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Books > Humanities > History > African history > General
This book is more than family history. It will open your eyes to
how the British subjugated their colonies and Christian missions
were used to promote British trade. It also deals with the fallouts
from the clash between Christianity and local (Igbo) customs. It
derives from the handwritten personal account of one of the early
Nigerian Christian missionaries and explains some of these and
more. Feed your curiosity!
'A brilliant account of Africa’s most extraordinary dictator . . . This book will become a classic.' Economist A sparkling account of the rise and fall of Mobutu Sese Seko, the charismatic dictator who plundered his country’s wealth and indulged a passion for pink champagne, gold jewellery and chartered Concordes. Absurdity, anarchy and corruption run riot in Michela Wrong’s fascinating dissection of the Congo; a story of grim comedy amidst the apocalypse and a celebration of the sheer indestructibility of the human spirit.
Dis 'n fassinerende verslag van die lewe in maksimumsekuriteit-gevangenisse, met vars invalshoek: China was hondemeester, aan die voorfront tydens tronkgevegte. Gewapen slegs met 'n knuppel en sy hond moes hy messtekers en oproeriges afweer.
Hy is 'n mensch, 'n ongeslypte diamant met hart en ondernemingsgees.
Hy herinner aan Bennie Griessel: hy rook en drink straf, sy huwelik is op die rotse, hy sukkel om gevoelens te wys, maar oor 'n hond wat doodgaan, grens hy. Sy eerste pos, toe hy net 16 was, was op Robbeneiland, waar hy 'n lang, breedgeskouerde gevangene met 'n vriendelike gesig gesien skerm het. Hy was self 'n bokser en kon sien die man het 'n besonderse tegniek, dat hy lig op sy voete soos 'n weltergewig was.
Die bokser was Nelson Mandela. Saans het Mandela deur sy tralies
vir die seun hardgekookte eiers wat hy afgeskil het, aangegee, dan
eet hulle saam en gesels. Mandela het hom altyd aaangepor om verder
te gaan leer.
Cape Town, 2018. South Africa’s mother city is wracked by drought. The prospect of premier Helen Zille’s ‘Day Zero’ – the day when all taps run dry – is driving its citizens into a frenzy. When it’s announced that Mayor Patricia de Lille is off the water crisis, the predicament reaches its zenith and politicians turn upon each other.
And so begins a stupendous battle within the Democratic Alliance: who will lead Cape Town? It’s during this time that author and researcher Crispian Olver applies to the City of Cape Town to gain access to certain official documents as part of a research project. He is baffled when his application is rejected without explanation, but this only strengthens his resolve to explore how the city of his childhood is run. In particular, he has his sights set on the relationship between city politicians and property developers.
Olver interviews numerous individuals, including many ‘chopped’ from the city administration. What he uncovers is a pandora’s box of backstabbing, in-fighting and backroom deals. He explores dodgy property developments at Wescape and Maiden’s Cove, delves into attempts to ‘hijack’ civic associations, and exposes the close yet precautious relationship between the mayor and City Hall’s so-called ‘laptop boys’. But his main goal is to understand what led to the political meltdown within the Democratic Alliance, and the defection of De Lille to form her own party.
Nelson Mandela's comrade in the struggle, Denis Goldberg, spent 22
years in an Apartheid South African political prison from 1963 to
1985. In this memoir, Denis, the perennial optimist, writes about
the human side of the often painful road to freedom; about the joy
of love and death, human dignity, political passion, comradeship,
conflict between comrades...and a very long imprisonment. These
memoirs offer the reader an insight into an important chapter in
the history of our struggle from a different viewpoint because the
racist dogmas of apartheid dictated that he would be incarcerated
apart from his Black comrades and colleagues. That segregation
denied him both the companionship and the counsel of his fellow
accused. His was consequently an exceedingly lonely sojourn. But,
true to himself and the cause he had espoused from his youth, he
bore it with courage and immense dignity.
Mahmud Modibbo Tukur's work challenges fundamental assumptions and
conclusions about European colonialism in Africa, especially
British colonialism in northern Nigeria. Whereas others have
presented the thesis of a welcome reception of the imposition of
British colonialism by the people, the study has found physical
resistance and tremendous hostility towards that imposition; and,
contrary to the "pacification" and minimal violence argued by some
scholars, the study has exposed the violent and bloody nature of
that occupation. Rather than the single story of "Indirect rule",
or "abolishing slavery" and lifting the burden of precolonial
taxation which others have argued, this book has shown that British
officials were very much in evidence, imposed numerous and heavier
taxes collected with great efficiency and ruthlessness, and ignored
the health and welfare of the people in famines and health
epidemics which ravaged parts of northern Nigeria during the
period. British economic and social policies, such as blocking
access to western education for the masses in most parts of
northern Nigeria, did not bring about development but its
antithesis of retrogression and stagnation during the period under
study. Tukur's analysis of official colonial records and sources
constitutes a significant contribution to the literature on
colonialism in Africa and to understanding the complexity of the
Nigerian situation today.
On bended knee, he leaned over the stricken boxer and counted him out. When he waved the fight over, there was exactly one second to go in the dramatic and brutal world championship bout and Víctor Galíndez had retained his title. But the referee, his shirt stained with the champion’s blood, had cemented his reputation as a cool professional, one destined to become an esteemed figure in world boxing.
South Africa’s own Stanley Christodoulou has officiated an unprecedented 242 world title fights over five decades, some of them among the most iconic in boxing history, and became his nation’s very first inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He rose from humble beginnings, learning his trade in the South African townships of the 1960s, and went on to lead his national boxing board as it sought to shed the racial restrictions of the apartheid era. It was a contribution to his country’s sporting landscape that saw him recognised by the president of the ‘new’ South Africa, Nelson Mandela.
The Life and Times of Stanley Christodoulou is Stanley’s memoir in boxing. It takes the reader to a privileged position, inside the ropes with champions and into the company of boxing legends.
The ruins of Great Zimbabwe are acknowledged as one of the most
impressive monuments in Africa, but also one of the most
mysterious. Many scholars have investigated them without coming to
any agreement on the identify of their builders, their purpose or
even their date. The author considers the ruins in both an African
and a global context, and reviews investigations of other
archaeological and historical enigmas around the world. He finds
previously unsuspected connections between Zimbabwe and ancient
civilisations such as the Phoenicians and the builders of the Giza
pyramids. Finally he offers a truly 'heavenly' explanation for
Great Zimbabwe.
Die Herero-opstand 1904–1907 is ’n heruitgawe van ’n boek wat ses
keer tussen 1976 en 1979 deur HAUM gepubliseer is. Die lotgevalle
van die Hererovolk word in hierdie boek geskets, ’n stuk
geskiedenis wat ’n sentrale plek in Namibie se kleurryke
geskiedenis beklee. Die opstand van die Herero’s in 1904 teen
Duitse koloniale gesag kan beskou word as die enkele gebeurtenis
wat die gebied se volksverhoudinge die ingrypendste verander het.
Die Herero-opstand 1904–1907 vertel van die geleidelike opbou na
die konflik, die skielike uitbarsting van geweld en die tragiese
afloop vir die Herero’s toe duisende verhonger het en hulle grond
en politieke seggenskap verloor het.
Die derde deel van die reeks Imperiale somer word aan Johannesburg in die onmiddellike nasleep van die Anglo-Boereoorlog gewy, waarby alle dele van die destydse gemeenskap aandag geniet, met inbegrip van die swart stadsinwoners en die ontwikkeling van ’n eie stadskultuur onder hulle en die mynwerkers.
Anekdotes en klein kameebeskrywings maak van Babilon ’n interessante leeservaring.
Five years ago, Good Governance Africa undertook to focus its National Security Programme on a core phenomenon that actively seeks to disrupt, undermine and destroy peace, development and security across Africa. This is the problem of extremisms in Africa – an increasing scourge. These movements are religious, ethnic and race-based in nature, and represent complex and supreme threats to stability.
To better prepare ourselves to understand and engage extremist threats in order to prevent, counter and overcome them, GGA has scoured the African continent, producing a collection of close on 50 chapters of knowledge in a trilogy of book volumes (of which this book is the third) covering a plethora of topics across regions and countries, dedicated to markedly diverse themes.
Volume 3 of Extremisms in Africa consists of 17 contributions, and evidences an even greater attention to detail on further developments and potential threats. Topically, given the global COVID-19 pandemic, the book looks at the pressing theme of the weaponisation of viruses; current insurgency developments in northern Mozambique; the impact of extremisms on business; the business that is extremist activity; and the crime–extremism nexus and terror financing in Africa’s Horn. On the tech and cyber front, the book examines the rise of artificial intelligence and social media. To the north, it examines why Libya remains problematic, to the west, we examine why kidnapping is rife there, and to the south, Volume 3 reviews lessons learned for southern Africa, amongst other topics.
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