies, Western Europe, Asia, South America, and from Africa there was Nana Amoah III of the Gold Coast, Thorgie Sie of Liberia, and representatives of Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Following a lively debate, delegates took some resolutions and made demands. Firstly, they reaffirmed the manifesto of the previous congress. In the name of people of African ancestry, the congress reiterated the rights of Africans to land, suffrage, and education, and also put forward a new demand for "treatment as civilised men despite differences of birth, race or color." The participants condemned the United States' control of Haiti and White minority rule in South Africa, demanded genuine independence for Egypt and stated that imperialism was incompatible with democracy.
References
Black Past The Pan-African Congresses, 1900-1945 [online] Available at: www.blackpast.org [Accessed on 21 August 2013] |
BBC News The Pan-African Vision [online] Available at: www.bbc.co.uk [Accessed on 21 August 2013]