9 February 1967

Dear Makhudu

Am here to preside at a conference of Scandinavian and African writers for this week. One of these affairs Sweden does to project itself into cultural areas it knows little about as an act, as I see it, of shaking itself out of a deadening complacency.

Incidentally, there are a number of African students (including South African refugees) at universities. They go through a course of Swedish first. Depending on what Naledi would like to do, this is a place that can be tried for a scholarship. I have friends here of long standing who could at least make enquiries on my behalf. I've ceased to be discriminating as to the country in which my children study – short of going to Spain or Portugal etc. if you think the same thing, I can, after I'm back in Denver, write back here. It is certainly education of a high standard. There is also the African-American Institute in Lagos for other directions. The thing is for her not to mark time after Form V and become frustrated.

Man, we feel with you on the visa palaver. There's plenty of shit all over in Africa. And as I said, we've long ceased to be sentimental about working in Africa, although I'm sure you suspected this fraud all along in East and Central Africa. To have come full tilt against it is a bitter experience. You have no recourse to higher authority at all once the small white expatriate or Indian or African (in East Africa) a nyaka go rotela kaganong gagago. Ribs always says ‘we'll meet in exile’ and then she'll tell a native gore a eo nyela koa thoteng.

I'm always tickled blue when I imagine ‘thoteng’ – just a vast bare field motho a kotame because he gets no hospitality from Ribs. Indeed they try to look familiar on meeting us outside their countries. And the threat ‘we'll meet in exile’ is a real one, with the coups running on as they are. Lust for revenge sits down there inside me. It will be interesting to know what the high Commissioner in Lagos has to say.