The use of electronic communication in the 12 Title VI African Studies Centers is discussed, and the networks available for their use are reviewed. It is argued that the African Studies Centers should be on the cutting edge of contemporary electronic communication and that computer networks should be a fundamental aspect of their programs. An informal survey of center personnel and the Association of African Studies Programs and the African Studies Association has indicated that, while all the centers have word processing capabilities, only nine of the centers' administrators are hooked into their mainframe computer systems. Only the staff of the Wisconsin center are using any other networking systems. The numerous advantages of networking for the African Studies Centers include the possibility of direct network connections with African countries. Africanists have used the following four fundamental computer systems for research and extension: (1) Internet/Bitnet; (2) Fidonet; (3) Usenet; and (4) various bulletin board services. Features available for each of these systems are described. The four networks and the services they provide are fundamental tools for Africanists that should be readily available and extensively used. Appendixes include a list of international networks to Africa; a directory of African electronic mail addresses; and descriptions of Internet, NewsNet, Fidonet, and bulletin board features. (SLD)