Audio tapes
Scope and Contents
This series is primarily comprised of recordings of Walter Rodney lecturing at universities and conferences. There are also three recordings of Dr. Rodney in 1980 - a media interview, a WPA press conference, and his last public speech given at a WPA rally. In addition there are a few recordings from 1980 and 1981 of Patricia Rodney, Walter Rodney’s wife, and a few of his colleagues speaking at media interviews, press conferences, and commemoration events.
Dates
- Creation: 1960-1987
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1970 - 1979
Restrictions
The recordings are for research and study only. No copying is permitted.
Extent
From the Collection: 20 Linear feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The recordings are arranged chronologically. For some of the recordings there is a typescript of the lecture and/or a copy of the published title. When known this information is noted in a “see also” reference on the container list after the title of the recording.
Condition of the Tapes
These are not professional recordings and the quality varies. Sometimes the recordings begin or end abruptly, so that the start or closing of the program may not be recorded. The volume may vary within the recording. During questions and answers the audience’s comments and questions may not be audible. Sometimes there are background noises on the recordings. Some recordings seem to have been duplicated over previously recorded programs such as music or speeches. Sometimes there are disruptions and long pauses within the recordings, and particularly when recording continues on more than one side of a tape.
Recordings of particular interest
Of interest is the recording of Walter Rodney’s presentation given at the Congress of Black Writers in October 1968, just before he was banned from Jamaica. This presentation “African History in the Service of Black Liberation” was published in The Groundings With My Brothers.
Poignant is the interview Walter Rodney gave in February 1980, four months before his death. In the interview, Dr. Rodney talks about his life, the WPA, the trial on charges of arson; political, economic and social conditions in Guyana, and why he remains in Guyana despite the serious threats to his life. Also, there is a copy of the last speech Walter Rodney gave at a mass rally in Georgetown, Guyana in June 1980. The verso of this tape is a press conference held in Washington DC, ten days after the death of Dr. Rodney. The two presenters had recently returned from Guyana, observing the arson trial and attending the public memorial service for Dr. Rodney.
There are a few recordings of events that occurred in 1981 related to the commemoration programs for the one year anniversary of the assassination of Walter Rodney. These recordings include press conferences and rallies in London and Amsterdam, where Patricia Rodney and Rupert Roopnaraine (WPA leader) spoke. These interviews reveal insightful information about Walter Rodney, Guyana, the Caribbean, and South America. Of interest are Patricia Rodney’s comments about her life with her husband, the conditions in Guyana particularly as they relate to women, the aftermath of Walter Rodney’s death and the family’s relocation to Barbados.
Creator
- From the Collection: Rodney, Walter (Author, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc. Repository