In July-August, 1964 at Lagos, 28 countries participated in a UNESCO -United Nations Economic Commission for Africa-sponsored “International Conference on the Organization of Research and Training in Africa in Relation to the Study, Conservation, and Utilization of Natural Resources.” The following is from a resolution of that conference:

Conscious of the importance of natural resources to the national heritage of each country … Considering that development and social progress depend upon the wise exploitation of these resources … Proclaims … that extension of scientific and technical research on natural resources constitutes a factor essential to such development … Recommends that governments should devote continued and very large-scale efforts to the promotion of science and technical research….

This recognition by governments of the need to increase scientific research programs, of their responsibility for the organization of scientific research, and of the need to establish a balance between fundamental and applied research implies a previous or existing situation with a different approach which should be examined and also indicates a necessity for changes in outlook, the results of which can be followed for years to come.

One of the major, largely untapped sources for historical and social science research in Africa is the firsthand knowledge of Africans who were closely associated with the formation and life history of early political movements. At a conference held in February 1965 at Northwestern University, the Program of African Studies, with the assistance of the Carnegie Corporation, a number of scholars in the African field agreed in the course of a three-day meeting that it is particularly urgent to undertake a systematic canvass of these sources of information on the earliest nationalist movements in African countries. The conference stressed the importance of moving rapidly to make use of such firsthand data in helping to fill a major gap in our information about African responses to European intrusion. Not only is the material all that is available on the movements but it is rapidly disappearing (a fact underlined by the death of Dr. Danquah during the time the conference was meeting). In addition, the conference carefully examined the problems involved in such oral history retrieval.

When Lovanium University was founded in October, 1954, only 10 students registered for the Department of Education. Within twelve years, 43 students graduated either in Psychology or in Education, and 54 others obtained a Diploma in Education. During the academic year 1966-1967, there were about 200 students in the Department. These are tangible results. Young people have been prepared to serve their countries in the field of education and teaching, a field which is very important in a developing country.

From the beginning the main objective of the Department has been to adapt a specifically African programme and training. The increasing success known by this Department, especially since 1963-1964, shows that it really meets the needs of a young Republic which is constantly searching for qualified African professors for secondary schools and training colleges as well as school inspectors and competent counsellors in education. The psychologists also face a very big task. Centres for school orientation and selection, as well as for vocational selection and orientation, are in bad need of qualified staff to create new centres or to extend the ones already existing.

Most of the Fellows of the African Studies Association have participated in at least one Peace Corps training program, so that they have an interest in, and opinions on, this subject. The present article summarizes the major factors of training programs, outlines the main characteristics of the projects in Africa and of the volunteers, and then considers some aspects of the relationship between the Peace Corps and the universities. Finally, there is a detailed summary of all Peace Corps training programs for Africa, from the first one in June 1961 through the summer of 1965. Forty-four different universities, colleges, or other organizations have produced 132 programs for 19 different African countries, and some 6,000 volunteers have successfully completed the training and gone to serve with the Peace Corps in Africa (the usual service period spent in Africa is two years).

The first step in the establishment of a training program is a discussion between an interested university and the Training Division of the Peace Corps, followed by a series of negotiations which culminate in a formal contract. The contract specifies the duration of the program, the number and educational background of trainees, the faculty who will participate, the details of phases of training, and the country and project for which the trainees are being prepared. An important part of the contract is the budget, the cost generally being a little more than $200 per trainee per week.

This article explores the ancient city of Terracina, its strategic location, and its significant Roman sanctuary dedicated to Iuppiter Anxur. This youthful Jupiter, known for his beardless depiction, oversaw a sanctuary on Monte Sant’Angelo, which remains an important archaeological site. The location of the temple of Iuppiter Anxur, however, despite extensive study over 150 years, has not been precisely identified. The site includes three terraces with structures such as the Great Temple and Terrace A, which features notable architectural and functional elements. Ongoing research since 2021 has aimed to uncover more about the site’s development and its cultural importance. The article examines various hypotheses about the temple’s location and the role of Iuppiter Anxur within the sacred landscape of Terracina. For the first time, a comprehensive architectural reconstruction of the sanctuary has been proposed, offering new insights into its design and cultural significance. This reconstruction suggests a sophisticated architectural complex with important religious and cultural roles in ancient Terracina.

The city of Salem, Massachusetts, was a major port for American commerce to Africa for much of the nineteenth century. Even in the latter years of the century, when trade had moved to larger centers, the Salem men still played an important role in some African areas.

Due to the efforts of the Peabody Museum and the Essex Institute, many of the papers relating to this American contact with Africa have been preserved. The collections include logbooks of vessels, merchants' account books, and letters to and from agents and captains.

The following pages briefly describe the materials relating to the history of Africa in the archives of the two Salem institutions. The list includes only those items of historical interest. (There are many logs of voyages to Africa of only nautical value.) It attempts to be complete, but no claim is made to having found every document of interest to the historian. Part of the contents of the archives remain uncatalogued and materials relating to Africa are occasionally uncovered under unlikely headings. Research for new sources is being continued.