If the imprudence at recounting the episode can be conveniently ignored and one embraces the spiritual importance that lurks behind the dramatic, yet spectacular episode, Kenneth Kaunda’s tears of sympathy for the victims and vices of apartheid at the First International Conference on apartheid South Africa in Lagos was a pointer that more concerted effort should be mustered in order to put apartheid on the conscience of world humanity. That was in 1977. But the issue canvased and resolutions arrived at were lost on those who may not have been opportune to participate in the deliberation. Thus, inadvertently, yet avoidable, the National Committee Against Apartheid (NCAA) objectives in organizing this all-important conference was doused, albeit temporarily. This is the very reason, in spite of the limitation inherent in the conceptualization of the issue involved in the struggle against apartheid which necessarily informs the thrust of most of the submissions at the proceedings, credit is due to the organizers of this 3rd attempt at putting apartheid to intellectual flight.
