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9/27/1961 - On the Eve by David Hapgood

NOT FOR PUBLICATION INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS DH September On The Eve B P Dakar Senegal Mr Richard He Solte Institute Current World Affairs Madison Avenue York Yo Dear The SS Lyautey arrives Dakar tomorrow For three months Ive preparing veaturez reading about Xfrica talking Africans Afrieantst8 United States Britain France chatting Afriean Frenchmen trying define satisfaction neriean journalist should studying Africa Here notes period preparation which sense tomorrow morning In York lovely African woman Africa seems arehiteetural vritten momuments Maybe really stupider others vistfullyo I asked writing buildings civilization She seemed accepted white kfrioan ulture should measured European yardstick Is because father French educated France Or attitude common among rieans A handful scholars beginning important putting history Africa accurate perspective Equally important myths Africans create about their Textbook history popular history largely wishful thinn learn about nation ideals official version The wisecrack academic circles order expert country flown light For Africa Jets Take example American Afrieanist lectures subject place study French speaking Africa Paris though experts Africa None these experts Afrtc white American United States overnment official Or reporters acadesies journalists capital capital seeking instant wisdom Embassy local CIt Old Africa Hands among remain Europeans around hotel Vol anyone except shaping political destiny Africa There nothing wrong these Nsources themselvest respecting newsman Senator Russell Georgia Martin Luther K nking The point Britain visit patron saint frican Thomas Hodgkin Oxford I llewed rambling eutside Oxford Stratford As others Hodin generously ideas besides H thtnkins vbleh I unabashed great influence approach Africa HodKin healthy corrective experts While writers Mrs Elspeth Huxley explain Lfrica great suthoritatiTe detail Hodin insists inability West erners general understand fully happening today African politics He decries eerness Westerners Africans their countries properly Western Jaja Wa chuku Nigeria sardonically calls Nintellee imperialism If West intellectual contribution HodKldn argues likely mainly field African histor areheolo7 because shortage African scholars In African studentts Paris political ikons ysuwillalmostalways findontheweal arephotographsofPatties Lumumba Fidel Cstro Why Castro Castro struggle ainst Ameriema domination struggle against French domin ation An frican student Place St Kiehel tells present leaders Africa without exception fools recals generation sweep within years He sayss whites 2Lfriea write unprintable He alternates bursts hatred against whites bursts enthu siasm about country He years In sedate newspaper offices Le French nalist picks student thread thought Philippe Deeraene writes frica believes student present African leaders transition superseded under circumstances quite different those their pareatso Neither Decraene anyone I spoke seemed clear generation comes powero French popular attitudes Africa Africans follow standardcliches atleastinmyexperience Yousayyoutregoing kfrica Within couple sentences comes remarh almost exactly these wordss African children theytre After while begin Ions someone Africans nasty Next there usally comes questions tqVht think about problem United States Sometimes openl Frenchman saids tired Americans criticizing about Llgeria colonialism solve probleats The French baffled American discrimination because standard hypocritical views prejudice They nothingagainst noirst about A gerians France Americans about Negroes This means accurate analogy9 since lgerians France subject anything American segregation The unscheduled hundred soldiers Algerian It dreary scene ICI LA FRANCE carved stone Imard passengers boredom geria There stivity usually accompanies sending young kilied No bands played cheered The soldiers waited their trucks They silent passengers watched silently And indeed there anyone The Lyautey freighter carries hundred passengers invaluable perience This season everyone afford humid summer returns lkskar France About passengers Afriemas etits blancs Frenchmen holding small Jobs Africa Under artificial condi tions shipboard living acquainted faster shore We learned something about African social patterns perhaps likely mouth shore Somewhere conversation fricans question often comes along Usually boons qVhat think about Fidel Castro dtrectlys Im inter ested Cuba If Charge Bay Pig conversation business Sometimes question about Algeria Congo especially Katanga interestingly enough never I about relations United States The Senegleae surprisingly frank internal polities their country The dozen Ive talked sample certinl cross section plsced under present government wouldn gotten Frsnee Yet attaced goyernment pretty terms praime Some standard small change griping about officials eating Above object continued French presence Senegal independence We foreign doctors engineers overpaid secretaries Prices exorbitant D protected market French French sending Frenchmen cation first elass Some Senegal comes loser economic relations France deJpite French I would official study balance sheet those economic rel6tions You sense French Daar living borrowed though varies A military sayzs They hundred year8 woman woring Senegale8e government tfricans You going throw The African 8haes shrugs They smile politely understand 0thor These borrowed years French They higher standard living would doing France first factory foremanaye100amonthinDakaro Heexpectstoberepla Ifriean these meanwhile never Nov before landing I I accumulated suitcase unanered questions which I tried suggest first newsletter I grateful torment criticism additions readers these lettero Received New York October