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253 conclusion Knowledge Circulation and Diasporic Interfacing Toyin falola There are several ways to strengthen the connections between africa and the world, and vice versa, and then use these connections to generate relevance, progress , development, and peace. first, we as scholars have to keep extending the frontier of knowledge, use our resources to transform scholarship in and about africa, and ensure that our studies also inform mainstream scholarship. We must be fully inserted into all the mainstream knowledge systems and must struggle to be at the center. While we should continue to support area studies, we have to understand their limitations in academies that use the universalism of ideas as a key source of power. africa is part of “universal knowledge” and not so-called local knowledge with less value. This advancement of the “universality” of african / african diaspora knowledge (about them, and by them) must be presented in such a way that the academic world, irrespective of location, will see both value and need in the knowledge being generated. To individuals, the acquisition of quality education remains the main source of mobility, especially to the segment of the population lacking access to inheritance and start-up capital to establish businesses on their own. This education has to be based on various components: the acquisition of knowledge in various disciplines (inter- and multidisciplinary); the acquisition of skill sets connected with occupations in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy; and the cultivation of emotional intelligence to process data and information in a careful, objective, and rational manner. 254 | Conclusion as scholars, our research and the way we teach must reflect the concerns not just of our specific disciplines, but of the universities where we work, the locations where we live, our community and the people who constitute our communities, and our colleagues. We have the special role to link the americas with africa, the academy with the public, and knowledge with occupations. On our campuses, we have to represent the very best in the understanding of africa and the people of african descent, as well as the value of diversity and culture. Off campuses, we need to let entrepreneurs, politicians, and policy makers benefit from our knowledge. as cultural brokers, we must bring the knowledge of africa to the americas and that of the americas to africa. insularity must give way to internationalization. as we promote study abroad programs for those in the United States to go to africa, those from africa must come to the United States as well. and there must be domestic “study abroad” programs as well in which students understand different and diverse communities within and beyond their regions. The suggestions on education combine merit and non-merit factors of success. Quality education will ensure the understanding of the very process of development, even the ability to question the ideology of meritocracy and confront it with alternatives . abilities and talents have to be discovered, then cultivated, and then put to use. as all first-generation migrants do genuinely understand and practice, there is no shortcut to success and no substitute for hard work. The large numbers of immigrants since the 1980s still belong to a first generation. as they succeed, many will leave inheritance to their children as a “non-merit” factor to not only consolidate, but also expand, the wealth and knowledge base of their successors. We are already noticing the trend in the placement of africans in all the major colleges and institutions across the country. focused and interested in degrees tied to occupations, the second generation are proving that they may acquire greater influence than the first. Second, the african, africanist, and african diasporic knowledge must be converted into value added for institutions and people to grow. The growth can be by way of humane values, the cultivation of cosmopolitan minds, the ability to understand the complexity of society, the management of resources and people, and the promotion of global peace. Sure, many will expect far more tangible things by way of technical advancement, poverty elimination, and massive development within africa and between africa and the rest of the world. it is not selfish for some to demand that the knowledge we generate must transform africa and black people. if they are transformed, the entire world is transformed; also millions of people will be less poor, migrations will reduce, interstate relations will improve, and market and democratic spaces will expand. Third, we have to theorize more on the nature and uses...

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