West African students in Britain, 1900–60: The politics of exile

Abstract

The number of mainly West African students in Britain steadily increased in this century. After 1920 African students were increasingly influenced by pan‐Africanist ideas and the nationalist movements, as well as radical politics and the experience of racial discrimination in Britain, and they formed various political organisations. The most important was the West African Students’ Union which served as a nationalist pressure group and training ground for many West African student‐politicians until the mid‐1950s. The WASU published a journal, supported nationalist activity in Africa, lobbied the Colonial Office, and resisted attempts by that government department and humanitarian bodies to direct African student political activities in Britain.