Walter Rodney and Africa

Abstract

In the course of the world's greatest ideological and military confrontation, Walter Rodney was born in Guyana in 1942. Following World War II a series of events set the stage for his future role as a Black scholar and political activist. Among these, the Fifth Pan-African Conference of 1945 featured prominently in charting his course to Africa. At this conference over 200 Black delegates, the majority from African colonies, formulated a resolution demanding an end to European colonial rule in Africa. This action heralded changing times for Blacks throughout the world. A decade later, Africa became involved in a nationalist struggle that culminated in independence for the major portion of the continent. Yet, despite political freedom, Africa remained economically dependent. Because African nationalism was fundamentally an implementation of Pan-African objectives, it quickened Black American interest in Africans and their problems. Rodney was thus inspired to devote his life to the study of African history. Accordingly, this article, which is divided into five themes, is intended to give some insight into his career as an Africanist. The first theme describes events that led him to specialize in African history. Then, to recreate the environment in which he produced his major work, How Europe Underdeveloped