PEOPLE'S STRUGGLES 77 strongly entrenched white racism and a ferocious form of colonialism. It is pertinent to note here that the earliest signs of anti-imperialist political ferment and organization started gwith the conference of African states in the Ghanian capital of Accra in April 1958. This was followed by a mass campaign in the colonies, on the basis of Accra decision, to promote the idea that i) Africans had a right to independence and ii) they had friends all over Africa. These first signs of elemental political consciousness among the people triggered off waves of mass arrests and brutal repression. In the midst of escalating repression the nucleus of the most determined among the frontline militants was formed to carry out armed struggles, when it became evident that all other avenues of political struggle were being closed. If the tactics of terror employed by the rulers of these countries cut across geographical, racial and religious boundaries, so did the tactics of resistance to that terror. A sense of solidarity developed among the oppressed peoples. It became a rule that as each country gained its independence, it would open its frontiers to others struggling for theirs. This has been a constant feature as the torch of liberation was handed over from country to country, from movement to movement. Algerians first government in exile was set up in Nasser's Egypt. Algeria, in turn, was host to the liberation movements of three Portuguese colonies, among many others. As soon as Angola won its independence it became host to SWAPO (South West Africa People's Ogranisation) and Mozambique to the Zimbabwcan liberation movement.'Guinea (Conakry) did the same for Guinea Bissau. There was even intercontinental solidarity because the torch of national liberation in its modern phases was brought to Africa from Vietnam. It was the Vietnamese victoly over the French at Dicn Bicn Phu in May 1954 that inspired the Algerians to take up arms ju?t six months later. Among the most effective FLN combatants were Algerians who had deserted the French, or had been captured, at Dien Bicn Phu, and who, after a short rcoricntation course by the Vietnamese on how to fight against colonialists instead of for them, were sent back to help liberate their own country. Another basic constant of the people's movement in these countries has been the struggle against native racism, tribali^M and secessionist politics which the core of the movement had to conduct in their arduous task of (giving shape, vigour and proper course to the aspirations of the people and thus provide a basis for