Over the past decade, there has been a growing awareness in sub-Sahara Africa that institutions of governance are critical to the achievement of sustainable human development. These institutions also play a crucial role in the promotion of democracy and partnership building in all areas that are essential to the advancement of developmental goals. The International Learning Centre (ILe at the University of Nairobi, with support from the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) and Kalamazoo College, brought together leading scholars from the Universities of Dar-es-Salaam, Makerere and several Kenyan institutions. These were joined by a group of twenty scholars drawn from the collaborating universities and colleges in the United States of America. East Africa in Transition: Images, Institutions and Identities was the theme of the 2001 Symposium. The goal was to challenge the common thinking about countries undergoing transition, to re-examine the process of change as it occurs in all areas of modern life. Several questions have been put forward in the book. Chief among these questions is what, in a holistic manner, informs and moulds the East African identity. Is it the shared colonial heritage including the legacy of artificial political borders? Is it a product of ethnicity and/or home locale? Could it be the similarity among the languages within the region? Is it the commonality of the struggle of all the peoples of East Africa to take their place in the global village? Is identity the product of self-actualization or a local response to global pressures?

Dieudonnes life is spun from the threads of one of Africa's grand moral dilemmas, in which personal responsibility is intertwined with the social catharsis occasioned by ambitions of dominance and ever diminishing circles. We encounter Dieudonne at the tail end of his service as 'houseboy' to the Toubaabys, a patronising expatriate couple. In the company of a lively assortment of characters and luring music at the Grand Canari Bar, Dieudonne recounts his life. As he peels layer after layer of his vicissitudes, he depicts the everyday resilience of the African on a continent caught in the web of predatory forces. Yet, this enchanting failure also celebrates the infinite capacity of the African to find happiness and challenge victimhood.