In a speech-by-proxy delivered by Shirley Graham Du Bois, W. E. B. Du Bois gives a brief history of his involvement in the Pan-African movement and advises emergent African independence movements to embrace Socialism. Du Bois views socialism as an inevitable evolution in government, and notes that African societies have historically been communal in nature. He urges African leaders to resist the temptation to accept Western development capital which will only prolong colonial imperialism, and instead to accept investments from Socialist nations. He also speaks of the importance of sacrificing immediate personal gain for the long-term establishment of industries and educational systems that benefit the largest possible share of the population. He mentions the importance of yielding tribal power and local control for the larger benefit of the nation, for instance, by speaking a few regional languages rather than many local ones in order to facilitate the unity of the state. Finally, he exhorts: "Africa, awake! Put on the beautiful robes of Pan-African Socialism!" These fragments constitute the first and last pages of the speech.
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