The Politics Of Biography In Africa

Bringing together historians, political scientists, and literary analysts, this volume shows how biographical narratives can shed light on alternative, little known or under-researched aspects of state power in African politics. Part 1 shows how biographical narratives breathe new life into subjects who, upon decolonization, had been reduced to silence - women, workers, and radical politicians. The contributors analyze the complex relationship between biographical narratives and power, questioning either the power of biographical codes peculiar to western, colonial origins, or the power to shape public memory. Part 2 reflects on the act of (auto-)biography writing as an exercise of power, one that blurs the lines between truth and invention. (Auto-)biographical narratives appear as politicized, ambiguous stories. Part 3 focuses on female leadership during and after colonization, exploring on how women gained, lost, or reinvented "power". Brought together, the contributions of this volume show that the function of biographical narratives should no longer oscillate between romanticized narratives and historical evidence; their varied formats all offer fruitful opportunities for a multidisciplinary dialogue. This book will be of interest to scholars from various disciplinary backgrounds working on the African postcolonial state, the decolonization process, women’s and gender studies, and biography writing.

Nelson Mandela, the first African politician to acquire a world following, remains in the 21st century an iconic figure. But what are the sources of his almost mythic appeal? And to what extent did Mandela self-consciously create the status of political hero that he now enjoys? This new and highly revealing biography examines these questions in detail for the first time. Drawing on a range of original sources, it presents a host of fresh insights about the shaping of Mandela's personality and public persona, from his childhood days and early activism, through his long years of imprisonment, to his presidency of the new South Africa. Throughout, Lodge emphasizes the crucial interplay between Mandela's public career and his personal or private world, showing how his heroic status was a product both of his leading position within the anti-apartheid movement and his own deliberate efforts to supply a form of quasi-messianic leadership for that movement. And as Lodge shows, Mandela's huge international appeal is a compelling and unusual cocktail. Of the sacred and the secular. Of traditional African values and global media savvy. And of human vulnerablilty, interwoven with the grand narrrative of liberation.

This major reference work is the first to provide authoritative biographies of 485 politicians who have shaped the development of Africa in the period since independence. It offers a comprehensive coverage of all states south of the Sahara including Namibia and South Africa. Drawing on 20 years experience as a teacher and researcher in African affairs, John Wiseman presents short biographical essays which present not only the facts but also an assessment of the importance of the individual concerned. He successfully covers the life and work of politicians representing diverse currents of thought and different political traditions. Many of the entries provide information available in English for the first time. This unique book will be an essential reference work for a wide range of readers: academic specialists, students, politicians, journalists and business organizations with connections in Africa.

Traces the political career of twice-president Obote before and after Amin's dictatorship, arguing that his achievements in Uganda have been underestimated.

Ali Mazrui has been described as one of the most original thinkers that Africa has produced, and one of the top 100 living public intellectuals in the world today. This volume uses Mazrui's life and work as a guide towards explaining the historical impact of black public intellectuals such as Julius K. Nyerere, Patrice Lumumba and Barrack Obama. The book explores not only politics and academics, but also religion, gender, class and civil-military relations, bringing together into the black experience both Plato's concept of the "philosopher King" and V.I. Lenin's notion of the 'intelligentsia' ______________________________ Dr Seifudein Adem is Associate Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science at the State University of New York in Binghamton in the United States. Dr. Adem's books include Paradigm Lost, Paradigm Regained: The Worldview of Ali A. Mazrui (2002), Anarchy, Order and Power in World Politics (2002) and Hegemony and Discourse (2005). He is currently working on Professor Mazrui's intellectual biography. Dr. Adem is also the Vice President of the New York African Studies Association. Publication date: November 2010

Drawing on many years of African experience, John Reader has written a book of startling grandeur and scope that recreates the great panorama of African history, from the primeval cataclysms that formed the continent to the political upheavals facing much of the continent today. Reader tells the extraordinary story of humankind's adaptation to the ferocious obstacles of forest, river and desert, and to the threat of debilitating parasites, bacteria and viruses unmatched elsewhere in the world. He also shows how the world's richest assortment of animals and plants has helped - or hindered - human progress in Africa.

Albert Rene is a towering figure of modern Seychelle, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, east of mainland Southeast Africa and northeast of the island of Madagascar. He arouses intense emotions in both admirers and opponents. This first full-length biography analyzes Rene's early years, his political awakening, and his struggle for full electoral support in the face of strong opposition. Frustrated by the slow pace of Seychelle's economic development and the extent of social division along racial lines, Albert Rene took the fateful decision to seize power by coup d'etat in 1977. It is a dramatic story, which includes an attempted invasion by South African mercenaries. In 1992-93, Rene finessed a change from a one-party socialist state to multi-party rule. He bequeathed to his successor a transformed nation that had shed its oppressive racial hierarchy and had attained the highest social and economic indicators within the African region. Underlying the political drama is the story of the compassion and romance of the all too human man that is Albert Rene. The book adds authority to this account by the depth of research through archives and contemporary newspapers, as well as extensive interviews covering both his political and personal life, the latter including interviews with all three of Albert Rene's wives. *** "A saga of political drama, struggle, and ultimately hope...fascinating from cover to cover, and highly recommended especially for public and college library biography collections." -- Midwest Book Review, Library Bookwatch, The Biography Shelf, October 2014 [Subject: Biography, Politics, History, African Studies]Ã?Â?Ã?Â?Ã?Â?Ã?Â?

Frantz Fanon was one of the twentieth-century's most influential theorists and activists, whose work fighting against colonialism and imperialism has been an inspiration to today's decolonization and anti-racism movements. As the author of essential texts such as The Wretched of the Earth and Black Skin, White Masks, his impact on today's activists - from Rhodes Must Fall to Black Lives Matter - is indelible. Leo Zeilig here details the fascinating life of Fanon - from his upbringing in Martinique to his wartime experiences and work in Europe and North Africa - and frames his ideas and activism within the greater context of his career as a practising psychiatrist and his politically tumultuous surroundings. The book covers the period of the Algerian War of Independence, national liberation and what Fanon described as 'the curse of independence'. Highlighting Fanon's role as the most influential theorist of anti-colonialism and racial liberation, this book is an essential read for those interested in the roots of the modern day anti-racism and decolonization movements.