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Books > History > African history
In this work translations of four texts are provided from Ghadamis
and from Mali. The first is a biography of the Ghadamisi scholar
'Abdallah b. Abi Bakr al-Ghadamisi (1626-1719 AD), written by the
eighteenth-century author Ibn Muhalhil al-Ghadamisi. A second text
is "The History of al-Suq", concerning al-Suq, the historic town of
Tadmakka and the original home of the Kel-Essouk Tuareg. The third
text is "The Precious Jewel in the Saharan histories of the 'People
of the Veil'" by Muhammad Tawjaw al-Suqi al-Thani, a contemporary
Tuareg author. It pertains to the Kel-Essouk and their historical
ties with the Maghreb and West Africa. The final text is a
description of the Tuareg from the book "Ghadamis, its features,
its images and its sights" by Bashir Qasim Yusha', published in
Arabic in 2001 AD.
In 1894 Jesus appeared in a dream to Rainisoalambo during a period
of intense national crisis shortly before the French colonial
invasion of Madagascar. An educated member of the southern
highlands aristocracy, Rainisoalambo was also a traditional
medicine man who had fallen into grave difficulty. Being stricken
with a case of then-rampant leprosy, his business had vanished and
he and his family were starving. In this vision, Jesus told
Rainisoalambo to put away his sampy, the small idols and charms he
used for his traditional divining and healing. When he awoke, he
found that he was healed. He quickly got rid of his charms and
began a new life of fervent prayer, witnessing to his neighbors
about what had happened, and reading the gospels with new eyes, as
current reality rather than ancient reports of the far-away
dealings of the white man's god. A group of believers soon gathered
around him. Within a year of intense activity they had formally
organized themselves at Soatanna into what we would now call a base
community, the Disciples of the Lord. Their simple rules called
them to lives of economic sharing and self-sufficiency, cleanliness
and orderliness in their persons, houses, and lands, learning to
read the Bible, daily communal prayers and study, and sending out
apostles and evangelists to establish other such households and
communities. This was the beginning of what is now called the
Fifohazana, or Awakening. More than a century later the movement
comprises several tobys, or base communities, following the
appearance of several more prophets, female and male, and their
miracle-working. The members of the movement, or mpiandry, live
throughout the island, some in the tobys butmost in the cities and
villages as members of a variety of churches. The Fifohazana
continues to stress spiritual healings, exorcisms, personal service
to the poor and sick, cleanliness, prayer, Bible study, and
witnessing. This volume provides the reader with a very clear
understanding of what the Fifohazanamovement is all about
historically, theologically, in terms of the main characters
involved, its tremendous contributions to what a Christian healing
ministry might ideally be, and as it relates to the larger world of
church and society. The book is strengthened by the contributions
of a diverse international group of scholars and participants in
the movement. This has fostered the creation of an authentic piece
of research, which combines the actual voices of participants
within the movement itself along with the perspectives of scholars,
who analyze the movement from the external periphery. This is the
first book-length treatment of the Fifohazana in English. Editor
Cynthia Holder Rich has gathered contributions from authors from
five countries, including several members of the movement, to offer
several perspectives onto the history and current life of the
movement. Articles include analysis of major movement leaders, the
place of healing in the movement, history of the conflict between
the missions and the movement, the significance of oral expression
in proclamation and as a means of revival, the role of women as
leaders in the movement, and theological issues. The Fifohazana is
one of the most intriguing current instances of indigenous
Christianity in the world. While the movement has greatly evolved
and changed in over a century, Jesus continues to appear and raise
up newleaders. Various branches of the movement have developed a
variety of institutions, but the movement has not lost its power of
transformation and change. The Fifohazana: Madagascar's Indigenous
Christian Movement is an important volume for research libraries,
universities, African studies institutions and theological schools.
A century ago, one of the five most recognizable names in the world
was arguably that of Paul Kruger, president of the Transvaal
Republic-a small Southern African country inhabited by a white
tribe-who took on the overwhelming superiority of the mighty
British Empire in defense of his people's sovereign independence.
It was a David and Goliath story. As most of the world-including
the US-cheered the Boers on, they fought a desperate war to the
bitter end (1899-1902) against colonialism, until their country lay
smoldering in ruins and an estimated 27, 929 Boer women and
children, as well as an untold number of blacks, had died in
British concentration camps.Yet within little more than half a
century, those same Afrikaners had squandered their political
capital and gone from being the world's favorite underdog to one of
the most reviled names in history. Their subsequent social
engineering project known as apartheid became an abhorrent concept
in the eyes of the international community. Bernard Botes Kruger is
a fifth-generation descendant of the wartime president, Paul
Kruger. He is an Afrikaner who lived most of his life in the
turmoil and conflict that has dominated his country's history. His
new historical novel, A Battlement of Spears, tells the remarkable
story of how not only the Afrikaners, but also the many other
former sovereign nations within the redrawn borders of the postwar
South Africa struggled to come to terms with a common identity,
often with devastating consequences. "What cruel twist of tectonic
irony caused the deepest scar on the earth's surface across the
face of that continent that would also suffer the most appalling of
human tragedies?" the author asks. Set against the backdrop of the
timeless mountain called in Zulu uKhahlamba (Barrier of Spears), a
dramatic geographic boundary that divided nations throughout
history, A Battlement of Spears is an epic story spanning
twenty-four years and two continents, of two young men with similar
interests but vastly different cultural backgrounds who become
unlikely friends. In a tragic series of events they will discover
what sacrifices are exacted from those who would dwell in the
symbolic no man's land of the summit, where fog often obscures the
vision and deprivation dulls the senses, until it becomes all too
easy to drift into hostile territory or stumble into the jaws of
the precipice. In the process they will become separated, spending
a lifetime before finding each other again a world away, on a
different continent. But in the course of their respective
journeys, they will also learn that barriers are not always what
they seem, and that choices are sometimes inevitable, with
far-reaching consequences. In that hauntingly beautiful land it is
never merely about survival, but about the things that make it
truly worthwhile, such as loyalty, friendship and honor, regardless
of the price. Written in a style that endeavors to entertain while
enlightening the uninformed about South Africa's long road to
democracy, the book provides extensive background explanations
(yes, footnotes) to those interested in the historical,
anthropological or linguistic aspects of a 'rainbow nation, ' which
today recognizes eleven official languages and several royal
families, besides a multitude of unofficial languages and dialects.
And while A Battlement of Spears is a work of fiction, based,
according to the author, on "countless true stories," it becomes
evident within the first few pages that many of the events
portrayed are too detailed and specific not to have been
experienced by someone. Some elements of the story are unmistakably
autobiographical, but much of it simply represents the collective
consciousness of a people struggling to find solutions.
"The Changing Face of African Literature" combines both the large
picture - a synopsis of current trends in African literature - and
the small: studies of individual texts and of themes across several
texts. The large and the small are linked by recurring themes, such
as gender and sexuality, the nation-state and its collapse, AIDS,
war, and suffering. The volume is comparative, bringing together
literature in at least five languages and from at least ten
national literatures. Such a large, comparative frame is implied by
most discussion of African literature but is too seldom seen. At
the same time, the collection also problematizes the comparison:
the goal is to make clear what African literatures have in common
but also where they diverge. What difference do distinct literary
traditions, readerships, and publishing patterns make to
literatures which share a common thematic and so many of the same
questions and needs? By juxtaposing contemporary texts form several
traditions, the intention of this collection is to bring out the
themes that are currently dominant in African literatures
generally. After a preface by Liz Gunner and a wide-ranging
introduction by the editors, the collection presents keynote essays
on new paradigms in African literature, before treating specific
themes - recent crime fiction, the Afrikaans and anglophone novel,
feminist literature, 'migritude' - and studies of recent works by
individual authors such as Andre Brink, Henri Djombo, Pie
Tshibanda, Bessora, Nadine Gordimer, and Paulina Chiziane, as well
as the South African television series "Yizo Yizo."
Selena Axelrod Winsnes has been engaged, since 1982, in the
translation into English, and editing of Danish language sources to
West African history, sources published from 1697 to 1822, the
period during which Denmark-Norway was an actor in the
Transatlantic Slave Trade. It comprises five major books written
for the Scandinavian public. They describe all aspects of life on
the Gold Coast Ghana], the Middle Passage and the Danish Caribbean
islands US Virgin Islands], as seen by five different men. Each had
his own agenda and mind-set, and the books, both singly and
combined, hold a wealth of information - of interest both to
scholars and lay readers. They provide important insights into the
cultural baggage the enslaved Africans carried with them to the
America's. One of the books, L.F.Rmer's A Reliable Account of the
Coast of Guinea was runner-up for the prestigious international
texts prize awarded by the U.S. African Studies Association. Selena
Winsnes lived in Ghana for five years and studied at the University
of Ghana, Legon. Her mother tongue is English; and, working
free-lance, she resides premanently in Norway with her husband,
four children and eight grandchildren. In 2008, she was awarded an
Honorary Doctor of Letters for distinguished scholarship by the
University of Ghana, Legon
This volume contributes rich, new material to provide insights into
indigenous responses to the colonial empires of Great Britain
(South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe (Rhodesia)) and
Germany (Namibia) and explore the complex intellectual, cultural,
literary, and political borders and identities that emerged across
these spaces. Contributors include distinguished global scholars in
the field as well as exciting young scholars. The essays link
global-national-local forces in history by analysing how indigenous
elites not only interacted with colonial empires to absorb, adapt
and re-cast new ideas, forms of discourse, and social formations,
but also networked with "ordinary" people to forge new social,
ethnic, and political identities and viable social forces.
Translated and other primary texts in appendices add to the
insights.
This volume deals with the chronology of Ancient Egypt from the
fourth millennium until the Hellenistic Period. An initial section
reviews the foundations of Egyptian chronology, both ancient and
modern, from annals and kinglists to C14 analyses of archaeological
data. Specialists discuss sources, compile lists of known dates,
and analyze biographical information in the section devoted to
relative chronology. The editors are responsible for the final
section which attempts a synthesis of the entire range of available
data to arrive at alternative absolute chronologies. The
prospective readership includes specialists in Near Eastern and
Aegean studies as well as Egyptologists.
In this book, Rebekah Lee offers a critical introduction to the
diverse history of health, healing and illness in sub-Saharan
Africa from the 1800s to the present day. Its focus is not simply
on disease but rather on how illness and health were understood and
managed: by healthcare providers, African patients, their families
and communities. Through a sustained interdisciplinary approach,
Lee brings to the foreground a cast of actors, institutions and
ideas that both profoundly and intimately shaped African health
experiences and outcomes. This book guides the reader through a
wide range of historical source material, and highlights the
theoretical and methodological innovations which have enriched this
scholarship. Part One delivers a concise historical overview of
African health and illness from the long 'pre-colonial' past
through the colonial period and into the present day, providing an
understanding of broad patterns - of major disease challenges,
experiences of illness, and local and global health interventions -
and their persistence or transformation across time. Part Two
adopts a 'case study' approach, focusing on specific health
challenges in Africa - HIV/AIDS, mental illness, tropical disease
and occupational disease - and their unfolding across time and
space. Health, Healing and Illness in African History is the first
wide-ranging survey of this key topic in African history and the
history of health and medicine, and the ideal introduction for
students.
Dr Jacob Chikuhwa continues with his academic analysis of both the
political and economic developments in Zimbabwe. Supported by well
researched historical narrative and economic data, Zimbabwe: The
End of the First Republic examines the triumphs and tribulations of
the Zimbabwean national project leading to the adoption of a
home-grown constitution and the July 31, 2013 elections. Although
the war of liberation led to Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, it
has not established democracy, functioning health and education
systems and equal opportunities for Zimbabweans. What Zimbabweans
experience is decay of infrastructure with very little in the state
coffers despite abundant natural resources. The theme on economic
performance focuses on numerous failed economic blueprints that
began with the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme during the
early 1990s. The haphazard land-reform programme and the
exploitation of mineral resources take centre stage. While Zimbabwe
is poised to supply 25% of world diamond output, the way tenders
are being awarded for the diamond mining has highlighted the need
for accountability and transparency. Before the coalition
government was formed in 2009, the country had gone from being one
of Africa's strongest economies to one of its weakest - as
Zimbabweans grappled with hyperinflation, mass unemployment and
widespread poverty. Although the Short Term Emergency Recovery
Programme brought some semblance of economic stability, the way
indigenisation and economic empowerment are being carried out make
investors shun the southern African country. Chikuhwa's economic
study focuses on how corruption and a lack of transparency and
accountability in Zimbabwe's governance have intensified social
problems, crime and poverty, and have alienated the IMF and World
Bank as well as potential foreign investors. This study, rich in
statistical data and heartfelt commentary, will serve as a useful
introduction for those studying Zimbabwe's recent history and
economic development and entrepreneurs looking for investment
opportunities.
Teen die einde van die Anglo-Boereoorlog was terme soos "misdaad
teen die mensdom", "oorlogsmisdadigers", volkemoord" en "etniese
suiwering" begrippe wat nog ver in die geskiedenis le. Bykans 'n
kwart van die konsentrasiekampbevolking het gedurende agt maande in
1901 daar omgekom. Aan die iende van die oorlog sou 29 000
afrikaners, waarvan 22 000 kinders, en moontlik soveel as 18 000
swart mense hulle einde in konsentrasiekapker-howe vind. Die
sterftes in die kampe, hele dorpe wat verwoes is, die platteland
wat grootskaals ontvolk is, en die vrees dat die "hele Afrikaanse
volk kan uitsterf", sou uiteindelik tot die Vrede van Vereeniging
lei. Die konsentrasiekampe het in die hart van die Afrikaner 'n
vuur van verbittering aangesteek wat dalk nooit geblus sal word
nie. As al die smart, smaad en verbittering wat die Afrikaner in sy
ganse geskiedenis gely het, lankal vergete sal wees, sal daardie
vuur nog vlam, want dit het " 'n merk vir die eeue gebrand op ons
volk"(Leipoldt).
Several years before Denmark legislated against the Atlantic slave
trade in 1792, the government, anticipating the decline of
production in the Danish West Indies as a consequence, embarked on
a policy of agricultural colonization in West Africa. Peter
Thonning, a young natural historian of the highly economic and
geographical Linnaean school, spent three formative years in Africa
and then for decades administered Denmark's African colonial
undertakings. The international movement of colonial news and ideas
can very usefully be traced in his unpublished writings, especially
among the Guinea Commission's extraordinarily wide-ranging records.
These rich archives and contemporary published opinion in this
cosmopolitan Scandinavian society open fresh perspectives on the
broader history and geography of European colonialism.
Edmund Allenby, Viscount Allenby of Megiddo and Felixstowe, as he
became later, was the principal British military figure in the
Middle East from 1917 to 1919. He fulfilled a similar proconsular
role in Egypt from the latter year until 1925. In these two roles
Allenby's eight years in the Middle East were of great impact, and
in probing his life an especially revealing window can be found
through which to observe closely and understand more fully the
history that has resulted in the terminal roil afflicting the
Middle East and international affairs today. In this biography Brad
Faught explores the events and actions of Allenby's life, examining
his thinking on both the British Empire and the post-World War I
international order. Faught brings clarity to Allenby's decisive
impact on British imperial policy in the making of the modern
Middle East, and thereby on the long arc of the region's continuing
and controversial place in world affairs.
Churchill's personal account of the first five months of the Second
Boer War; including the Relief of Ladysmith, and Churchill's
capture and dramatic escape from the Boers.
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