ABSTRACT
Acursory examination of contemporary events in tropical Africa suggests that one of the main features of native society is the desire for a higher standard of living than is materially possible to the majority of individuals living under a tribal system of economics. This is borne out in countries as far apart as Tanganyika and the Gold Coast. It is reflected in a good deal of political unrest, and is shown by widespread and popular movements from the country areas to the mines and to the towns and, in fact, to almost any place where money can be earned. It is demonstrated concretely by an emulation of western forms of dress and housing, and by an urge to acquire technical and industrial skills of a western kind. European currency, schools, and modern methods of travel and transportation by railway, lorry, bicycle, and steam launch aid the process since they enable a person not only to move away from, but to earn a living for himself outside the traditional organization of kindred and tribe.
