February 3, 1960 - Winds of Change in Africa

Human Rights a Day

British prime minister speaks of “winds of change” in Africa. On February 3, 1960, when British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan addressed the Houses of Parliament in South Africa, he said “winds of change” were blowing through the continent. This got a rather chilly response from the white minority rulers of South Africa at the time. After all, he seemed to be suggesting that blacks be allowed to run their own affairs, if not their own countries. Macmillan also spoke of the need to "create a society which respects the rights of individuals – a society in which individual merit, and individual merit alone, is the criterion for a man's advancement, whether political or economic." South Africa’s prime minister, Dr. Verwoerd, responded, "We are the people who brought civilisation to Africa… To do justice in Africa means not only being just to the black man of Africa, but also to the white man of Africa." Although it would be another 30 years before blacks were given the vote and the control of their own country, Macmillan was the first of his power and stature to make such comments.