AFRICA A SMALL TASTE OF UNITY IN THE CAVERNOUS, THATCH-ROOFED BANQUET HALL 
OF ADDIS ABABA'S MENELIK PALACE, 30 COLORFULLY GARBED AFRICAN HEADS OF 
STATE AND 2,000 OTHER GUESTS, ALL BACKSLAPPING AND JOVIAL, WERE FEASTING 
AT THE BOARD OF THEIR MEDALED HOST, ETHIOPAN EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE 
. AS WAITERS IN GREEN-AND-GOLD LIVERY MOVED AMONG FOODLADEN TABLES, THE 
THRONG FELL TO ON CAVIAR, ROAST CHICKEN, SPICED LAMB AND WATT 
(SPONGY ETHIOPIAN BREAD), WASHED DOWN WITH HUNDREDS OF GALLONS OF FRENCH 
WINE, ETHIOPIAN HONEY WINE, AND VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE . THEN, AS THE 
CLOCK TICKED PAST MIDNIGHT, EVERYBODY SAT BACK TO WATCH THE EMPEROR'S 
SELECT GROUP OF FLIMSILY CLAD DANCING GIRLS WRITHE TO THE TOOTLES 
OF THE IMPERIAL BODYGUARD BAND . " UNITY NOW ! " 
FOR ALL THEIR FESTIVE CAMARADERIE AT HAILE SELASSIE'S PARTY, NOT ALL 
THE DELEGATES TO AFRICA'S FIRST " SUMMIT CONFERENCE " LAST WEEK 
WERE PALS . TUNISIA'S HABIB BOURGUIBA LOATHES GHANA'S POWERSEEKING KWAME NKRUMAH 
WHO IS JEALOUS OF EGYPT'S ABDEL NASSER WHO DESPISES THE IVORY 
COAST'S FELIX HOUPHOUETBOIGNY WHO IN TURN IS CONTEMPTUOUS OF SENEGAL'SPOET-PRESIDENT LEOPOLD 
SENGHOR . THE ANTAGONISMS BECAME AMPLY EVIDENT DURING THE LONG ORATORY 
THAT FLOWED OUT OF THE CONFERENCE WORK SITE, HAILE SELASSIE'S PROUD, 
NEW " AFRICA HALL . " EYES GLITTERING, NKRUMAH TOOK THE 
FLOOR TO DEMAND " UNITY NOW .E IN THE FORM OF 
A VAST UNITED STATES OF AFRICA, RULED BY A BICAMERAL CONGRESS 
AND A STRONG PRESIDENCY (WHICH, NO ONE DOUBTED, NKRUMAH FEELS HIMSELF 
EMINENTLY QUALIFIED TO OCCUPY) . NKRUMAH LIKENED THE ADDIS ABABA MEETING 
TO THE 1787 CONSTITUTIONAL CONGRESS IN PHILADELPHIA, WHOSE DELEGATES, HE SAID, 
THOUGHT OF THEMSELVES NOT AS " VIRGINIANS OR PENNSYLVANIANS, BUT SIMPLY 
AMERICANS . " CRIED GHANA'S SELF-STYLED REDEEMER : " WE MEET 
HERE TODAY NOT AS GHANIANS, GUINEANS, EGYPTIANS, ALGERIANS, MOROCCANS, MALIANS, LIBERIANS, 
CONGOLESE, OR NIGERIANS, BUT AS AFRICANS . " SLAP FOR KWAME 
. THERE WAS POLITE APPLAUSE, BUT MUCH OF THE AUDIENCE WAS 
LUKEWARM TO THE AMBITIOUS SCHEME . MALAGASY'S PRESIDENT PHILIBERT TSIRANANA REPLIED 
CANDIDLY : " YOU CANNOT DECREE A TEXT FOR AFRICAN UNITY 
OF OUR STATES ARE NOT MATURE ENOUGH . " URGING A 
SLOWER, STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH, SIR ABUBAKAR TAFAWA BALEWA, THE ABLE PRIME MINISTER 
OF NIGERIA, AFRICA'S MOST POPULOUS STATE (42 MILLION, SIX TIMES GHANA'S 
POPULATION), TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPANK NKRUMAH FOR HIS NOTORIOUS MEDDLING 
IN HIS AFRICAN NEIGHBORS' AFFAIRS . " UNITY CANNOT BE ACHIEVED 
AS LONG AS AFRICAN COUNTRIES CONTINUE SUBVERSION AGAINST OTHERS, " BALEWA 
DECLARED . HE DREW A STORM OF CHEERS, AND EVEN NKRUMAH'S 
OLD FRIEND, MODIBO KEITA OF MALI, JOINED IN TO DENOUNCE " 
BLACK IMPERIALISM . " WITH THE CONFERENCE OBVIOUSLY IN NO MOOD 
FOR GRANDSTANDING, EGYPT'S UBIQUITOUS GAMAL ABDEL NASSER PRUDENTLY CONFINED HIMSELF TO 
GENERALITIES . AFRICA'S SUMMITEERS DID MANAGE TO PUT TOGETHER AN AGREEMENT 
OF SORTS IN THEIR FOUR DAYS OF TALKS . IN A 
MARATHON FINAL SESSION, THE DELEGATES SOLEMNLY AND UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED A DRAFT 
CHARTER FOR A LOOSE " ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY . " 
TO GO INTO EFFECT WHEN RATIFIED BY TWOTHIRDS OF AFRICA'S NATIONS, 
THE SCHEME CALLS FOR A HEADS-OF-STATE GATHERING EVERY YEAR, A PERMANENT 
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS (WITH NO REAL POWERS), AND A PERMANENT SECRETARIAT 
. PENDING RATIFICATION, A PROVISIONAL SECRETARIAT WILL BE SET UP IN 
ADDIS ABABA, TO THE DELIGHT OF HAILE SELASSIE, WHO DREAMS OF 
MAKING HIS RAMSHACKLE CAPITAL AFRICA'S CAPITAL AS WELL . UNDER THE 
PLAN, COMMITTEES WOULD BE FORMED TO MEDIATE INTRA-AFRICAN DISPUTES, PROMOTE ECONOMIC 
AND SOCIAL PROGRESS, JOINT DEFENSE, AND MOUNT A COMMON FRONT AGAINST 
AFRICA'S REMAINING VESTIGES OF COLONIALISM AND WHITE SUPREMACY . 