Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York's underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.

    . . a masterly synthesis." --The New York Times Book Review"Deeply penetrating, intensely thought-provoking and thoroughly informed . . . one of the most important general surveys of Africa that has been produced in the last decade." --The Washington PostIn 1978, paleontologists in East Africa discovered the earliest evidence of our divergence from the apes: three pre-human footprints, striding away from a volcano, were preserved in the petrified surface of a mudpan over three million years ago. Out of Africa, the world's most ancient and stable landmass, Homo sapiens dispersed across the globe.  And yet the continent that gave birth to human history has long been woefully misunderstood and mistreated by the rest of the world.In a book as splendid in its wealth of information as it is breathtaking in scope, British writer and photojournalist John Reader brings to light Africa's geology and evolution, the majestic array of its landforms and environments, the rich diversity of its peoples and their ways of life, the devastating legacies of slavery and colonialism as well as recent political troubles and triumphs. Written in simple, elegant prose and illustrated with Reader's own photographs, Africa: A Biography of the Continent is an unforgettable book that will delight the general reader and expert alike.  "Breathtaking in its scope and detail." --San Francisco Chronicle

    Map; updated with a new afterword.

    Ben identifies and corrects myths about the inferiority and primitiveness of the indigenous African peoples and their descendants. Order Africa Mother of Western Civilization here.

    A work that rethinks gender as a Western construction, The Invention of Women offers a new way of understanding both Yoruban and Western cultures. Author Oyeronke Oyewumi reveals an ideology of biological determinism at the heart of Western social categories-the idea that biology provides the rationale for organizing the social world. And yet, she writes, the concept of OC woman, OCO central to this ideology and to Western gender discourses, simply did not exist in Yorubaland, where the body was not the basis of social roles. Oyewumi traces the misapplication of Western, body-oriented concepts of gender through the history of gender discourses in Yoruba studies. Her analysis shows the paradoxical nature of two fundamental assumptions of feminist theory: that gender is socially constructed and that the subordination of women is universal. The Invention of Women demonstrates, to the contrary, that gender was not constructed in old Yoruba society, and that social organization was determined by relative age. A meticulous historical and epistemological account of an African culture on its own terms, this book makes a persuasive argument for a cultural, context-dependent interpretation of social reality. It calls for a reconception of gender discourse and the categories on which such study relies. More than that, the book lays bare the hidden assumptions in the ways these different cultures think. A truly comparative sociology of an African culture and the Western tradition, it will change the way African studies and gender studies proceed. "

    She runs her own clinic in Nyamirambo and is planning a party for her wedding anniversary. But when genocide starts everything changes. Targeted because she's a successful woman and a Tutsi, she flees for her life.This gripping memoir describes the betrayal of friends and help that comes from surprising places. Quick-witted and courageous, Yolande never loses hope she will find her children alive.

    From the prison, to the presidency, Meredith paints a vivid portrait of Mandela's inspiring life and times, providing fresh insight into the history of the anti-apartheid movement and new revelations about its most compelling figure.

    Burger, Afrikander and author of this book, would heartily endorse any theatrical effort to simulate the charge of an African bull buffalo—if no human life is to be risked. This notable professional hunter, who is here being introduced to the American public, has miraculously survived to live and tell of many last-ditch encounters with the powerful and crafty buffalo. Mr. Burger’s experiences in the game fields of his native continent cover a period of forty years, and in that time more than one thousand of the massive brutes have fallen to his rifles. As he takes care to explain, only a small number of the animals in that record bag have actually charged; but in that temperate statement there rests proof of his usual success in placing a first, effective hit—the shot that renders a charge improbable. Failure of that first shot, or the effect of factors beyond the hunter’s control, constitutes the explosive cap that can set this specimen of black dynamite into action. Once the buffalo’s charge is actually under way his only objective is to produce a dead hunter. The animal has accomplished his grim purpose in many instances. Too frequently the gored and trampled victim has been a veteran of the trails, not a novice hunter or a defenseless native. In some vitally unaccountable way the buffalo had gained advantages at a rate faster than was allowed the hunter. The man was then denied that last precious asset for survival, luck. Our author lives to tell of his close encounters with the horned death simply because luck never failed to tip the scales in his favor.”

    Covering all known species (around 460), this guide will enable identification of all land mammals likely to be seen anywhere in Africa. Detailed accounts, with colour illustrations, are provided for most species, but some complex small mammal groups are summarized by genera. The colour illustrations show both sexes in sexually dimorphic species, and there are also a wealth of line drawings illustrating typical behaviours, the function of camouflaged or disruptive markings and the details of interspecific variation among closely allied species. Distribution maps show the ranges of most species covered.

    de Waal pleads for readers... to probe for a deeper understanding of the 'political roots of famine'... " --WorldView..". a well-documented critique that should give pause for serious reflection and serve to instruct both the initiate and the master of famine theory... " --Sociocultural AnthropologyFamine Crimes is a factually rich, powerfully intelligent, morally important analysis of the persistence of famine in Africa. Alex de Waal lays the blame for Africa's problems with starvation on the political failings of African governments, western donors, and the misguided policies of international relief agencies.

    'The seed is mine. The ploughshares are mine. The span of oxen is mine. Everything is mine. Only the land is their's.'--Kas Maine A bold and innovative social history, The Seed Is Mine concerns the disenfranchised blacks who did so much to shape the destiny of South Africa. After years of interviews with Kas Maine and his neighbors, employers, friends, and family--a rare triumph of collaborative courage and dedication--Charles van Onselen has re-created the entire life of a man who struggled to maintain his family in a world dedicated to enriching whites and impoverishing blacks, while South Africa was tearing them apart.

    the lioness slid forward as close as she dared. The little boy seconds away from death was two, maybe three years old. He was lost in the heat-soaked sand that was the Kalahari desert.Toddler Alex Theron is miraculously rescued by a passing clan of Kalahari Bushmen. Over the ensuing years, the desert draws him back, for it hides a beautiful secret... diamonds.But nothing comes easily from within this turbulent continent and before Alex can ever hope to realise his dreams he will lost his mind to love and fight a bitter enemy who will stop at nothing to destroy him.

    

    A solitary wildebeest stares motionless as if mesmerized by the towering mass; a small caravan of giraffe drifts across the plain in solitary file, necks undulating to the slow rhythm of their gangling stride. There is an inexplicable deja vu about the African savannas, as if some subliminal memory is tweaked by the birthplace of our hominid lineage." --from In the Dust of KilimanjaroIn the Dust of Kilimanjaro is the extraordinary story of one man's struggle to protect Kenya's wildlife. World-renowned conservationist David Western -- who grew up in Africa and whose life is intertwined with the lives of its animals and indigenous peoples -- presents a history of African wildlife conservation and an intimate glimpse into his life as a global spokesperson and one of Kenya's most prominent citizens.Beginning with his childhood adventures hunting in rural Tanganyika (now Tanzania), Western describes how and why the African continent came to hold such power over him. In lyrical prose, he recounts the years of solitary fieldwork in and around Amboseli National Park that led to his gradual awakening to what was happening to the animals and people there. His immersion in the culture and ecology of the region made him realize that without an integrated approach to conservation, one that involved people as well as animals, Kenya's most magnificent creatures would be lost forever.His accounts of his friendships with the Maasai add a personal dimension to the book that gives the reader new appreciation for the centuries-old links between Africa's wildlife and people. Continued coexistence rather than segregation, he argues, offers the best hope for the world's wildlife. Western describes how his unique understanding of the potentially devastating problems in the region helped him pioneer a new approach to global wildlife conservation that balances the needs of people and wildlife without excluding one or the other.More than an exceptional autobiography, In the Dust of Kilimanjaro is a riveting look at local and global efforts to preserve species and protect ecosystems. It is the definitive story of wildlife conservation in Africa with a strong and timely message about co-existence between humans and animals.

    The setting is Mozambique during the fifteen-year war of terror that took a million lives--mostly civilian--and completely destroyed homes, crops, hospitals, schools, and even access to water. The characters are the soldiers who fought it, the thieves and opportunists who profited from it, and the ordinary people whose lives were shattered by it and from whose ranks emerged the heroes and healers who created peace.Combining contemporary theory and innovative methodology, Nordstrom explores the nature and culture of terror warfare and raises thought-provoking questions about state power, civilian resistance, and the politics of identity. She compares the conflict in Mozambique with similar conflicts and offers a new way of looking at political violence, showing that just as violence is learned, it can be unlearned.

    Ian Smith, former president of Rhodesia, spares few of his opponents as he gives a forthright account of one of Africa's most controversial political careers.

    Photographs and brief descriptions depict how lions in Botswana hunt and kill thieir prey at night.

    The preparation and conduct of the jihad provide the topics for Nana Asma'u's poetry. Her work also includes treatises on history, law, mysticism, theology, and politics, and was heavily influenced by the Arabic poetic tradition.      This volume contains annotated translations of works by the 19th century intellectual giant, Nana Asma'u, including 54 poems and prose texts. Asma'u rallied public opinion behind a movement devoted to the revival of Islam in West Africa, and organized a public education system for women.

    Brian Titley examines the myths and legends surrounding the man, probes their origins and veracity, and attempts to provide a more balanced perspective on this controversial and misunderstood figure.

    Stuarts' Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa - a classic and widely acclaimed work - concentrates on the more visible and easily distinguished larger species, as well as some of the more frequently seen smaller mammals. This new edition has been extensively revised, expanded and redesigned and includes: the most recent research and taxonomy; revised distribution maps and many new images; colour-coded grouping of orders; size icons; detailed descriptions of each species, offering insight into key identification characters, typical behaviour, preferred habitat, food choice, reproduction and longevity; whales and dolphins now featured too.

    This is Benedict Allen's account of his thousand-mile trek with camels through the Namib Desert and along the Skeleton Coast. Allen prepares for his journey with the nomadic, goat-herding Himba tribe in the north of the Namib, learning essentials for desert survival. Submerging himself in the community, he comes to understand the everyday fears and aspirations of these extraordinary people. He then travels south to the fringes of the Kalahari, where he undertakes a gruelling three-week period, training his reluctant camels. Escorted by security personnel through diamond areas closed to the outside world, Allen moves north past ghost towns and through some of the highest dunes in the world. The journey continues through lion, rhino and elephant country, where Allen battles to maintain authority over his faithful but nervous camels, until he is reunited with the Himba nomads.

    The central of the three major invading columns forded the Buffalo River at Rorke's Drift. Within days Lord Chelmsford's invasion was in jeopardy. Part of his central column had been almost annihilated at Isandlwana in a battle rated as one of the greatest military disasters in British colonial history. A few survivors struggled back into Natal across the mighty Buffalo River. Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill died in a gallant attempt to save the Queen's colours, earning the first posthumous Victoria Crosses in history. A great wing of the Zulu army went on to attack the British garrison at Rorke's Drift, and these warriors were beaten off in a battle that lasted all night. More VC.'s were awarded for valour in this battle than in any other battle in history. There never was another day like this one……. David Rattray devoted much of his life to the exploration of these troubled times by studying books and documents relating to this period and collecting stories handed down through the oral tradition of the Zulu people. He spent a great deal of time guiding people through the battlefields and entertaining them at the Lodge.David's moving stories of the Zulu War are available as a boxed set of five audio CDs or can be downloaded as mp3 files. Please note that the series is only sold as a full set and the brief synopisis below of each part is purely for information purposes only.

    This is the story of the airlift in 1969 of humanitarian aid to the innocent people in Biafra caught up in the Nigerian Civil War.

    When the reconstruction was completed in 1989, Natsef-Amun's distinctly Negroid features came as a surprise to some Egyptologists.Were the ancient Egyptians black? Some experts say yes. If so, then Western civilization may owe its existence to black Africans.In Black Spark, White Fire , award-winning journalist Richard Poe explores new and controversial evidence from linguistics, archaeology, and anthropology, suggesting that Egyptian explorers may have landed in Greece 3 to 4,000 years ago, reared cities and pyramids, established cults, and founded royal dynasties. In the process, the spark they lit may have kindled the fire of Western Civilization. Black Spark, White Fire solves the riddles to these questions and more:• Why do so many of the cities, mountains, and rivers in Greece have names that are not Greek, but Egyptian and Phoenician?• Who were the mysterious "Minyans" who built pyramids in Greece, some 2,000 years before the Golden Age of classical Athens?• Did an Egyptian army once march across Russia leaving colonists in the Caucasus?• Did the first Egyptian pharaohs come from Nubia — a lost civilization deep in the heart of Africa?With all the suspense of a mystery thriller, Black Spark, White Fire follows a slender trail of clues that leads from the highlands of Ethiopia to the barrows of the Russian steppes. It pieces together the forgotten story of an Age of Exploration that ended nearly 3,000 years before Columbus — a time when Egypt ruled the waves, Africa was the seat of learning and power, and Europe a savage frontier.

    Good general introductions for ages 10+, these volumes contain the knowledge, personal experiences, and research of leading naturalists and scientists, accompanied by stunning photography. Unless otherwise noted (*), all volumes are sturdy paperback.

    From the Kennedy administration on, Washington spoke against apartheid but, pressured by American corporations making big profits in South Africa and the geopolitics of the cold war, did little to foster change. Anti-apartheid activists turned their attention instead to South Africa's Achilles heel: its economy. Soon institutional America-churches, foundations, union and government pension funds-joined activists and college students in pressuring American business to get out of South Africa. Their efforts built to a climax in the 1980s, when South Africa became the burning issue of the day, the United States imposed punitive sanctions, and the apartheid regime collapsed.Robert Kinloch Massie re-creates the passions and struggles of these years, deftly showing how American and South African politics, money and personalities were intertwined in these years. Populated with real-life heroes and villains, bursting with colorful incident, "Loosing the Bonds" is an inspiring chronicle of one of the most important struggles of our lifetime.

    A favorite genre among these folktales is the trickster tale, variations of which are found in many cultures around the world. Among the Yoruba of West Africa (mostly in western Nigeria but also in neighboring Bénin), the trickster character is Àjàpá, the tortoise. The repertory of tales about him is seemingly inexhaustible. In this volume Oyekan Owomoyela offers a representative gathering of twenty-three Yoruba trickster tales. Àjàpá is notable for his strikingly human habits, abilities, weaknesses, moods, and disposition. We discover different aspects of Àjàpá in these tales, including his vanity and resourcefulness, his appetites and playfulness, and his amusing relations with his friends. As we read through these entertaining stories, we gain a many-sided view of this fascinating character and the spirited world in which he lives. These tales of the trickster Àjàpá will appeal to readers of all ages, learned and not so—even as they introduce us to a vital folk culture.

    Since Amina's parents died, there has been no money, and she will have to leave school even though she is top of her class at maths. She plans to find a job, perhaps in the city or at the bar where her sister, Grace, works. But the customers are men who sleep around and spread diseases including HIV/AIDS. Amina finds herself in a dangerous situation when she goes to visit Grace at the bar, and it is up to Sara and her resourceful pet monkey, Zingo, to rescue her.Graphic version.Available in various languages.Discussion questions and learning activities, for parents, community and young adults are included in the facilitator’s pages at the back.

    This spectacular book represents a collaboration between art historian Henry John Drewal and Yoruba priest John Mason. From the forests of Africa a thousand years ago to the bustling cities of New York, Havana, and Salvador, today, Yoruba religion has used beads to convey the artistic spirit and deep connection to the other world that its practitioners feel. This illustrated volume traces the history of the beads, their use, and Yoruba aesthetics and artistry. .

    Nevertheless, because it contains such startling insight into the management needs of Africa's elephants as a whole, and because it so clearly explains the inherent ecological dangers to Africa's game reserve national parks should their elephant populations be MIS-managed, it should be prescribed reading for everyone in the national parks and wildlife management professions, and everyone connected with the eco-tourism industry, in Africa.It should also be read by nature-loving people, everywhere, if they are at all interested in the well-being, and the survival, of the African elephant.This first part of the book deals, inter alia, with the condition of the elephant habitats in some of south central Africa's greatest elephant sanctuaries, relative to the numbers of elephants these game reserves are carrying. Game reserves in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa are covered.There are also chapters for the hunter: on rifles, calibres and bullets; on the hunting areas in which the author hunted elephants; on the elephant's "vital organs" - the hunter's targets; and an intriguing chapter explaining why big game animals sometimes attack.This, therefore, is a book, especially, for the tyro - the would-be elephant hunter of tomorrow. But it is a book for the experienced elephant hunter, too ...... for very few modern hunters have anything like the magnitude of Ron Thomson's elephant hunting experience or his knowledge about elephants.The second - and greater - part of the book contains a host of authentic and outstanding elephant hunting stories that will leave the reader spellbound.This book in an African hunting classic.

    Aimed at layman and botanist alike, this handbook presents all the trees in southern Africa in one volume.

    The author argues that the Bank's bureaucrats, insulated from public scrutiny, are guilty of overlooking the human equation.

    

    The Portuguese military crafted its doctrine and implemented it to match the guerrilla strategy of protracted war, and in doing so, followed the lessons gleaned from the British and French experiences in small wars. The Portuguese approach to the conflict was distinct in that it sought to combine the two-pronged national strategy of containing the cost of the war and of spreading the burden to the colonies with the solution on the battlefield. It describes how Portugal defined and analyzed its insurgency problem in light of the available knowledge on counterinsurgency, how it developed its military policies and doctrines in this context, and how it applied them in the African colonial environment. The uniqueness of its approach is highlighted through a thematic military analysis of the Portuguese effort and a comparison with the experiences of other governments fighting similar contemporaneous wars.

    In this compelling biography, Charles Nicholl pieces together the shadowy story of Rimbaud's life as a trader, explorer, and gunrunner in Africa. Following his fascinating journey, Nicholl shows how Rimbaud lived out that mysterious pronouncement of his teenage years: "Je est un autre"—I is somebody else."Rimbaud's fear of stasis never left him. 'I should like to wander over the face of the whole world,' he told his sister, Isobelle, 'then perhaps I'd find a place that would please me a little.' The tragedy of Rimbaud's later life, superbly chronicled by Nicholl, is that he never really did."—London Guardian"Nicholl has excavated a mosaic of semi-legendary anecdotes to show that they were an essential part of the poet's journey to become 'somebody else.' Not quite biography, not quite travel book, in the end Somebody Else transcends both genres."—Sara Wheeler, Daily Telegraph"At the end of Somebody Else Rimbaud is more interesting and more various than before: he is not less mysterious, but he is more real."—Susannah Clapp, Observer Review

    This riveting memoir, spanning the history of modern South Africa, sheds new light on the struggle against apartheid as it tells the moving and insightful story of a man who served among a loyal cadre of the African National Congress and helped in shaping his country's history.

    Miller contends that the drug war's racial bias has exacerbated an already present prejudice throughout the criminal justice system. In a wide-ranging survey, Miller describes widespread bias among police officers, probation officers, and courts, while social scientists, whose data form the basis for much policy toward crime, and social workers, whose responsibility is allegedly to members of the underclass, have uncritically accepted the questionable assumptions of criminal justice processing. He warns that the sudden rekindling of interest in genetics and crime along with the creation of a massive crime control industry hold even greater danger for racial minorities in their encounters with the justice system.

    Sosu is all alone in his family's compound when disaster strikes. The waters are rising, and most of the people of the village are in the fields. The only ones left are the very old and the very young. And Sosu, who cannot walk. Somehow he manages to make his way through the rising waters up the hill to the drum shed, where he sounds the alarm and saves the village.A book about differences, about acceptance, about what it means to be normal. A book about the people and the lives that take place on the other side of the world, and in our own backyard.

    Fieldwork tracks the adventures of a group of American scientists trying to gather critical data in some of the wildest and most inhospitable parts of Africa. Scholz effectively captures the unique challenges and obstacles faced in this kind of scientific endeavor, including mysterious encounters with a primitive bushman tribe and unavoidable dealings with belligerent local officials and even near-fatal stampedes by rampaging elephants. It is through this absorbing tale that Scholz offers a paean to the long and unique traditions of geological fieldwork, and provides readers with an inside view of the trials and joys of scientific fieldwork.The goal of the Scholz expedition was to determine, by recording tiny natural earthquakes, if a previously unknown arm of the East African Rift system had propagated into the Kalahari Desert from the north. Fieldwork tracks the quest of the scientist for a solution to a specific geological problem from the motivations of the scientist, to the initial formulation of the problem, through to the data collection, and finally, the assembly of the critical evidence.Originally published in 1997.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

    Taking as its point of departure W. V. O. Quine's thesis about the indeterminacy of translation, the book investigates questions of Yoruba epistemology and of how knowledge is conceived in an oral culture.

    Inspired by the books The Asarian Resurrection: The Ancient Egyptian Bible and The Mystical Teachings of The Asarian Resurrection, The Story of Asar, Aset and Heru is an easy to understand and thrilling tale which inspired the children of Ancient Egypt to aspire to greatness and righteousness. If you and your child have enjoyed stories like The Lion King and Star Wars you will love The Story of Asar, Aset and Heru. Also, if you know the story of Jesus and Krishna you will discover than Ancient Egypt had a similar myth and that this myth carries important spiritual teachings for living a fruitful and fulfilling life. This book may be used along with The Parents Guide To The Asarian Resurrection Myth: How to Teach Yourself and Your Child the Principles of Universal Mystical Religion. The guide provides some background to the Asarian Resurrection myth and it also gives insight into the mystical teachings contained in it which you may introduce to your child. It is designed for parents who wish to grow spiritually with their children and it serves as an introduction for those who would like to study the Asarian Resurrection Myth in depth and to practice its teachings.

    For whereas a previous generation of historians saw the twentieth-century racial state emerging from forces unleashed by the mineral revolution, Keegan argues that its roots lie in an earlier period, when the cape was first inegrated into the British empire of free trade of the early nineteenth century.

    Striking photographs and an authoritative text document the hunting behavior, play rituals, and natural history of the Mombo pack in Botswana's Okavango Delta.

    This is more disturbing given the extreme economic disparity experienced by much of the black population, the retreat from commitments to public ownership enshrined in the Freedom Charter, the unambiguous safeguarding of private capital, and the obstacles placed in the way of progressive economic policies by business interests and the entrenched apartheid-era bureaucracy.Rather than proposing a blueprint for a more equable economic system, this book presents the results and implications of detailed and wide-ranging research on both the history and current dynamics of the South African economy, from the Second World War to the present. The authors analyze a range of strategic economic trajectories, linking these to the shifting balance of economic and political power in South Africa. But their approach is not prescriptive; instead they set the parameters within which the economic and political debates are conducted. They also discuss the theoretical arguments involved in the propositions that they and others have put forward. The book's value is enhanced by the comprehensiveness of the data presented, and each chapter is self-contained so that particular topics can be studied separately.

    The novel takes us into the hearts of the early people of the Cape - the settlers who had to be rough and tough to bend the wilderness to their will, and the brown-skinned people who found themselves almost pushed off teh end of the earth.

    Includes a glossary of Cameroonian foods and a recipe for egussi soup.

    It recounts an extraordinary and eventful period in the years before instant communication and mass TV coverage and provides a riveting first-hand record of history unfurling during many of the world's most dramatic events of the Cold War era.Richard Beeston describes what the restless, nomadic life of a foreign correspondent is like, providing colourful and lively portrayals of daily life in Fleet Street and communist Moscow; of his years with a radio station for MI6 in the Middle East; and of his acquaintance with the notorious Soviet agent, Kim Philby. Richard Beeston led a truly extraordinary life, superbly captured in this acclaimed memoir - now published in paperback for the first time.

    Enriched with historic photos of the life and times of the people being profiled, and with excerpts from primary source documents, this series will inspire critical thinking, further research, and additional reading. Each book is more than just the story an individual.

    The work of many modern artists - Amedeo Modigliani in particular - refelects the direct influence of Baule invention and forms. This text explores for the texture and details of Baule life and art. Illustrations include field photographs showing artworks in the intimacy of daily lives and public performances, and museum photograophs of Baule sculptures. Susan Vogel focuses on the creation and uses of Baule works of art apart from their definition as "art" in western eyes. She establishes a means for understanding Baule expressive culture from the perspective of the Baule individuals. In a discussion of Baule experiences of art objects, she finds different kinds of looking and sleeping - art that is watched (mask dances and entertainment performances), that is seen without looking (works of art too sacred or awesome to be scrutinized), that is glimpsed (sculptures made for personal shrines and kept in private rooms), and that is visible to all (elaborately decorated objects that fulfill the desire for beauty and for open display of talents).

    It closely examines the works of biblical interpreters from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and North America, bringing to the fore the obscure as well as the better-known interpretations, and investigating the Bible's reclamation by indigenous peoples in the postcolonial world. The volume will be an invaluable guide to anyone interested in learning about the impact of the Bible on non-Western cultures.

    During the 1980s and early 1990s, Chad briefly held international attention because of its warring with Libya. This situation underlines Chad’s potential for drawing its neighbors—Libya, Sudan, Cameroon, and Nigeria in particular—and to some degree France and the United States into its conflicts. For this reason alone, diplomats and scholars alike should pay close attention to the pivotal position this former French colony occupies in the heart of Africa. Is Chad the sleeping giant of Africa? What role can we expect of a peaceful Chad in Central Africa? What would be the repercussions if Libya annexed Chad? What kind of role has France played in this conflict? How do the Chadian people deal with this protracted conflict? What is the role of the northern leaders of the country? Are they warlords or committed nationalists? These are some of the questions that Mario Azevedo and Emmanuel Nnadozie raise and answer.The authors analyze and demythologize Chad’s complex socioeconomic and political history as background for understanding its contemporary situation in light of the internal and external dynamics that have shaped the country. In addition, the book examines Chad’s attempts at political and economic reforms and the prospects for entrenching democracy following recent elections. The roles and conditions of women are also emphasized. Based on primary and secondary sources, this book is by far the most comprehensive portrayal and evaluation of Chad’s past, present, and future currently available.

    This comprehensive guide covers the geography, culture, natural history and adventure opportunities in the world-class national parks of Botswana and Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia; the pristine wilderness areas in the smaller nations of Malawi, Lesotho and Swaziland; and South Africa.

    

    a ground-breaking contribution to the field of African literature... " --Research in African Literatures"Anyone with the slightest interest in West African cultures, performance or theatre should immediately rush out and buy this book." --Leeds African Studies Bulletin"A seminal contribution to the fields of performance studies, cultural studies, and popular culture. " --Margaret Drewal"A fine book. The play texts are treasures." --Richard BaumanAfrican popular culture is an arena where the tensions and transformations of colonial and post-colonial society are played out, offering us a glimpse of the view from below in Africa. This book offers a comparative overview of the history, social context, and style of three major West African popular theatre genres: the concert party of Ghana, the concert party of Togo, and the traveling popular theatre of western Nigeria.

    E Malan's surprise victory in the 1948 election and persisted until E W. de Klerk's concession of power and South Africa's first democratic election in 1994. Building on the author's earlier work on Afrikaner nationalism, this pioneering work explores the ongoing conflicts inside the National Party in the context of the broader political struggles of South Africa and the apartheid state.Exhaustively researched and fully illustrated with contemporary photographs and cartoons, Professor O'Meara's study analyzes the nature and functioning of the apartheid economy, the role of big business and foreign governments, military strategy, the evolution of Afrikaner literature, and the National Party's changing relationship with the Afrikaner Broederbond.Forty Lost Years is more than a compelling history: Dan O'Meara offers unique and subtle insights into questions of how the past both shapes the present and limits the future.

    

    

    It explores the ways cloth is used in African societies and the role of cloth traditions in contemporary dress and fashion design. Major forms and styles of the twentieth century are introduced, those which are both cherished in their local context and increasingly sought after by collectors and museums worldwide.