Richard Seymour Hall
Journalist, author, historian.


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African links

Dick Hall lived in Zambia for 13 years, and continued to travel all around Africa, and to be involved in reporting African politics or writing on African history for the rest of his working life.

There is an entry in 'Wikipedia' on African politics covering the time Richard Hall was living and working there. It references one of his books: the High Price of Principles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_of_Rhodesia_and_Nyasaland

An interesting speech by South African Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Ms Sue van der Merwe, that references one of Dick's books is downloadable here as a PDF

Profiles of some Central African contemporaries, including a profile of Dick, are available at this link:

http://www.nrzam.org.uk/People/People.html
(scroll down to reach Dick Hall)

The profile itself can be downloaded directly as a PDF by clicking here

 

A poem celebrating Dick's life and work in Africa
written
by Dr Kenneth Kaunda can be read below

Oh God my God
Heard the shocking news
Richard Hall our dear comrade
Is no more with us
Dick we expected a sound farewell
To us Dick you bade no farewell


Oh God my God - You know well
All genuine friends to each other say farewell
There was a friend we knew well
His name was Richard son of Hall
He knew how to fight for a cause
Yes, he was well known to all
And freedom fighters knew and loved him well


Friend and foe on his truth
Could day and night depend
Friends and lovers of truth
Could always on him depend
Such a situation as he was required
at any cost to defend
And this only with his pen


Come one, come all
Dick Hall rallied all fighters through the pen
Come one, come all
Dick rallied peace lovers through his pen
Rhodesia and Nyasaland Federation has to decay
We will make it decay, decay, decay


His honour on the block was put
And seriously it was put to the test
The settler element had called the tune
Nay, nay, Dick Hall called his own
Come and fight the Federation,
it had come to decay
Yes, his fellows rallied, it had come to decay


Oh God my God - Heard that
Dick Hall, friends and all
Their goal they have achieved
It's all smiles now
Federation is no more
The old struggle is no more
Federation came to decay
Yes, Federation came to decay


Come one, come all
Dick Hall says farewell
Come one, come all
Dick Hall says farewell
Roots, roots, roots, now it's roots
Says Richard son of Hall
To Old England he belongs
Alright then Richard son of Hall
Fare thee well
Zambia your second home
Is indeed your home away from home


Oh God my God
Thou has't taught us
To love our neighbours
As we love ourselves
Indeed what a lesson it is
Difficult truly it is

But Richard son of Hall knew it well
And Richard son of Hall practised it well
For this Lord we are truly grateful
Richard Hall to you we bid farewell
Dick our dear comrade - Fare thee well
Till we meet again - Fare thee well

FROM YOUR FELLOW FREEDOM FIGHTER
Kenneth Kaunda
24/11/97

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