West African history is usually seen as mainly influenced by English or French colonialism. There is a new interest in German colonialism, but most research is done in European archives and with an Eu
In early 1997, Peter Penfold arrived in Sierra Leone as the British High Commissioner. This fascinating book describes not only his eventful three year tour but the background and subsequent events t
This is the story of Jean-Marie Coquard from Mesquier, Brittany, a sailor in the merchant navy who became a missionary in Abeokuta, capital of the Egba people of Nigeria. Without formal training he ex
International development has its origins in the histories of nineteenth and early twentieth-century European colonisation. What happens when a leading colonial power decides to transform a model trop
When the Republic of Guinea gained independence in 1958, one of the first policies of the new state was a village-to-village eradication of masks and other ritual objects it deemed “fetishes.” The Dem
The fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of Benin covers the history of Benin through a chronology, an introductory essay, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 900 cross-r
Surviving with Dignity focuses on the lived experience of two generations of migrant Hausa men in Niamey, Niger’s capital city, set in a larger social matrix of national and global transformations. Th
On the eve of World War II, a small, impoverished group of Africans and West Indians in London dared to imagine the unimaginable: the end of British rule in Africa. In books, pamphlets, and periodical
When the Republic of Guinea gained independence in 1958, one of the first policies of the new state was a village-to-village eradication of masks and other ritual objects it deemed “fetishes.” The Dem
Boko Haram's recent attacks have helped turn Nigeria into a failed state, yet so far it has avoided breaking up. But what are the forces keeping it together? And how much longer will they continue to
Utilizing narratives of seven different people--soldier, rebel, student, trader, evangelist, father, and politician--I Did it To Save My Life provides fresh insight into how ordinary Sierra Leoneans s
Utilizing narratives of seven different people--soldier, rebel, student, trader, evangelist, father, and politician--I Did it To Save My Life provides fresh insight into how ordinary Sierra Leoneans s
If "nation" refers to "a community or communities of people who share a common territory and government and feel that they are one or ought to be one," as Adibe (political science, Nasarawa State U.,
My First Coup D'Etat chronicles the coming-of-age of John Dramani Mahama in Ghana during the dismal post-independence "lost decades" of Africa. He was seven years old when rumors of a coup reached his
In his diary, Antera Duke (ca.1735-ca.1809) wrote the only surviving eyewitness account of the slave trade by an African merchant. A leader in late eighteenth-century Old Calabar, a cluster of Efik-sp
