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FREEDOMWAYS FIRST QUARTER 1972 Ghana, a former research assistant to the pro-American Prime Minister, is an African; but the Institute is actually run by the Assistant Director, an Englishman who has been in Africa since the colonial era and whose involvement with American international politics is such that he could boast of "having been responsible for the appointment of C. Eric Lincoln as head of American Forum." At the same time, Robert Armstrong, a white American, is the Director of the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ibadan in western Nigeria while Professor Michael Crowder, an Englishman who also has close ties within American international academic and political circles is head of the Institute at the University of Ife. Indeed, there are American and/or pro-American Englishman in key posts of practically every major African studies institute in Africa. They exercise considerable influence on the nature, quantity and quality of research that is carried out under the auspices of these institutions. For example, while research in such areas of political significance as culture, history, traditional resistance, musicology, mission history and archaeology are encouraged, at the same time the study of such contemporary issues as neo-colonialism, balkanization and socialist development is discouraged or even frowned upon. They not only determine which African staff, faculty and research personnel are hired and fired, but in many instances they also determine which American scholars and students are permitted to come and do research at the institute to which they are attached. For example, because of American intelligence activity in the east before and during the war, and because of wide U.S. public sympathy for Biafra, the Nigerian government exercises strict control over the number of Americans permitted to enter the country. However, an American wishing to gain entrance could always contact an American, Englishman or pro-American African attached to one of the Institutes of African studies who would in turn vouch for his admittance. If a student or scholar was interested in doing research, he could—as I did—even acquire a residential permit, providing his field of research was not offensive to his voucher. I am quite certain, for example, that if I had been researching "The Strategy and Tactics of American Imperialism In Africa," neither my Ghanaian nor my Nigerian contact would have been overly enthusiastic about helping me acquire a visa and residence permit in Nigeria. As it was, however, I was studying missionary history and therefore had no trouble enlisting their assistance. Intelligence agents, doubling as students, professors, administrators and academic researchers are also funneled into 64
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Reopened for Editing 2024-02-17 07:31:47
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Reopened for Editing 2024-02-17 10:59:43