76.
Dr. Asante, though admitting the significance of regional economic
and social pressures and though fully understanding the motivations behind British appeasement of Mussolini, successfully shows that the articulate African was responding to the pride of race. This is shown through numerous African-based newspapers, letters and demonstrations, all demanding that the British uphold their alleged values and not follow the path of hypocrisy, to no avail. The same approach is used to expose the Vatican since Pope Pius XI refused to jeopardize his situation in Italy. In fact, the author is correct in stating European security was more important to the British than African needs.
Much attention, therefore, is given to the methods and groupE which
sought to help the Ethiopians against the Italian aggressors, to tne growth of demands for self-expression and rule including demonstrations against indirect rule in the British regions, to demands for a freer press, to organizing volunteers to help the Ethiopians, to raising funds in a time of poverty, and to criticisms against sedition laws and fears on the part of some British officers. Of special value are the.sections dealing with the rise and expansion of various youth groups, such as the Nigerian Youth Movement, or in the Gold Coast the West African Youth League. Equally significant was the attention given to the radical leader, I. T. Wallace Johnson, whose influence and impact is exaggerated. More attention should have been given to other African leaders such as J. B. Danquah or Nnamdi Azikiwe.
In regard to research materials, Dr. Asante has compiled an excellent
bibliography, including manuscripts, archival items, private papers, printed primary sources, secondary books and articles, newspapers and unpublished works. The result is the gathering of some unknown sources, especially those of Africans. In addition, each chapter concludes with a section of detailed footnotes containing valuable information and comments.
Colonialism and Underdevelopment in Ghana. By Rhoda Howard. New York: Africana Publishing Company (Holmes and Meier), 1978. Review by Daniel M. McFarland, James Madison University.
Colonialism and Underdevelopment in Ghana is a Marxist analysis of
economic developments in the Gold Coast between 1874 and 1939 plus a postscript in which the author offers a prescription. It is Dr. Howard's thesis that the Gold Coast never made a full transition from a pre-capitalistic to capitalistic economy because capitalists intended to keep Africans in a perpetual state of dependence. PrimVictorian Marxist terminology produces an image of bourgeoisie vampires sucking the vast wealth of a helpless Gold Coast to sustain the bloated coffers of Manchester et cetera. The author is honest from page one. She makes it clear that she is on the left and that profit is a no-no. The Gold Coast exchanged cocoa, palm products, timber, and some gold for manufactured products. Long ago Lenin warned of the stacked relation of raw materials to manufactured goods. In spite of her frequent preachy tone, Rhoda Howard has produced an interesting economic history.