3 minute clip of Robeson being interviewed in Australia.

It's worth the 3 minutes to listen if you are interested. the full effect of this man gently explaining primitive accumulation via colonialism/slavery to a panel of patronizing racists. Between the 3 of them they can't manage a single intelligent question but he very generously pretends they asked something smart and answers in kind, but still in terms anybody, even an australian, could plainly understand. He models how a person can be raised on propaganda but later grow up to learn new things and change their mind around. An outstanding communicator.

note: I cleaned up the auto transcript, including, difficult to hear, talking over each other and a very weird old fashioned australian accent. Hope I got it correct. I didn't distinguish between the 2 male hosts. All the woman contributes is constant nervous giggling.

the captions in the screencaps are confusing, please consult nearby text for more accurate

Host: how is it that that the American Negro, who for so long has been a second-class citizen United states---

Robeson: Still is, I'm sorry.

Host: is that he's contributed so much to American culture

Robeson: well...

Host: music. dance.

Robeson: yeeah.. umm

Host: everything you can think

Robeson: well I had to be very modest about that I would say certainly. as we look at the African peoples in Nigeria for example I just got a wonderful invitation to go to Nigeria to be present at the installation of the governor-general, is equally an old friend who now. and I had to cable him "I'm in Australia" I said "would like to be with you but I'm out here with some good folks. but I'll get to Nigeria later"

Host: Do you fell that Africa is to some extent an affinity for home? do you still feel America is essentially your home? how do you feel?

Robeson: well let me come here I'll come to that in just a second...

but to come back to it so I would say the Africans and the American Negroes have turned out to be an extraordinary gifted people the great tragedy is that by not making us full class citizens as yet in America they may be losing I don't know how much yet that's all.

and to come back: I would say that unquestionably I am an American. born there. my father slaved there.

upon the backs of my people was developed the primary **wealth of America

the primary wealth

you**

have to have accumulated wealth. the start, you know, to build.

you did it another way here in Australia. you had to build your accumulated wealth too. you just came and took it, you know what I mean. and that's what they did in most of the country is what most of you Western--- is what Europeans did. you just took it. we got to catch up with you a little bit.

so in America so there's a lot of America that belongs to me yet, you understand.

but just like a Scottish American is proud of being from Scotland I'm proud for being African.

And when our schoolbooks they tried to tell me that all Africans were savages, till I got to London and found mostly Africans I knew and were going to Oxford and Cambridge and doing very well. and learned their culture.

and even once, somebody had the temerity after one had conquered the Chinese people and imposed upon them the opium trade and everything else to suggest that they were backwards people. just the people who had been civilized so long while the rest of you folks didn't make any sense at all.

so somewhere it was wonderful to find about the colored peoples of the world, that they were very advanced.

so I would say today that I'm an American who was infinitely prouder to be of African descent no question about it no question about it I'm an afro-american and I don't use the word American ever loosely again.

Host: Now this was the feeling, when you were in London, about 1937-38. you really had the world at your feet then. I mean your tremendous success, you were recognized all over the world. and yet you went back to America. Was this the feeling that took you back?

Robeson: I felt I had to go back to my people that's right the going was tough. today I can go back, I just had my passport renewed, I could go back to pretty tough times now

but any time I could get a telegram next week that the Negro people had gathered somewhere in one of their conferences as they could and say "Paul, in the difficulties that are going on in America which you come back and help us?" I would take the plane as soon as I finished my engagements