President Clinton’s 12-day visit to Africa could build economic and cultural bridges to the United States, said three Ohio State professors.”Any form of assistance given to Africa is an investment in the future,” said Okey Onyejekwe, director of the Center of African Studies.By creating a mutual understanding between the United States and Africa, Clinton opened the possibility of an economic relationship in the future, Onyejekwe said. Africa has huge amounts of natural resources that could develop into a large market for American import, he added. “There should not be choices whether you survive or preserve an environment,” Onyejekwe said. Closer economic ties between the two countries will both preserve the environment and improve the living standards of Africans, said Onyejekwe. These changes will lead to higher education and better employment. Lupenga Mphande, an associate professor of African-American and African Studies, agreed financial aid from the United States is necessary for Africans to escape poverty.”By providing basic needs through financial aid, people will do less to destroy the land and forests,” said Mphande.C. Magbaily Fyle, a professor of African-American and African Studies, said in terms of creating a mutual understanding, the president’s visit was successful.Fyle said Africans have thought American companies exploit the continent’s natural resources. He said such a suspicion will disappear as a result of a mutual understanding, then the business relationship will improve. Onyejekwe also addressed the issue of slavery.He said Clinton didn’t apologize about slavery because an apology was not the main point of Clinton’s visit. Clinton made a “tactical decision” to prevent a huge controversy, he said. Onyejekwe said we should not pay too much attention to the fact Clinton did not apologize. Fyle said more important than verbal apology is to address problems, such as poverty and crime, that are often associated with black Americans. “That will be an apology,” he said. Mphande had a different point of view from his colleagues about slavery. The fact that people can talk about an apology shows progress because until a few years ago, nobody talked about it, he said.Mphande said the existing cultural ties between America and Africa, should become stronger as Americans learn more about the origin of black Americans.All three professors said American students tend to rely on stereotypes because they have had less of an opportunity to experience other cultures.”I hope President Clinton’s visit stimulated students’ desire to get more knowledge of Africa,” Fyle said.