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A selection of new books on Africa and by African writers from www.africabookcentre.com THE RISE OF CHINA AND INDIA IN AFRICA: Challenges, Opportunities and Critical Interventions By Cheru, Fantu & Obi, Cyril I. (Eds.); 276pp; UK; Zed Books; Paperback; £21.99 IN RECENT years, China and India have become the most important economic partners of Africa and their footprints are growing by leaps and bounds, transforming Africa’s international relations in a dramatic way. Although the overall impact of China and India’s engagement in Africa has been positive in the short-term, partly as a result of higher returns from commodity exports fuelled by excessive demands from both countries, little research exists on the actual impact of China and India’s growing involvement on Africa’s economic transformation. This book examines in detail the opportunities and challenges posed by the increasing presence of China and India in Africa, and proposes critical interventions that African governments must undertake in order to negotiate with China and India from a stronger and more informed platform. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION IN RURAL TANZANIA AND ZAMBIA: The Impact of Civic Education By Riutta, Satu; 224pp; USA; Firstforumpress; Hardback; £52.99 SATU RIUTTA asks whether civic education initiatives — to which huge sums of donor funds and effort are devoted annually — actually promote political participation among the rural poor in nascent democracies. Does raising awareness about citizen rights and responsibilities increase participation? Are the effects of civic education greatest on collective or individual forms of participation? Do women respond differently than men? Drawing on a rich set of data from villages in Tanzania and Zambia, Riutta casts new light on both the empowering effects and the limitations of civic education in the context of participatory development and democratisation. The book explores the impact and limitations of civic education.
■ Pictorial View BLUE AND OLD GOLD: The History of the British South Africa Police, 1889-1980 By Gibbs, Peter, Phillips, Hugh & Russell, Nick; 640pp; South Africa; 30’ South; Hardback; £45.00 IN 1889, Cecil John Rhodes was granted a royal charter by Queen Victoria to settle Mashonaland, in what was to become Southern Rhodesia. He formed the British South Africa Company and the regiment of troopers raised to protect the occupying Pioneer Column were dubbed the British South Africa Police, the BSAP. From the 1893 Matabele War, the 1896 Mashona Rebellion and the Jameson Raid, the Anglo-Boer War, through both World Wars and finally to the bitter Rhodesian bush war of the 1960s and ‘70s, troopers and officers of this famous regiment of policemen, both black and white served in civilian and military roles until the disbandment of the Force in 1980 when the country became the independent Zimbabwe.
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INVICTUS: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation By Carlin, John; 288pp; UK; Atlantic Books; Paperback; £8.99 NEW EDITION, originally published under the title PLAYING THE ENEMY: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation, 24 June 1995. Nelson Mandela steps onto the pitch wearing a Springboks shirt and, before a global audience of millions, a new country is born. This fascinating book tells the incredible story of the journey to that moment. As the day of the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup dawned, and the Springboks faced New Zealand’s all-conquering All Blacks, more was at stake than a sporting trophy. When Nelson Mandela appeared and led the all-white Afrikaner-dominated team in singing South Africa’s new national anthem, he conquered white South Africa. This book tells the extraordinary human story of how that moment became possible.