It is no secret that funding for African studies has been on the decline since the 1960s, and there is a well of pessimism in the Africanist community regarding future support, which has swelled in proportion to this decline. Among area specialists today, words such as proposal or funding are frequently heard in sharp cynical tones or in subdued voices of disappointment. Recently a colleague shared with me his visual interpretation of the funding situation for African studies, which he laughingly referred to as “the intravenous connection”—an emaciated body kept alive by a small but steady flow of nourishment directly into the bloodstream. The analogy is not inappropriate.