Oil, security revived interest in Africa, expert says

Toyin Falola, the Frances Higginbotham Nalle Centennial Professor of history at the University of Texas in Austin: "Many people do not know that the U.S. has over 175 military bases in Africa, that there is an intense competition with China over oil. From Port Harcourt to Port Sudan, Africa has enormous deposits of oil, and there is a scramble, as I speak, for Africa's oil."

4:31 p.m., March 17, 2006--The U.S. is pitted against China in a new scramble for African oil, which is likely to take the shape of an earlier scramble for Africa in the 19th Century, Toyin Falola, the Frances Higginbotham Nalle Centennial Professor of history at the University of Texas in Austin said at UD on March 15.

Falola, who was the guest speaker at UD's fourth annual Distinguished Africanist Lecture, said instability in the Middle East has highlighted the growing importance of Africa, but the perpetuation of cultural stereotypes and myths by the news media and the misperception of the continent by the U.S. public often obscure the facts and ignore the deep historical and cultural bonds across the Atlantic Ocean.

"Many people do not know that the U.S. has over 175 military bases in Africa, that there is an intense competition with China over oil. From Port Harcourt to Port Sudan, Africa has enormous deposits of oil, and there is a scramble, as I speak, for Africa's oil," Falola, who is recognized as a pre-eminent Africanist historical scholar, said.

“If you look at the American media in relation to issues of migration on other continents, they fragment politics in a way in which the larger majority of the population, one may argue, are not aware of the benefits and the connection ... that have been made. It's difficult to tell people that for you to understand Wal-Mart, you have to understand China. People don't make that kind of connection,” he said.

Falola explained that the connections between the U.S. and Africa date back to the development of sugar, which led to the establishment of plantations and their spread to America. Eventually, coffee, sugar and tobacco became major consumer products in the 17th Century and spurred the Atlantic economy, which, in turn, needed labor from Africa.

This led to the African diaspora as a result of slavery, which brought about 13 million Africans to America. Through the generations that grew out of slavery, cultures were transmitted and repackaged into the cuisines, cultures and the flavor of religious practices, including African-American Christianity, that are common in cities like Miami, New Orleans and Chicago.

“You cannot understand African Pentecostalism without understanding American Pentecostalism. They are very much connected,” Falola said. “It is also difficult to take out Africa from the larger debate of Christianity and its values in relation to gays and lesbians without understanding the African dimension. Both of them are connected in a way that the public are not very familiar with.”

The social, economic and political interactions were fueled by Pan Africanism, the emergence of American-educated leaders in Africa, African nationalism in the U.S., large-scale immigration and the growth of globalization and modern communication in recent years, Falola said.

Africans now are among the fastest growing, most educated and highest achieving immigrants in the U.S., he noted. “If you go to many rural areas in the U.S. today, and you are looking for a doctor or a nurse, most likely that person may be from Nigeria. Or, if you get to the airport in Austin or Washington, D.C., and you want a cab, in one of four cases, that person may be from Ethiopia or Nigeria.”

Despite such developments, the media misrepresentation and public ignorance of the reality about Africa was evident in the criticism of former President Bill Clinton's visit to Africa, which was followed by similar visits by members of his cabinet, Falola said, adding that the critics generally suggested that Africa was irrelevant to the American economy and security.

In addition to the realization that Africa is a relatively small but significant economic player and the globalization of health and environmental issues, the instability in the Middle East, vast potential supplies of oil in Africa and the need for cooperation in the war against terror have renewed U.S. interest in Africa, Falola said.

The risk in the new scramble for Africa, Falola said, is that political expedience and security priorities are likely to create the Cold War approach, through which authoritarian rulers might be nurtured and tolerated, and where intelligence interests would guide policies and drive academic agendas.

Falola said that most of the misperceptions driven by the news media can be overcome through study abroad programs in Africa, but, once again, misinformation by news reports and academic advisers has limited participation in such programs because of fear among potential students and their families.

Falola appealed to UD students to avoid the “culture war” and to press for diversity on study abroad programs.

“I would urge you to continue to put that pressure on the academy. This pressure is the minimum contribution you can make. Ask for more multicultural courses, ask for diversity and try to ask for the promotion of world peace,” he said.

Falola received his doctoral degree from the University of Ife, in Nigeria, in 1981. He has authored and edited more than 14 books on African history and has won several awards for his scholarship and teaching, including the Chancellor's Council Outstanding Teaching Award, the Ibn Khaldun Award for Research Excellence and the Jean Holloway Award for Teaching Excellence.

The lecture was cosponsored by UD's African Studies Program, Black American Studies Program, Department of History, Department of Political Science, Center for International Studies and the Department of Anthropology.

Article by Martin Mbugua
Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson

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