• click here to return to the homepage •
Home > Categories > Books > Non-Fiction > The State of Africa - A History of Fifty Years of Independence review
Focussing on the key personalities, events and themes of Africa's independence era, Martin Meredith's magisterial history seeks to explore and explain the myriad problems that Africa has faced in the past half century and faces still.
From the giddy enthusiasms of the 1960s to 'the coming of tyrants' and rapid decline, The State of Africa is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how it came to this, and what, if anything, can be done.
Predict Weather - almanac and isobaric maps 2005
Taste - Baking with Flavour
The Burning Girl
Cartoon Studio
Boy vs Beast - Battle of the Borders
Kingfisher Readers: Busy as a Bee. Level 1
The Monster at the end of this book
Opal Plumstead
Spirit Animals #7:The Evertree
Spellbound
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Illustrated)
Tilly and the Lost Fairytales
Faelan the Wolf 3: Faelan the FearlessProduct reviews...
Members are welcome to post a review. You will need to log in to post yours.
Review by: shrub (David)
Dated: 29th of June, 2006
Africa is the shame of the West. Over the last 150 years we have explored, exploited and then abandoned Africa. Africa, a continent that is rich in oil, minerals, has abundant fresh water, rich soil and a temperate climate. A continent that should be rich and peaceful. A continent that should be the envy of the world.
But it's not.
This book covers the 50 years of independence, where former colonies stumbled uncertainly into the excitement of the second half of the twentieth century and into independence and democracy. As the states of Africa, one by one, embraced their future, the dream of a rich tomorrow crumbled into the dust of corruption, exploitation and ultimately failure. A failure that is marked by the rampant HIV/AIDS epidemic, the environmental degradation of Lake Victoria, the collapse of Zimbabwe and the genocids in Darfur.
So what went wrong? How did Africa fail so dismally? In an accurately researched and well written account of the last 50 years Martin Meredith takes us on a journey from state to state. We learn about the corrupt leaders, the tribal warfare and the growing distrust of the African leaders. And we are shown in stark clarity the self serving interference of the Chinese, the Soviet Union and the USA. The interference that counted for nothing the millions of innocent people that have watched in bewilderment and frustration as their world is destroyed around them.
This book is well written, and a valuable resource for anyone interested in Africa. At times the content is sketchy, but the subject is too big for a single volume.
Random listing from 'Books'...
He was a child of royalty, born and raised to defend tradition. But his African name - Rolihlahla, meaning 'tree shaker' - hinted at a very different future. Nelson Mandela would spend most of his life shaking his country to its roots.
This newly updated edition of New York Times veteran Bill Keller's moving biography looks back on Mandela's life, offering a clear-eyed view of his legacy and bringing his remarkable story to a new generation of readers.
All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.
"Do married people live longer than single ones or does it only seem longer?"
unattributed
