Book Reviews

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    Book Review: Did You Say Free Trade ?: The Economic ‘Partnership’ Agreement European Union – West Africa by Jacques Berthelot

Book Review: Did You Say Free Trade ?: The Economic ‘Partnership’ Agreement European Union – West Africa by Jacques Berthelot

Ndongo Samba Sylla says that this masterfully written synthesis reveals the pitfalls that the DGT has set for African countries.

At the beginning was the “colonial pact”. The colonies were integrated in monetary and commercial terms with the metropolis, which controlled their financial flows and foreign trade. They were forbidden to industrialise. Their role was to provide raw materials at […]

February 1st, 2019|Book Reviews, Featured|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: Who’s Reporting Africa Now? : Non-Governmental Organizations, Journalists, and Multimedia by Kate Wright

Book Review: Who’s Reporting Africa Now? : Non-Governmental Organizations, Journalists, and Multimedia by Kate Wright

For readers involved or interested in the production of news relating to Africa, Who’s Reporting Africa Now? : Non- Governmental Organisations, Journalists and Multimedia will make engrossing reading, says Richard Stupart. 

That news organisations often make use of images, footage and copy produced and supplied by NGO communications departments is not, perhaps, news to journalists and humanitarians. But how precisely […]

January 26th, 2019|Book Reviews, Featured|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: The Quest for Socialist Utopia: The Ethiopian Student Movement c. 1960-1974 by Bahru Zewde

Book Review: The Quest for Socialist Utopia: The Ethiopian Student Movement c. 1960-1974 by Bahru Zewde

Katarzyna Kubin says on Bahru Zewde’s recently re-published book:  The Quest for Socialist Utopia: The Ethiopian Student Movement c. 1960-1974 gives a detailed account of the Ethiopian student movement, emphasising its role in the 1974 revolution.

The esteemed Ethiopian historian, Bahru Zewde’s most recent volume, The Quest for Socialist Utopia: The Ethiopian Student Movement c. 1960-1974 (Addis Ababa University Press, […]

January 4th, 2019|Book Reviews, Featured|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: Why Europe Intervenes in Africa? Security, Prestige and the Legacy of Colonialism by Catherine Gegout

Book Review: Why Europe Intervenes in Africa? Security, Prestige and the Legacy of Colonialism by Catherine Gegout

Maria Berta Ecija says this book contributes greatly to the conceptualisation of security, prestige, humanitarianism, conflict, and economic motivation. 

 This is one of those books that makes you want to rethink about anarchy, realism, and to contest the role of institutions in humanitarian issues. It reminds us not to be too optimistic about world politics and always look at potential […]

November 23rd, 2018|Book Reviews, Featured|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: The African Union : Autocracy, Diplomacy and Peace-building in Africa by Tony Karbo and Tim Murithi

Book Review: The African Union : Autocracy, Diplomacy and Peace-building in Africa by Tony Karbo and Tim Murithi

Richard Moncrieff argues that this book is a reflection of the conditions of academic production concerning the African Union. The eagerness to offer prescription rather than push the analysis further and the absence of consideration of realities on the ground in African countries both reflect a world dominated by consultancy and multiple hatting, he says.

How should we evaluate the […]

November 9th, 2018|Book Reviews, Featured, Human Rights, International Affairs|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: Creed and Grievance: Muslim-Christian Relations and Conflict Resolution in Northern Nigeria

Book Review: Creed and Grievance: Muslim-Christian Relations and Conflict Resolution in Northern Nigeria

 LSE’s Portia Roelofs calls this book an important new resource for those concerned with public action to build peace in northern Nigeria

There are a lot of books about Boko Haram out at the moment. Creed and Grievance: Muslim-Christian Relations and Conflict Resolution in northern Nigeria, edited by Abdul Raufu Mustapha and David Ehrhardt, is probably the most important new […]

November 2nd, 2018|Book Reviews, Featured, Society|0 Comments|
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  • Permalink South Sudan army (SPLA) soldiers talk on December 25, 2013 at Bor airport after they re-captured the town from rebels . The rebels retook the town on Tuesday, but on Thursday, the army said they were advancing again to push them back. AFP PHOTO/SAMIR BOLSAMIR BOL/AFP/Getty ImagesGallery

    Book Review – “The Real Politics of the Horn of Africa” by Alex de Waal

Book Review – “The Real Politics of the Horn of Africa” by Alex de Waal

Duncan Green says key message of this book is a poweful one and a must read for those interest in the Horn of Africa

There’s a balance to be struck in writing any non-fiction book. Narrative v information. How often do you return to the overarching storyline, the message of the book, the thing you want the reader to take away? […]

October 5th, 2018|Book Reviews, Featured|0 Comments|
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    Book Review – Mediators, Contract Men, and Colonial Capital, by Cassandra Mark Thiesen

Book Review – Mediators, Contract Men, and Colonial Capital, by Cassandra Mark Thiesen

Henry Brefo describes this book as a rich historical archive that enriches our understanding of the dynamic history of labour in the Gold Coast

Cassandra Mark Thiesen in Mediators, Contract Men, and Colonial Capital 2018 illuminates the dynamic interaction between capital, labour and industry during the initial phase of colonialism in the Gold Coast (1870s-1900s). The author unearths the complex […]

September 21st, 2018|Book Reviews, Development, Featured|1 Comment|
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    Book Review: The Political Economy of Everyday Life in Africa: Beyond the Margins. Edited by Wale Adebanwi

Book Review: The Political Economy of Everyday Life in Africa: Beyond the Margins. Edited by Wale Adebanwi

Fabien Cante says this book is a formidable place to start for those seeking to move beyond policy approaches.

In a recent essay, LSE’s Kate Meagher ponders a sudden shift in the narrative about Sub-Saharan Africa. She is puzzled that a demographic reality once looked upon with despair – the fact that the number of people able to work continues […]

June 22nd, 2018|Book Reviews|1 Comment|
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  • Permalink Women and children from Maiduguri Borno following Boko Haram occupation. Image Credit: HazteOir.org via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 2015Gallery

    Book Review – Women and the War on Boko Haram: Wives, Weapons, Witnesses by Hilary Matfess

Book Review – Women and the War on Boko Haram: Wives, Weapons, Witnesses by Hilary Matfess

Richard Moncrieff says this book gives a provocative insight into women’s life in Boko Haram.

At the end of January 2015 I attended a meeting in Ndjamena in the presence of Moussa Faki, then Chadian Foreign Minister, now head of the African Union Commission (AUC). The subject was Boko Haram, which had just invaded the town on Baga on the […]

June 15th, 2018|Book Reviews, Conflict, Development, Gender|1 Comment|
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