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An African Views America cont'd
The polygamy which the African practices is regarded by the
American .to be worse than the extra-marital relations through which
. he meets similar needs, the African practice is the more objectionable in so far as it emphasizes the subservient role to which the  ■:
woman is relegated.  The concept of eouality which underlies the
philosophy of the American institutions is not designed to stop at a"
point which leaves sex on the outskirts. Exactly how much American
assistance the African has missed by not conforming over this matter
we shall never know.  But it may be in place to remind the African
that informed studies report that over 60$ of' the disposable incomes;
in the United Steates are controlled by women.  Indeed, it is not conceivable that more "foreign aid" could be obtained for those African
countries which^ had the wisdom to skip Washington in order to devote
more time, to a coast-to-coast campaign directed at raising funds to'
liberate African women.  Such funds could then be applied to the education of both men and women, in the former case because there appears
to exist the necessity to educate the men into the wider meaning of
"one man one vote"; in the latter because the higher illiteracy rate
amongst the .African women is one of thestrong factors to which their
—--ih5*r-s^**%»s—â^^a^c^b education is provided is
sure to liberate the African from those restrictive practices wTiic"h^hav
have so far been responsible for the in adequacy and instability of his
labour. -These characteristics have  in turn impeded maximum economic
activity, and hence the low incomes. To remove those restrictive
practices, conseouently, is to pre o are the stage for that vitenlized
activity without which growth is impossible..
But the soundness of this approach often fails to catch and sus-
stain the attention of the African.  The underlying principle in the
approach is that the removal of restrictive practices will lead to
accelerated growth. Yet .the African is too aware of the past rapid
American growth during times when restrictive practices were condoned
6oth by law and tradition.  It is true that the majority of the
Africans know little about the conditions of the Negroe in this country. But the rising literacy rate, along with the increased usage of
.  radios and tourists, cannot failto bring to their notice events of
the type, which have denied education in this country to many school
children, When the press keeps, posting the names of Wallace, Barnett,
Faubus, it errs in the accurate placement of authority, for these men
hold elective and not an appointment post. The injustice done to the
American Negroe would not have concerned the African if it were not
for the operation of additional factors as follows:
When the African comes to America, he is expecting bigger and
more "civilized" things. Often however, he meets the very opposite
cases..The student - he will come armed with the knowledge given him
by American anthropologists and missionaries who have worked in Africa
These will have told him both outright and via innuendos that everything in Africa is inferior, and that by comparison America is heaven.
■.- Y^t--on^rrJjrjil^Jiece Jie wiy^^be treated, as his kinsfolk are as though
the dignity of man were not• universal".'^His^finamcial--position-would -
be permitted to deteriorate, the philosophy on the part of those responsible for this development being that this is the effective way to
diSeable and subdue the restive ..'ifric^n. Curisouly enough, the few
Africans who are willing to condescend and play the role the American
wishes them f) plny usually turn out to be very we}.l supplied for.
When these things go as far ->s the class room, such that the grade of
the African student bears an inverse