'THEY TOOK OUR WEALTH'

On this day in 1979, pan-Africanist singer, actor and activist Paul Robeson died at 77.

During his life, Robeson's anti-imperialist views put him in the crosshairs of the US government. During the McCarthy era (a period of state repression against individuals holding leftist views), it held him responsible for dissuading Africans in America from participating in imperialist wars and branded him a Communist.

This not only led to Robeson getting blacklisted during the McCarthy era, effectively ending his mainstream success, but the government also denied him the right to travel by refusing to grant him a passport.

However, all these attacks did little to dampen Robeson's revolutionary spirit or prevent him from expressing his opinions. In this 1960 clip, Paul Robeson's wit, intelligence and insights are on full display.

First broadcast on Australian TV, he explains to the host and audience how their country, and the United States too, got its wealth - as well as why he is proud of his African roots, despite institutional attempts to make him ashamed of them.