Books and Libraries as Instruments of Cultural Diplomacy in Francophone Africa during the Cold War

Abstract

During the period of the Cold War, Britain, France, and the United States employed similar strategies in the cultural efforts they directed toward Francophone Africa; all three countries sponsored language instruction and set up cultural centers with libraries reflecting their national heritage, but the priority that each nation gave to these activities was a result of underlying ideologies that provided the foundation for its cultural diplomacy. Although this essay analyzes and compares British, French, and American book-related programs throughout the region, particular attention is given to Senegal, whose capital city, Dakar, had formerly served as the federal capital for all of French West Africa. The first American book-related program in the region was the United States Information Agency (USIA) library set up in Dakar in 1958; because the objective of the USIA centered on building understanding and support for the U.S. position on international issues, half of the books in its library were French translations of American authors. In contrast, the goal of the French cultural center library, established one year later, was to encourage African authors writing in French to foster cultural exchange. Since its entire collection was in French, this library drew a large number of students and general readers and thus partially filled the gap created by the lack of a municipal public library. In 1965 the British Council also set up a library in Dakar to support its English language instruction program. Although better known for its work in Ghana and Nigeria, the efforts of the British Council in Francophone Africa present a third approach to the use of books in cultural diplomacy. This study examines book donation and translation programs as well as libraries and is based on primary source material collected during research trips to Africa and France; secondary sources include recent historical studies of U.S. public diplomacy as well as publications by and about the British Council and the French aid programs that provide books to Africa.