The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence by Martin Meredith Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence
Book Review: The Fate of Africa
Summary: 4 Stars
This at first sight seemed to be a dry historical, but relevent
book. However, it was a difficult book to put down. The sad
result of the rise of african leaders posing as liberators from
the "oppressors" of colonialism,substituting avarice, cronyism
torture,and assassination, leading to poverty of the basest kind
for their citizens, is an indictment of the Western powers who
backed the corrupt regimes. Fascinating accounts of the rise of the lowest ranked military men to incredible power and riches.
a must read
Book Review: Out of Africa
Summary: 5 Stars
Martin Meredith telegraphed the focus, tenor, and tone of his book quite well with his title, subtitle, and sub-subtitle: "The Fate of Africa: From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair--A History of Fifty Years of Independence."
The title itself is provocative. Meredith predicts the fate of future Africa based upon his analysis of free Africa over the past fifty years. His pessimistic prediction, though couched in historical analysis of Africa, seems to minimize the similar history of other continents, continents which overcame the proverbial truth that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. For example, if North America could overcome its horrible legacy of slavery and racism (the ultimate examples of corrupt power), why can't Africa overcome its ethnically motivated genocide?
Meredith's sub-subtitle ("A History of Fifty Years of Independence) portrays the most compelling aspects of his work. For over 700 pages he painstakingly documents the end of the colonial period through our current era. His tale is a sweeping epic journeying over the vast expanse of every country on this great continent. If you want a primer on modern African history, especially political history, this is THE book.
His subtitle ("From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair") is painfully honest. It tells the story of the dashed dreams and tortured hopes of the modern African continent. This is not your father's history of Africa. Nor is it for the squeamish. One can understand why Meredith would end up with such a negative view of Africa's future, given his understanding of her past.
However, as mentioned earlier, one must not forget that true freedom on every continent has been a long, arduous, imperfect voyage. Perhaps had Meredith dug further into Africa's glorious past, including its history as a world center for philosophical and theological constructs, he might have seen something of the enduring spirit of Africa. Out of Africa will yet arise a free people. For dreams of freedom do not die easily.
Reviewer: Robert W. Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction." He has also authored "Soul Physicians" and "Spiritual Friends."
Book Review: From euphoria to despair
Summary: 5 Stars
In its 750 pages, this book thoroughly and meticulously charts the history of Africa since independence. Dealing with every single country, it explores and analyses the reasons for the continent's dismal failure. Although it provides a plethora of facts and figures, the work is an accessible and compelling read as it charts the bitter history of 50 years of independence from its hopeful beginnings to today's poverty and despair. Some passages may however upset the sensitive reader.
Africa has been cursed with corrupt and incompetent leaders who never cared for their people. There have been at least 40 successful and many more unsuccessful coup attempts over the past five decades, whilst the latest fashion is to hold sham elections as happened recently in Zimbabwe. Wherever there are natural resources like oil, the money ends up in the pockets of small ruling cliques while most ordinary people live in misery.
The rest of Africa has followed Ghana's example. The first African state to gain independence in 1957, the country was bankrupt within 8 years. Upon taking power, African leaders appointed their cronies in government instead of properly trained civil servants, of which there weren't many to begin with. These ruling elites indulged in corruption, oppression and bribery from the beginning. Today the whole continent produces less than Mexico.
The rogue's gallery of African despots includes Amin, Bokassa, Mobutu, Nyerere, Banda, Mugabe, Kaunda, Kenyatta, Mengistu, Nasser, Nguema and Nkrumah. The extent of the corruption has given rise to the term Kleptocracy. Meredith also looks at other reasons for the failure of Africa, for example rapid population increases and trade protectionism in the West.
The pattern set by Ghana is still repeating, leading to coups d'etat, oppression, misery, murder, refugees and the collapse of civil society. In the 1990s there was the tragedy of Rwanda and most recently, the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Throwing money at the problem has never resolved anything but may instead have made things worse. Africa has had the equivalent of six Marshall Plans but most of the money ends up in overseas bank accounts. The author points out the relentless tide of graft that characterizes government and business in Africa.
Meredith also looks at the exceptions, like Botswana, South Africa and Senegal. These countries are multiparty democracies with well-run economies. They represent some hope that Africa might one day become a decent place to live. The book includes maps, black & white photographs, explanatory notes and bibliographic references. Well-researched and well-written, it will remain the standard work on the modern history of Africa for a long time to come.
Book Review: A horror story
Summary: 5 Stars
Five stars for this plain, urgent, and very comprehensive account of Africa since the colonial powers packed up and left, or were booted out. And as far as I know, this is the only book which covers all of Africa in the last 50 years. But I think readers should be issued with a very strong warning. You have to ask yourselves if you have a strong stomach. Because make no mistake, this is a horror story, and it has left me, after all the Geldoff-inspired euphoria, after the recent debt-cancellations, after all those good words from Blair and Brown, close to despair. Let me give you some examples chosen as random. From page 173 : "President Omar Bongo of Gabon...ordered a new palace for himself with sliding walls and doors, rotating rooms and a private nightclub, costing well over $200 million". From page 273: "The disruption caused by the `villagisation' programme nearly led to catastrophe (in Tanzania). Food production fell drastically, raising the spectre of widespread famine.... Drought compounded the problem." From page 368: "By the mid-1980s most Africans were as poor or poorer than they had been at the time if independence." From page 460: "Over a ten-year period (in Algeria) more than 100,000 people died. Nor was there any end in sight. The violence seemed to suit both sides - the military and the Islamist rebels."
The story of each African country seems to be the same. There is the early promise of independence, the charismatic new leader (it could be Nkrumah or Kenyatta or even Mugabe, of whom Ian Smith, the leader of white Rhodesia, said : "He behaved like a balanced, civilised westerner, the antithesis of the communist gangster I had expected"). There follows corruption and megalomania - palaces built, roads to nowhere commissioned, Swiss bank accounts opened, the president's tribal associates given all the top jobs. The president bans all political parties except his own, because multi-party democracy is not the African way and just plays into the hands of unscrupulous tribal leaders (but of course it is the President himself - and in Africa there has never yet been a herself - who's the biggest player of tribal politics). Then comes twenty - sometimes thirty - years of tyranny, with all political opponents jailed and tortured, and the country bankrupted. Then comes the military coup with the idealistic young military leader declaring a Council of National Salvation and a raft of anti-corruption laws. A few years later, the same young military leader (could be Samuel K Doe of Liberia, could be Yoweri Museweni of Uganda) has turned into a clone of the tyrant he deposed.
Slavery in Africa was followed by colonialism, and once that was ended, by Cold War proxy wars, and once they were over, by Aids. You would think that - plus the endemic disease and drought of course - was enough. But no, Africa suffers from another disease just as debilitating - the infestation of their own "vampire-like" ruling classes. By the end of Martin Meredith's book the horrors were not diminishing. We had had the Rwandan genocide, the children's armies of Liberia (ten year old kids high on cocaine shooting each other with Armalites) and the Lord's Resistance cult in Uganda. Still it goes on. "When Abdou Diouf of Senegal accepted defeat in an election in March 2000 he was only the fourth president to do so in four decades." And again: "The World bank estimates that 40% of Africa's private wealth is held offshore.".
The author leaves no room for any false optimism. I salute every aid agency and every politician willing to even try to improve the dire situation. But if they read this book they will be wondering where to begin.
Book Review: The Fate of Africa by Meredith
Summary: 5 Stars
Martin Meredith is a noted authority on Africa. He wrote a number
of volumes including an important work covering Nelson Mandela.
The author cites Botswana as an important example of a Multi-Party
democracy along with the post-apartheid South Africa. There is
a good rendition of the Civil War in Algeria. Occasionally, an
important piece of history is cited. i.e. Kenya produced its
first African lawyer circa 1956. The African National Congress
came about in 1912 with a defiance campaign commencing in 1952.
Initially, the African leaders embraced a strong governmental
control and involvement with the economy as a continuing strategy
borrowed from the Colonial Era. In 1958, General de Gaulle rode
through the streets of Algeria to keep them in French hands.
The volume documents a move by Che Guevara to organize a Cuban
expedition in the East Congo to foment disharmony.
President Nasser warned him not to become "another Tarzan" .
Emperor Haile Selassi was said to have descended from
King Solomon and Queen Sheba. The Emperor routinely fed the
lions in the Jubilee Palace. The author documents abuses in
Zambia including random beatings and the withholding of food.
President Clinton worked with a small group of African
leaders who displayed an appreciation of democratic principles
and the potential to deal with economic renewal on the African
continent. Mbeki and 4 others participated in Nepad which was
an organization firmly grounded in democratic principles and
implementation on the African continent.
The work is an important contribution with respect to the
integration of the African experience into the World History
of the periods cited. This book is valuable to students of
Afro-Asian and World History, the general readership and a
very broad constituency of academicians everywhere.