As Professor Carter has already told you, it was only a few weeks ago, actually a few days ago, really, that I finally agreed to come to talk to you, so that I'm sure you will not expect an academic discourse from me. I have already tried to tell Professor McKay that I'm not an academician like he is. He asked me if I was going to read a paper before you, and I said, “No, far from it, I will not read a paper; I will read from a paper, but those will be only very cursory notes.” I recognize that I'm speaking to a group of experts on African affairs, and I myself am far from being an expert on African affairs. I'm only an African. I also recognize that as experts you come from various strongholds of learning in this country, and you may be quite prepared to weigh me in the balance. If you do so, I only want to remind you that we're meeting in Washington and that I have some very powerful supporters here because Washington is Harvard territory, and I come from Harvard!

Africa for the last few years has gradually come closer and closer to the center of attraction for people who are interested in the world as a whole. It is because of this process of looking in on Africa that we have increasingly the kind of academic interest in the continent which has led to the rapid development of departments of African affairs and special projects of African studies in your universities and colleges, which has led to the excellent programs such as Dr. Jim Robinson's Operations Crossroads (most useful to us in Africa), which has led to President Kennedy's Peace Corps taking such deep roots so quickly on the African continent, which has led to an increasing amount of space in the journals and news media, of not only this country but of other western countries which deal with Africa. And this looking in on Africa is something which we as Africans of course are delighted about, because for a long time we have felt that we have been the forgotten continent.

During the spring of 1962, the Africa Liaison Committee of the American Council on Education authorized me to secure information on the status of African studies and training in Germany. Toward this end, I visited on two occasions in the late summer and early fall of 1962 a number of German organizations, institutes, and universities. My work in Germany was facilitated by the cooperation of the German Foreign Office, which arranged for my itinerary while in the Bonn area, and by the encouragement of President Heinrich Luebke of the German Federal Republic. In this brief report, I list and describe the work of the most important agencies and organizations which were engaged in 1962 in research on Africa, particularly south of the Sahara, and in the training of Africans. Special consideration will be given to some of the developments and problems in the universities.

The United States Joint Publications Research Service, an organization established to service the foreign language needs of the various federal government agencies, has translated a number of items on African affairs. The following list of JPRS translations on Africa south of the Sahara was compiled in the Government Publication Section, Serial Division, Library of Congress. It includes translations of material originally published in various foreign language journals, primarily those of the Soviet Union and Communist China. A large percentage of the articles is devoted to politics and propaganda, setting forth the current policies of the two major Communist nations toward Africa. But there is also a considerable body of material — much of it translated from French publications — on anthropology, ethnology, economic development, labor movements and mining activity.

After more than two years of preliminary planning, the First International Congress of Africanists convened at the University of Ghana, Legon, on December 11, 1962. More than 600 scholars and observers attended the sessions, and both the size of the Congress and its organizational problems make an adequate report difficult. This brief summary by the editor of the Bulletin has been compiled with the assistance of other ASA members present in Accra; it attempts to convey a sense of the conference atmosphere as well as record its formal sessions. The proceedings of the Conference will be published by UNESCO.

The conference opened with an address by President Nkrumah in which he stressed the importance of African studies in revitalizing Africa's cultural heritage, and in developing a sense of nationality and Africanness. He considered in detail the development of African studies as a serious academic study, the coming of age of African intellectuals, and the necessity of utilizing a subject such as sociology in planning for an African future, contrasting this with anthropology which he felt had little to offer modern Africa. His speech helped to establish a tone for the conference; in addition to academic matters strictly defined the conference participants found themselves concerned with such questions as the role of African and non-African Africanists, differing viewpoints of English and French speakers, and geographic and disciplinary boundary lines. Perhaps naturally at a first international conference, there were many preliminary problems to sort out before serious scholarly discussion could take place.

This listing of programs of African studies offered at American universities continues previous listings in this Bulletin, most recently in March 1962. Listings of programs have been standardized to include the following: a general outline of the program, degrees offered, staff and course offerings for 1963-64, and present enrollment in the program.

The editor welcomes additional information and will be happy to include it in a subsequent issue of the Bulletin.

The African Area Studies Program of American University is built around a core program of courses and seminars in The School of International Service, and is coordinated with specialized courses in the departments of international relations and organizations, sociology and anthropology, earth sciences, economics, history, languages and linguistics, and the school of government and public administration. Other cooperating groups include the Center of Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, the Business Council in International Understanding, the Church Mission and the International Labor Program.

An integrated Seminar on Africa headed by Darrell Randall, director of the program, includes a program in history, cultural analysis, and social, economic and political development. Courses on Africa offered include Introduction to Africa, Economic Problems, Geography of Africa, History of Africa, Problems of Contemporary Africa, Labor in Africa, Government and Politics in Modern Africa, Culture Area Analysis: Africa South of the Sahara, and Seminar in Population Studies. A United Nations Seminar on African Affairs is scheduled as part of the integrated seminar, and an advanced seminar is offered for students who have done research in Africa.

The following available positions have been drawn to the attention of the editor.

African Area Specialist, Library of Congress. The Reference Department, General Reference and Bibliography Division, wishes an area specialist, GS-13, to assist in the planning and direction of the African section, which provides bibliographies of African materials, identifies gaps in Library of Congress holdings, stimulates cooperative efforts for acquisitions of Africana, and develops specialized reference service in African studies. A specialized knowledge of African research is required, with the completion of two years of postgraduate study, and a minimum of three years' experience in academic research, including field studies, diversified sufficiently to assure broad competence in the field. Competence in African linguistics and knowledge of French is desirable. Inquiries to the Employment Section, Personnel Office, Library of Congress, Washington 25, D.C.

Centre of West African Studies, University of Birmingham. Three appointments at the level of lecturer or senior lecturer are anticipated at the newly established Centre. Applications from candidates in the areas of archaeology, economics, geography, history, political science, sociology and social anthropology have been invited. Notice of these appointments reached this Bulletin very late and some appointments may have been made. Inquiries to the Registrar, University of Birmingham, Birmingham 15, England.