Category: African
One dictator grew so rich on his country's cocoa crop that he built a 35-story-high basilica in the jungles of the Ivory Coast. One austere, incorruptible leader shut Eritrea off from the world in a permanent state of war and conscripted every adult into the armed forces. The Libyan army officer ...Show more
Category: African
The end of the Second World War signalled the rapid end of the European African empires. In 1945, only four African countries were independent; by 1963, thirty African states created the Organization of African Unity. Despite formidable problems, the 1960s were a time of optimism as Africans enjoyed the ...Show more
Category: African
Two tales of a city: The historical race to reach one of the world's most mythologized places, and the story of how a contemporary band of archivists and librarians, fighting to save its ancient manuscripts from destruction at the hands of al Qaeda, added another layer to the legend. To Westerners, the ...Show more
Category: African
From award-winning journalist Jack Shenker, The Egyptians is the essential book about Egypt and radical politics. In early 2011, Cairo's Tahrir Square briefly commanded the attention of the world. Half a decade later, the international media has largely moved on from Egypt's explosive cycles of revoluti ...Show more
Category: African
The Scramble for Africa astonished everyone. In 1880 most of the continent was ruled by Africans, and barely explored. By 1902, five European Powers (and one extraordinary individual) had grabbed almost the whole continent, giving themselves 30 new colonies and protectorates and 10 million square miles ...Show more
Category: African | Series: New Approaches to African History
This book provides the first comprehensive overview of the history of democracy in Africa and explains why the continent's democratic experiments have so often failed, as well as how they could succeed. Nic Cheeseman grapples with some of the most important questions facing Africa and democracy today, i ...Show more
Category: African
In this vast and vivid panorama of history, Martin Meredith, bestselling author of The State of Africa, follows the fortunes of Africa over a period of 5,000 years. With compelling narrative, he traces the rise and fall of ancient kingdoms and empires; the spread of Christianity and Islam; the enduring ...Show more
Category: African
Africa has been coveted for its riches ever since the era of the Pharoahs. In past centuries, it was the lure of gold, ivory and slaves that drew fortune-seekers, merchant-adventurers and conquerors from afar. In modern times, the focus of attention is on oil, diamonds and other valuable minerals. Land ...Show more
Category: African
Epic yet eminently readable, penetrating and profoundly moving, 'Congo' traces the fate of one of the world's most devastated countries, second only to war-torn Somalia: the Democratic Republic of Congo. With a span of several hundred years and an enormous cast of characters, 'Congo' chronicles the most ...Show more
Category: African
For troops in the desert, Cairo meant fleshpots or brass hats. For well-connected officers, it meant polo at the Gezira Club and drinks at Shepheard's. For the irregular warriors, Cairo was a city to throw legendary parties before the next mission behind enemy lines. For countless refugees, it was a sto ...Show more
Category: African
After decades of cultural and political turmoil, Nelson Mandela's inauguration as president of South Africa in 1994 seemed to usher in an age of peaceful, rational change. But, as R. W. Johnson recounts in his sweeping history, this was not to be. The profound damage of apartheid and the country's ill-p ...Show more
Category: African
'Not long ago, in a small rubber boat more suited to a beach than the Nile, I floated downstream for ten kilometres, from my suburb to the city centre. I passed an island where, according to legend, Moses was left in his basket; a few kilometres farther downstream was the spot where Joseph and Mary land ...Show more
