Rockefeller Foundation and University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland: An Examination of RF's contributions to the development of Zimbabwe higher education

• In Event: Influence and Power: The Evolving Role of Private Actors

Proposal

On October 17th, 1956, the Rhodesia Herald published a story on Rockefeller Foundation’s (RF) interest in providing aid to the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (UCRN) in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Representing the RF in Rhodesia was Dr. Warren Weaver and Robert S. Morrison. Weaver’s diary reveals that the Rhodesia visit was part of a 34-days African higher education tour. Talking to the UCRN staff, Weaver pointed out that even though the RF had done some work in Africa before WW2, events in the past two or three years have made the RF realize the continent’s significance to the world given its great resources. In closing, Weaver encouraged UCRN staff to apply for RF grants. Following this visit, between 1958 and 1965, the RF awarded the UCRN over 50 grants which totaled approximately US$321, 692. 00. Through its grants, the RF established and stabilized departments at the UCRN, hired and paid US Visiting Scholars to support these departments, funded faculty research projects, and supplemented sabbatical leave salaries.

Interestingly, despite the RF's significant support to the UCRN, scholars have paid no attention to this topic. This paper intervenes by demonstrating, for the first time, the RF’s contributions and influence on the Zimbabwe higher education.

Weaver’s speech to the UCRN staff and the RF’s support of the newly established UCRN highlighted three significant points that this paper addresses. First, Weaver noted the significance of the events two or three years prior to his 1956 Rhodesia visit in influencing the RF’s renewed interest in African higher education. Thus, understanding the RF’s interest in the UCRN begs that we understand the early 1950s events. Second, Weaver centered the RF’s renewed interest to the foundation’s realization of Africa’s great resources. Against the background of continued exploitation of Africa’s resources since the 1870s, his speech sounded imperialistic and contradicted the RF’s philanthropy signature of promoting “the well-being of humanity throughout the world”". Third, the RF’s support of the newly established UCRN, which is now the University of Zimbabwe, demonstrated the 1950s influence on the development of the Zimbabwe higher education.

Using governmental reports, archival materials from six archives in the US and Zimbabwe, newspapers, RF Annual Reports, and interviews, I argue that the Cold War period was a significant moment in the Zimbabwean history. It saw both the development of what later becomes the University of Zimbabwe and increased support of the Zimbabwe higher education by the RF, but also paradoxically perhaps, the establishment of US “soft power” imperialism by RF grants when British colonial rule was ending

Author

• Fungisai Musoni, The Ohio State University