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T he o r g a n i s a Ci o n o f t h i s v i s i t' w as d i s a s t e r o u s C o s a y th e l ea s t a l t ho ug h
I h a d Cw o c o mr a d e s to as s i s C me ; Comr a d e J o h n n y w h o c a me h er e t wo week s
b ef o r e t h e Co n f e r e n c e and Co m r a d e T h a mi , who c am e f r o m Br u s s e l s to a s s i s t
xi th the organi sa ti on o f t h e ' abor t e d co n eer t . To g e t he r t h e t hr ee o f us
manage d t o f o u l u p e v e r y t h i n g .
I t h e n ma d e a n a p p oi n t me n t wi t h t h e p e r s o n c oncer ne d f o r t h e f o l l o w i n g
morning . Rs Co m r a d e J o h n n y wa s w i th m e, h e c ame a l o n g to make the neces-
s ary a r r a n g e m e n t . Th e p R O th at Thami s p ok e a b o u t n e v e r m a t e ri ali sed.
Tra n s p o r t
If at thi s l at e stage I ha d kn ow n th a t w e s ti11 had no transpor tati on,
I wo u l d h a v e a ppeale d t o t h e s a m e s o u r c e f o r a c a r . B u C a s l a t e a s Sa t u r -
d ay af t e r n oo n b e f o r e g o i n g t o Che a i r p o r t , was t o l d b y Co mr a d e J o h n n y
th a t al 1 h e h a d Co do wa s ph o n e a n d r e mi n d hi s co n t a c t . I f s ome bo d y h a d
made v a g u e p r o mi s e s or had no t p r o m i sed a t a l 1 t h a t t r a n s p o r t a C i o n was g o i n g
t o b e p r o v i d e d , nothing sh o u l d ha v e b e e n l e f C Co c h a n c e o r as t h e Chi e f
Repr e s e n t a t i v e , I sho u l d n o t h a ve pl ac e d m y t r u s t i n o c h r r s Co c a r r y o u t
Chei r p ar t of t h e w o r k d e l e g a t e d t o t h e m. t h e r e w e r e Cwo
F o r tun a t e l y ,
a mbas s a d o r s a t t h e a i r p o r t
who so k i n d l y b r o u ghC us ba c k Co Pa r i s .
On Su n d a y we had a fu l l p r o gr am m e b uC not c r a ns po r t d t i on a nd ha d co do
the u nforgivable and tak e t ax i s .
B y Mo n d e y mo rni ng, I ha d f o u n d s o m e b o d y
who h a d ch ' nec es s a r y d oc ume n t s
whi 'ch
c h e n ab
a b lleedd h i m t o h i r e a car Fo r us . T hi s e a s e d Ch e t r a n s p o r ta t i o n
prob l em .
t u c k i n g b a c k o ve r t h i s Cr a n s p o r t a t i o n t i a s c o I r eal i s e th a t we c a n n o t
use t h e e x c us e t he C car s ha d b e e n p r o mi s e d a n d t h a t t h e s e p r o mi s e s h a d
n ot b e e n k e p t . The c r u x o f t h e mat te r is t h aC we s h o u l d se r i ously l o o k
at o u r me t h o d s of w o r k ; t h e f a c t t h a t we d o n o c o ord i n a t e , t h a t w e g e t
i nvolved in m a t C e r s whi ch in m y o p i ni on are of I es s i mp o r t a n c e , e g . g o i n q
to the a i r p o r t a f e w h o u r s b e f o r e Ch e p r e s i d enC 's del e g a t i o n a r r i v e d t o
wel c o m e t h e Ge n e r a l i n s t e a d o f u s i n g t h o s e p r e c i o u s h o u r s Co s e e t h a C we
T he w e r e ma n u m, I F r a h l > m > ,, t a r x n mp l > , l h a c c a mo l a t i o n I C o m r a l >
m> w a s x >' n > I > h >k .I I> u i I w h i c h Cur n 0 o u t t o b a ra cr m . Mo r e t h a n
l I In b >
am I nv > l v r l i n I h >' a > r I n q i n ! ot C h i n t 's p rogramme w i C h n u t
nxu l I > n < I w> l h m> wh o w I s actually responsible for arra ngi ng hi s programmo.
n I I
Th n t h r w a s t h e r on< I l wh i c h a ls o Cu r n e d o u t Co b e a fi as c o an d h ad
I I l ' e c a n c ' 1 1d . Il r r > lo a , l th i n k th e C C o mr a d e Joh nn y ha d bi
g i dea s
w h> h c o u l d no C b ' p u t i n l a p r ac t i c c. We , ( T h a mi a n d I) , c ou l
d g o a he ad
w>r h t h e t e c h n i c a l a r r a nq> m ' n t s b u t h h a d ch e k c y to th e b i g a r Ci s t s . We
kp t o n s e n d i n q t e l x s la l l O , r r p o rl in g o n o u r p r o g r e s s and r eq u es t i ng
I n format a on on th e a r t i s l s bul o n l y m ana g d t o gc t a r epl y af t e r a ppe a l l i n g
Ca l b r Pr s i dn t 's s >c r el , > r > a t . By Chat Ci me ve r y p r e ci o u s ti me h ad
l II n w a s Ce d .
When t h e c o n c e r t w s e v e n t u a l 1 y c a n ce l l e d , a c er t ai n pe r s on was i n v o l -
I ed I n t hi s d e c i s i o n - mekong who h ad n e v e r c a r e d a b o u t t h e A N C . SWAP O ,
Lho wa s c o - n r q a n i s e r o f t h e e v e n t wa s n o t i n v o l v e d i n thi s f i nal con s u l t a -
I Ion, no r w e r e t h e r e pr e s e n t a t i ves of t h e c o ordi nating c o m m i t tee
who w e r e
present a t the c on f e r en c e wh er e the d eci sion wa s t a k e n . I was j u s t i n -
formed t h a t a de c i sion ha d b e e n t a k e n . I Co o w a s not i n t h e f i na l d i s c u s s -
1 one .
We hav e a v e r y i mpor t a n t l e s s o n t o l e a r n f r o m Ch i s fi a s c o . Th e l es s on
b ean y t h a t w e sho u l d n o t l e t b i g i d e a s g e t th e b e t t e r of u s . Thi s c o n c e r t
was o r g a n i s e d o n Che u n d e r s t a n di n g th a t we we r e y o un g to ha v e f a mo u s
arti s t s to p e r f o r m . But a t t h e el e v e n t h h o u r n o t h i n g ma teri ali sed.
T he l o c a l a r t i s t s w ho a r e r e s p o n s i h i e f o r t h e d
a parthei d musi c i n th i s
evelopment of' t h e a n t i -
c o u n t r y and w h o a re ve r y po p ul ar wer e gi v en v e r y
lxttle c o n s i d e r a t i o n . If thi n g s ha d b e e n pr o p e r l y or g ani s e d g r o u p s ap -
p roac he d i n t i m e and fi r m b o o k i ngs made we w o u l d h a v e h a d a r t i sts f o r
t he e v e n i n g . Incid e n t a l l y a gr o u p Ch a t we h a d a pp r o ac he d t o p er f o r m
actua ll y tu r n e d u p a t the h a l l , s o m e o f i t s m e m b e r s h a v i ng c o m e f r o m o u t -
s id e Pa r i s . B u t a gain , t h e y c o u l d n o t b e c on t a c t e d a b o u t t h e c a n c e l l a t i o n
bec a u s e t he y we r e at w o r k .
B esi de s t he ab ou t p roblems, a n u mb e r o f t hi n g s h a v e ha p p e n d t h a t p l a c e
he ANC i n a b a d p o s i ti on. F o r ex a m p l e a t t h e pr es s c onf e r en c e wh er e
Lang ( a t o u r in v i tati on) and M a r r y B e l a fo n t e a p p e a r e d to la u n c h A r ti s t s
Agar ns t A p a r t h e i d , B r e y t e n b a c h m a d e a n a pp e a r a n c e a n d t ook th e p l a t f o r m
(although Comr a d e J o h n n y h a d r e q u e s t e d t h a t h e d o e s n o t a t t e n d ) . B r ey ten -
bach , w h o j u s t a f e w we ek s p reviously i n an i n t e r vi e w wi t h L e Mo n d e h a d
sa r d , a mo n g o t h e r a n t i - A NC t h i n g s , t h a t th e A N C w a s a m yst er y i n S o u t h
I fri ca, spoke o n s o u t h A f r i ca. w ha t w e sho u l d b e v e r y cl ea r on is t h a t
wen L a n g i s i nvi ted, i t is li k e i n vi ti ng B r e y t e n b a c h .