Tropical Africa [antikvár]

IntroductionNo one who has watched the events of the past few years in Africa could fail to be excited and concerned. The coming of age of the new African nations, which was given impetus in 1957 with Ghana's independence and reached a climax in i960 when no less than 17 new African states emerged, is one of history's great political developments.As I said in I960 in a speech before the United Nations General Assembly, the achievement of independence by these nations constitutes a dramatic expansion of freedom. It strikes a responsive note in the hearts of the American people, for we achieved our own independence less than 200 years ago. Freedom, as we have learned, imposes a heavy responsibility: a responsibility to individual citizens at home and to the community of nations abroad.The people of the United States have a special bond with Africa, not only because we too have trod the path to freedom, but because many of our citizens are of African origin. Americans through the years have shown their interest and their concern for Africa and itspeoples by their participation in the establishment of the independent Libérián Republic, by the founding of missions and schools over much of the African continent and by generous contributions of their economic resources and technical skills to Africa's development.In recent years Africa has become a critical quarter of the globe, an area where political developments from one week to the next have threatened to plunge the world into war. As we have followed the amazing sweep of African eventsthe violent upheaval in the Congo and the growing pains of the emergent nations our hope as Americans has been that the people of Africa could work out their own destiny in their own way without sacrificing their freedom.In preparing this volume Mr. Coughlan and the Editors of Life have performed a service that is unique. They have, through the medium of vivid words and superb pictures, cast a new light on an area that must be illuminated if we are to keep pace with the great rush of human events in this vital area.Christian A. Herter former U.S. Secretary of State