'Hands Off Africa!!’ The 1958 All African People’s Conference: Its Impact Then and Now - All parts

Organisers: Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London, and the United Nations Association, Westminster.

This conference marked the 60th anniversary of the All African People's Conference (AAPC) held in Accra, Ghana. Driven by Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Prime Minister of newly-independent Ghana, and George Padmore, his Adviser on African Affairs, it set out to advance the ideology of Pan Africanism through non-alignment, anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism and African unity. It has been hailed as a watershed moment in the history of Africa’s liberation from colonial rule and white supremacy.

Our speakers examined the role of the AAPC within the framework of the Pan-African movement and will assess its significance and impact. Attracting more than 300 political and trade union leaders from 28 African territories and chaired by Tom Mboya (Kenya), delegates to the AAPC included Patrice Lumumba (Belgian Congo), Frantz Fanon (Algeria), Sekou Touré (Guinea), Kenneth Kaunda (Northern Rhodesia), Joshua Nkomo (Southern Rhodesia), Holden Roberto (Angola), Ezekiel Mphahlele and Alfred Hutchinson (South Africa), and Michael Scott (South West Africa). Fraternal delegates and observers came from countries outside Africa, including Canada, China, India, Indonesia, the Soviet Union, the UK, and the US. New research revealed that foreign intelligence organizations infiltrated the conference.