A recent Washington Post article, “Surge of international applicants at elite colleges,” reported that academic institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dartmouth, etc. have experienced a large increase in international applications to attend their institutions. Since 2020, international applications have increased 34 percent, according to the article. One factor is universities dropping SAT and ACT score requirements.

The four countries from which most applications came are China, India, Pakistan and Nigeria. It shouldn’t be surprising that Nigeria is so high on the list. Europe and North America, particularly the United States, have a vested interest in Africa not becoming continental.

Because Nigeria is Africa’s most populace country, its support for African unity is extremely important. That explains why exploiters of Africa’s mineral wealth want Africa’s future leaders to be educationally and psychologically connected to them.

When reading the article, it brought to mind a 1972 book, “Nigger at Eton,” written by Charles Dillibe Ejiofor Onyeama. His father, at that time, was a judge at the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Mr. Onyeama was educated in a British prep school and at Eton College, one of Britain’s most prestigious academic institutions.

In the book, he wrote about the negative treatment he received from some of his fellow students who were members of some of Britain’s most important families. Despite that, Mr. Onyeama expressed a deep love for Eton. He also wrote the following: “...Whatever happened, I knew I was always going to be proud of Eton. I knew it was going to forever influence my life, in some way, and I would win respect from people because I had been there. Even if I was rather stupid, it had taught me one thing about myself and my people. That I am black and in a world in which the black man has to suffer. I am left with the candid belief about the black man as a result of having lived with him for the past two years since I left Eton: That God especially created him to suffer and he will always suffer.”

My first reaction when reading that was scorn for Mr. Onyeama. Later, I decided that he must be a pathetic person to be filled with so much self-hatred.

I am not saying that all of those Nigerian students scrambling to be accepted by “elite” American educational institutions share Mr. Onyeama psychological problems, but they had better be aware that the institutions they are so anxious to attend are determined to maintain the white man’s major role in international affairs.

I suggest they read a 2009 supplement in the Washington Post with the title “Africa on the agenda” and the subtitle “Africa, the key to global economic growth.”

Educational institutions such as Eton, Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Dartmouth have the dual responsibility of preparing future white leaders who will help Europeans and North Americans maintain control of Africa’s mineral wealth and preparing African leaders to assist them in doing so.

A. PETER BAILEY

Washington

The writer is an author and teacher.