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Thursday, July 11, 2013

Library: General: Books about Africa

We recommend these books about Africa:

Africa in History
Basil Davidson

For centuries it was thought that Africa's history started when the Europeans arrived. This book tells the true story of the civilisations that were around when the Sahara desert was still greeen, of Africa's great iron age, and about the ancient and powerful kingdoms that had existed and declined before the Europeans arrived. This book was a landmark in the restoration of African history.




African Civilization Revisited: From Antiquity to Modern Times
Basil Davidson

Africa's story from the beginnings of history to modern time as told in the chroniclaes and records of chiefs, kings, travellers, poets and more. The extracts bring alive Africa's glorious history giving it the perspective of the people alive at the time.



THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE. A revised and expanded edition.
Basil Davidson
A detailed look at how the slave trade developed and took hold of the continent.


Black Ivory: A History of British Slavery
James Walvin

In three centuries more than 11 million Africans were transported as slaves to the Americas with untol millions dying in the process. Their work in the plantations of the Americas changed the Western world forever with its crops of tobacco, coffee, rum and sugar. It also left a scar across the face of Africa - this book documents Britain's role in the autrocities.


The White Nile
Alan Moorehead

The story for the search of the source of the White Nile by European explorers. Their dogged perserverence kept them going through many horrific encounters.


The Blue Nile
Alan Moorehead

The sister story to the White Nile telling how the source of the Blue Nile in the highlands of Ethiopia was found for the first time by European explorers.



Lost Cities of Africa
Basil Davidson

Combining archeological evidence and scholarly research this book traces the exciting development of the rich kingdoms of the lost cities of Africa, fifteen hundred years before European ships first came to African shores.



The Scramble for Africa: White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912
Thomas Pakenham

A detailed narrative history of the European scramble for control of Africa that took place in the late 1800s. Vivid, colorful, and breathtaking it is the first full-scale history of the conquest of the continent.




The African Genius
Basil Davidson

Documenting the indigenous skills of Africa that reveal the very old and very sophisticated cultures that have existed in Africa since prehistory.




The Black Man's Burden: Africa and the Curse of the Nation-State
Basil Davidson

Although independence was supposed to mean liberation, in fact the newly created African countries became entrapped in nation states that had little or no meaning to the people. This meaningless nation states are a the root of much of today's suffering and poverty across the continent.




West Africa before the Colonial Era: A History to 1850
Basil Davidson

The spectacular history of the great cultures of West Africa before the establishment of colonial rule.




Africa
John Reader

Returning to his theme that we all belong to Africa John Reader divides the continent into geographical regions (savanna, deserts, mountains, etc) and documents how mankind originated.



Africa in Chaos: A Comparative History
George Ayittey

Ghanaian-born economics professor George B.N. Ayittey takes a hard, unsentimental look at the continuing economic, cultural, and political downfall of African countries.



Africa: A Biography of the Continent
John Reader

A panoramic overview of the continent from the dawns of prehistory to the present day. He documents how the continent has been shaped both by its cultures and environment which is like nowhere else on earth.



The Africans
David Lamb

A social, cultural and historical view of the issues facing Africa - the most diverse continent on earth. David Lamb, bureau chief for the LA Times travelled the continent meeting all kinds from the most powerful to the poorest.

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