THE AFRICANIST GATHERING' IN GHANA

by Bern.!lrd FONLON

The African Shar e A thing which merits to be stressed 11boul the Conwess wu the

African parlidpation. Thero were a~ul 220 ;Afoc_11.n scho lars there, from 35 countries, and rep,esenl!ng 30 umver~1hes and 16 minislries of educa1ion. The importance of the African sha re is further stressed by the fact that, of the 150 delegates to whom official lnvlrations were sent, 100 were Africans. And the Africa n position was further slrengthoned by the presence lhere of suc h Negro Scholars as lhe venerable Dr. DuBois whom I have mon-

~~n~;i~~it~r~e~~r~~n:~•d 5:r~:j;~t:~~!e~~~~~~~ E~C:1~i°h of the University of Nigeria and sever4I others.

C°:Oside_r the numerous, world.wide parlicipalion 41 thh Con­greu m spite of the cosl II entailed to many, consider lhe depth

~;~, tf~ic~~:t~~e~~~~:id~~h~:rf~~ 1~:~:~~\;i~;s~f~he1~:n::~~i ~~

the counlry, ~sagyefo, Or. Kwame Nkrumah, 1he President of Ghane, came, 1n ~rwn, lo open it; consider 11II this, and you hard-

Xa~e:t 1~0~ 0 :~\n~hl~ ~

151:~~~

117~htl;.liomil Congress of Afrlcanisls

The Genesis

l 1e :f t to Crt'.!ale 11n lnlcrnalional Con re bc.n 01 rho 2:Slh meeung of the lnternari iscof Afric11nlsls was •I•· h 1-J 1 #.Iv ~cow in Augusl 1961.

1 Th· ongress of Orien-

oor•~n~~•:~~~ ~: r :ih':,'."Af~[~~!!~o\~~nler~st~~r~h! E~y in"cJ° hu I wP-s h t tt', 1ntern1tional Congr~ 01(J°!her ":'ith this Easi'.

a, Atocan echo,. B•,, al 1he Moscow g th _rientali,1s contained tl),1! the time WH ripe for a separate iiter~'".9, 11 became clear Afnconlsts A re:.olullon_ wasfa"ed 10 lh I ahonal Congren of ~ f 1h01 the lniti I mtelm.J o the new c~ effeci sllpu1aling fur­

of Afrl ~n U,111 r iii • 1n 196:.: ngreu be held ln one

African Studios

Dr. l((NNllH ONWUKA OlKI Rcc.1•uI de l'Unl~en,!41 d'it,d.,, t1 P1Mldff11 du Coll0•4it t11l«nt-

1ionat dt1, Afriu11l1!t·' Princ.lp,11 JI lb4id~• U11,~e1i.ty iod CMlr" t•' ,.' ,.,. tni<tr~•••O,,_

Cori<;1r•H of Afrk1nitll.

dies, where b Afri~.,n s1udies is meant studie, di ~~i-(;once rned with Africa 1 ~ftlclln 1ns-

:~~~foh~, ,li~gnu;~f:; ~:I~~• ~?~J~'.c!ln;':x;!~c~; !~s:!'rc~~~~~';~/~{~~:

1,•~f1;~: 1: :n Afrlcanlsl.

A 111 A

bout ,he~ studies three questions c.tn be askod Wh<1t ha, ~ their faltt ,n ,he ~SI? Whal is their ,xesenl stdlO? Whal ere

rhelr furure m--eds? II is fairly obv10us 1har Afrkan studies could no.I thrivo under a

sys1c,m which 1rea1od 1he African ,:iow as merchandise, now as sub.

~e"70 :;/'m:~, o;~,~~:~~~g ha~d-fo~~who:~~:iddsJcett; systffll allow rhal 1he African possessed an>:lhing worthy of sc!entj. fie inves1igalion? Africa was a museum piece good en?ugh only for the curiosily of 1he tinthropo!ogisl. Under the colonial sys1em, therefo.e Afri:an s1udi1 s were, for the mos! part, neglacted and despiled

This negleo:::1, however, wu not 101al; but such a1rempts as were m11de were viria1ed a priori by p<ejudkes centuries deep; and, almost naturt!ly, these attempts strove, not lo 1.mearlh the truth, but to con-

:ri;n:e~;e;~;,~e:~:r;:~s ;;:~, :::~ft~y~t:ich c::~~; ~~ could not but be distorted

Thus, unli/ very lately, Afrium siudies were nol considered res­~lable enough lo figure even on the curricula of African unive r­sihes, ~nd efforts to introduce them somelimes encounlercd fierce nta01 n1sn

_Hc-w .tei. with the sudden Afr,kan reawakening, African ,tudies ~1 : as su~1enly become, I wont sa~ respec111ble, bul wor1hy of

~11:01 \J

11~:;s;t:11n0u;~~o~w~i'i'~~!8:r;r~~~~stly Ame-

tM 1!1

1 ~1:,w;" •~h~~1

0~~~~~

1~eyto the Africans (hemsi,lves

tern 1n - fo·• that are being unde~k~ :!;;l especially in !he Yu "" 0

1 ·;. -· m the Universities of Ghana .,;J'Ne.s~ially'( as

;:'7'1 Ip I J ''i :~ ~~;r::~':h ~f spey~nr A:frican sJi'::i~11;, w~~

'P. n , s•.1di ' ca 111 m one or other ~ !!Id

Th v vt: In r,q :'llr,,,rtance of 1hese studi .

b v; ; T '-'11,'l ~;ro :/;e~~1t11~ •~;~?Id task h!f~~ ~t~::~~h: k ...., ➔ to F JI ih tr<. k-~ ~,,11(:~i°'lmely, lo search for the

' ~r r, e end II e urgency of ihese SI: wh n ,'OU coniide

1~udies are driv r-n

' ., nl t Af1,. 1 h,u 10 grii~I s.t&ggering pr, • ~ ll I for rhe achievemen~ of''h today, pr,

nv I 1d Plychological d complete po! tr n r. .,,~r ·T J d } OJI arid e<:olonisation

r o ,,ve tn A T n true pic:turr~;8~~~i'te African pall

"

Or a l Sourc e Material

Wllh reg-,r~ lo oral material, he would hke to siren 1hat 1here were many different lypes of unwri1ten $0Urce, which mu,t be studl~ for a genuine understanding of the Afric-,n put; m0fe attention deserved to be paid to the value of oflll tradilion, ond

~~ai1r~1~:/?'eff~~:~~l,i~~ls s:~~~~a\~'ih:i:~:ia':u:~ 1~

help of the expert versed ln the ,e11glous, poli1ic1I, MX.lal and psychologlcal functions of myths ln the community under study; thus the work of lhe anthropologist would greatly facilitote and enrich thal of lhe historian.

Ro le of Archeology In 1he same woy, he could oue11 thal Afrk-,n hi,ro,iography

._,1uld not progress much fur1her until Archeology wn deve­loped to the point where it could begin to mak~ more 1ub,1an•

:~a~~~n;~~~li:~~rk:bi; ;~~~\~e1~1~r~h:f~;fh~

1

d ~:::r:r~ ~0e!h~i::~~ ~~g::;~~

0his~~r';'b;~edxb~~~~1iS:v!~ ~:O e~~{

culture by 1he orcheologbl, Bernard Fogg.

Role of Comparative linguistics . f he would l\ke 10 s1reu, finally,

tho ~r7~~~di~ui:~~, .. ~ce5

~rtt~~ulslic ret 'fr:: ·~h~1'r':~,~~ ~l~~~~l.;

This research was still in lls ~nfan<.y ;~aiive study of Afrkon lan·

~~~.,~~~~~~i:T8;,i~~d~ i~~t ~1,~0~:~ wllh comldeHble lnfOfmat\on

)1

PROF. POTEKIN ON ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE

o ,h~ol~or ~~:7n':io:~~d;nhco spoke, .u I seid before on . Pr Afri( lnstilutc of lho Soviet ~~~~ICC,n Co_unlries, 'is H~t,d

0!J0rh!

'"

She 5lng the principle th 1 / of Sciences . • ompenled by oconomlc lnd:~~u::al independence must be

nee, Professor Potekin rolec•

A 8 l I A

den both ihe posslblll!y 11nd the nece 1.

,ed the view of those w':t Y contending 1h11t, In tho oconon,1c sity of KOnon'll~n~:de~en:~eens abJolute Isolation. sense, absolullt pe Ir)' could survive In the world

N~f ~~~,~~~r~;~~~;rle~~7rh other counrr!os. today nt of economic Independence mean

Wh11t did the 11chle~eme of a 5 stem of economic rol111ions then ? If meant 'ih~ se•~~i ~:Stem wdurd preclude, first, tho policy fit~ foreign c~n ries ,wof any country or group of counlr!es, ond :hrc~•~~f; pr;t(k, secondly, the possible out-flow of some parl of the nafional income without &n equivale~I capllal investment; f~ the possibility to pul an end 10 imperialist plunder and the possibility 10 choose one's own way of development, were lhe two most general criteria of economic independence.

The silvarion in every colon/11/ counlry on the eve ol the prrx/11m11tion of independence, dedered Polekin, wes llS fo/. lows, 1he bulk of the invested c11pi111I belonged to one country

:fr; /~:;:~\:~~~h~~~i~~is~~e ;~~;ik!y'~~~~~al,t:"s of ,he m11nu/11cruring induslties; /he bulk of foreign t,11de end the cred,1 end b11nking system were fully controlled by them. This imp/111d litm economic dependence on the metropolitan :ounlty end II one- ided economic ar,achmenr to ii.

'h (J(Ocl11m11lion of political independence could not by 1/self nenge ,his picture. The procl11m11fion of poli1/c11/ inde-

f:,~ j ?; ~llf;~:::a:/!nt!':J' 11~!'~!';;;:~1~~ '~f ~:::~~:: ~~~; ~r:'~~w 1

:,!~;:,Jl~~a:h:11:,:r~,\ h~i~iiy~vbi:· 1:hd0t~~~t

e11, 11 811 the economic dependenc.e on the former merropolrton

!'th : ~e ';/':1,;::r~~d:~~de"::/~!llp~ar aulom11t,c111/y ,n~tte /111 ' the m.-,m br11nches of the~ oc/11,med As ll

dustr-y p n 11, :ins, kre t" tri!de, ere ,n nee~/yr:~; ,Shuc~;s m•

~- n''i- y ,e '111

1'::, ~ iEt~opec:::,orAmer,c11nmo~o,:,t:;

~,' v. o I

I e rhrc ugh ,he :::e~~me~':!ci~em .,re

o ve ' 11

, m::~, :;~/~~e,9:ie111 lnflue':::! i~ " I ' .. , ' te incl monopof me their po/,c,cs

'· 'C' j co,1 tc n1t/oni!I ,~J:P11~ This ,s a

t I o' f, \:• ::,)we :io\~;<~~t7hZed, :er •s~

0n;~, ~,,U~ 1 L , a y v1th sovere,gn Af11can

"

nsacllons

Taking into account the extreme weakneu of priv~IO netiona\ c6piral in nearly all the Afrlcan coun1ries, only tho setting up of e stare-owned se<:tor in 1he economy could ensure the achievement of

economic independence. There were many obstacles for lhe African peoples 10 overcome

on their way lo a bright future. The duty of scionlists the world over w.u to help tho peoples of Africa to cope with 1hese !asks; this rhey could do by their scionliflc research, in froternal co•opora• rion with their Afriun colleagues.

Thu• Professor Polekln.

Dr. BAFFOUR ON SCIENCE AND DEVELOPMENT Dr. &Hour is Vk ,Chancellor of Kumasi University, on institu­

ti, " dmo~t entirely consecrated 10 scientific studies. Speoking on

1 liii~c'

1:~j ~t,:~l~y ~~G~e~tio

5~r:~si:fr~can Development, llS

'~h,ntif1c research es II prelude ysine quag nl:~ ~bsolllutohneed for! :fovclopmont in Africa. O II SC omcs o

hrmid11b!o preuure w.u being brou ht I be c lt~ral ndl ~try, for P.xample, from u~rte

O. e~ on lhe . gri•

Al a io I n mi :.msldcrolions to ur~e f rs udsp1red by pol iii• m 1 )f m h niSe' igr .Huie.' Bui lhe

01.wer enormous sche­

Jrc.m 1-nut SI rl me r:id the dismal failure ~1r1~rous Ee~• African

venlure po ntd 1he ,inger el the fale that 11 • e Gamb111 poultry

0 ·11 of 1h1s kin~ un ~ rtakon wilhout ed waited large-scale pro­

" 5 "'. ~ and 1nvl•Sh9<lli n In agric~~~e prepe~atory sdenlifi< 1 ent1f1 rescorch \': H required <'II ever 1' especiali, intensive nmt-,1,,es involvm;i r )n ldcrable- sums ol ~;~:v. in or e, to ovoid

future for Industry T~c mi~ing. induslry loo nt,xiod prep&ralory scu:nlific resea1ch

end 1nvcs11gehon, for, although PfOS~lioo had been going on

~~r ;:~;r~~:,~;te~r!;',~d~omf~t~h!:'sl:e 1~~1,:~:~~9"~1;!_ clng lhc vnsl po1>sibili1ies of Africa In 1h\s lie1d

Prospecl\ for industrialisation in Africe were very prorni111,g ~ ·ause of the great polen1iali1ies for the production of powe, lrom

t~)!~8~n~v~h~ 11~oi~td~~:'.eatfri~t;,ill,~\i\;~~ ~;i:~:;d'~~

p )wcr were greolly enhanced by 1he fact that 1he use ol so\a, energy held enormous pouibililies for a continent with large are•I of perennially clenr and c1oud1cu skies .. Howev7r nol c~gh

;;,~:~;,:;.~:U1/;:~~~",t:,~:1~h~·~::!:;:;o~,:h~lh1r.;i,:::: urged 1h11I its sludy should \xi Intensified

Scionce and Social Welfare With indu~ldGlisalion, dill:c~li:'a:~~~n~ ~:~~i~~t:~~l~j

>me v_ery scoodnouhs. The tobple Unlortunotely, very \it1h• ,,u~y producmg g ouses c ea . Y-_ f Africa's grea1 re$0Urce1 ,n h.td been mad~ for the ex

1ploitah~\;ilding pro\e<t, 11 wor!hwh\lo

low cost meteru1l to make ow CO\ proposition. closely linked with thal of

The proble,m of water supply wa\ nd nelion&l l)oundories : 11

housing ond ii\ solulion mus! ironsce ,,

Future for the Fishing Industry He would not conclude this account without mentioning lhe

great rei::,urces and potential111es of our surrounding oceans, the lndian and the Atlantic. 11 was well established that the Atlantic has the richest concentration of plank.Ions of 11\1 the oce11ns of the world and hence is teaming with fish. The abundant shoals of tuna in the Atlantic l11y unexploited and ii was known that trawlers to-­day were coming from 11s far as J11pnn lo fish luna in the Atlantic and s.1111 made enormous profits. 11 was claimed that schools of lun11 1n the A!lenlic could provide enough proleins for the entire ~or1d popul~tion for the noxt 500 years. Wes not this a wonder­•JI opp,Jrlurnly for the future of the fishing industry in Africa ?

The for~ldable list of auignments and tasks for Af -1ecr~. S(1cn11sts end technologi!>h stressed the crying dfn ehngl-1103orie~ of m>!!n. Unfortunately, today, they were": or t ese JPP , Glen! efforts must be made to produce lh very short r ·> ne --~ry theta predominenl\y scientific em-~m. For lhis, to· Afri n 1ystem of educatlon right from the eit''asls be given The .,h 1c futur1 of the confine 11 hung upon this. mentary school.

c 1

Td~u:e~r~:~~our Jn :ic1 n •~ ond hchnology in relalion 10 Afri-

IHI .t.FtliCAIMt t.An1n1t.a IN (',H ... 11,\

On the lhr oshold of a New Era

5 ~~,' :f/e:h:~~;:~~ :;:~f~rl lh-, ~rm and \iitened 10 ~w from the Afncan Writer's Con~ 1n lhe tonvklion which 1

;f:'f~r·)t~:a:fre~d!~eed enteri11e~e~e~'1,/,,~':'·1~",~~rr~:

The first was that of dewuctlon h

:~tin~h~:~k~ :~: f;~tnc':' /~t::yh~ ~\d~~oa~:tirA~:~ ,h~=~:~ conslruc tlon. ' we eie entering, i, 1h11 of re-

the :~~~;~~~~~d:~~tu1t~~n:,:~~ '~h s~ed riles of 1he linl weie lion_ and, often, armed ;evoh; 1ho~ ~I 1~~:~ ~!~a­cha1r, the laboratory, the »lu1ary silence of the schola,·, ''~-

The virtues of t~e firsl were lhe saeva indignario 1ha1 d,i~ to arms, rabble-~ousmg oratory, marllal fearleuneu; tho\e of ih<: secon~, unfla~g•~g, daunlleu resea,ch, deep ,el\eclion, and cold. inflexible, ob1echve scholarship.

The standard-bearer of the first wH 1he politiden; 1he high pries l of the second, the sc.ienlilic. scholar. Where the linl stood fulminating and shouting, the second must bend down and dig, musl sit down and think.

Not 1hat the former's role is now over; far lrom it. Not 1hal 1he men of action should now surrender active \eadenhip 10 the thinker who, more often than not, is not mede for such leaderd1ip. Bui that the two should c.omplele each 01her, should work. hand in hand ; 1het, today, the African scholar's. !hough~ _should _be the, spring-board and the momentum of Afnc.an po\11,cal action.

There hardly ever was a political movem~nt but had 1~s_back.· room boys, ils thinkers, ils lheofbls : the ant1~n1s were puv1~ with such greet minds as_Plato en\~ Atto11{:; la~~~~~1[\i'°:!

c~:meunti~:~s~e~fe <;;:rx:15e~d %~re w~

11tmvch in Hiller 1het recel­

\ed Hegel and Niet1Sc.he. de ded on whelher 1he Whether action led lo weal or 10 woe pen

thinking wes h~allhy or dlseesed. uciion of Africa ~nnot be ,he The 1lberat1on and Id ,his iesk. of l,fe and d~:t

work of groping chen expediency ,t must be soh Y be left et the mercy of ihought. based on principle, on I om henceforth, thil sc~en•

And the Congress slre~sed. ,~~~ ;hie.an sc.holer, ,he Afr1t11n

tlfic thinking muSt be African'

"

No Salvation sav e in Unity In his address, Or. Dike, as you have seen, brought out ~cry

d1,~;•l~f 11,h~ ~i~~~~ii:~1~a~hfr~~~:p~can%~~~h t~~s l~~e ;t~~ot'~fs~

10,i11n cannot work In isolation and hope to reach lhc hig hes t

:h~c!i:h!f~f:1~1ih~e=~~~ei:i~:i:,;,~v~ii~;\~\i~~

1

~h~~t

1

~~

5

~j of lraditional literature

Inter-disciplinary co-operation was, therefore, not merely highly desirable, but absolutely necessary. And since this co-operation and co-ordination could be realized mosl effeclively only at the university level, ii was imperative thal African universities ;hould work hand in hand.

Co-operation between disciplines and universilles w11s howeve r not enough. Dr. Baffour conclusively showed, as we have seen !hat_thore are certain scienlifk projets, like the halting of 1he S,haro' )~ ;::i~:; '· whkh cannot bf, accomplished wilhout inter-sl<!te , 0 :

llUe~1e~' :har

0,it~r:~:i~ ~~0J0~~:;

1t/~/etl ~.url~er still and

which h~re car1

b'.' no e :momic independenc us 11

a 1sa11on without ::lltlon , r genu,ne polili I ndependcnce _e - lhe absolute con-

~~i~ b.- 11 balkanised ~frico an only be ac~~~17s"h°e'd t :ccuon'TI\~

Ali n " :o\or·, A.k ·,1n in~lilutes of h' h iMes, iovc ut on, mmon do,tiny the ,:~~; li~;r 11~dgih:~~c:;_

"

Rencontrel des Africanistes au Ghana

par 111-rmml FOf\'LO.\

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