Black Studies Resource Guide: African Resources

Botswana Women Write is the first anthology to cover a broad spectrum of writing by and about Batswana women. It provides a record of their lives both now and in the past, and of their thoughts about the joyful and difficult issues they face. At the same time, it reflects the richness and challenges of their particular social, political and cultural context. The fictional worlds created in the anthology echo those documented in the non-fiction selections, and they speak to the lived experiences of women in Botswana and around the world: family tensions, sexual conflict, domestic abuse, poverty and single motherhood are explored alongside descriptions of sexual pleasure, intellectual engagement, expressions of joy and assertions of a political presence. The writers include women with international reputations (such as Bessie Head, Unity Dow, Lauri Kubuitsile and Tjawangwa Dema), women being published for the first time, and women who probably never expected to find their words reproduced in print. This book also covers a wide range of genres, from archival letters, court statements and speeches to journalism, drama, stories and poems. It reflects the oral traditions that are at the root of Tswana culture as well as experimental and more conventional forms of literary style.

The republic of South Africa held its first fully democratic elections in April 1994. They were a highly visible signal that the RSA is moving from the era of apartheid towards a democratic constitutional state. The process is an archetypal case of negotiated transition of a regime, and as such it is of great interest to students of constitutional mechanisms. The contributors to this book--leading South African political scientists--address various aspects of constitutional design and their interactions with social forces. They examine the interim constitution, the roles of the president and the executive, the electoral party and parliamentary systems, and the constitutional court. They also explore the public service, questions of labor and corporatism, the RSA's changing external relations, and the position of the armed forces. Dicussing the process, the difficulties, and the achievements in the transformation of the RSA's political and legal institutions, South Africa will be of interest to students of political science and constitutions everywhere.

"When you educate a girl, you educate a nation." --Malawian sayingThe women of Malawi, like many other women in developing countries, struggle to find their way out of poverty and build a better life for themselves and their families. Weaving a Malawi Sunrise tells the story of Memory Chazeza's quest to get an education and to build a school for young women. Roberta Laurie was one of many who helped Memory realize her vision of seeing young girls become strong and independent women who could care for themselves and their future families. During her time in Malawi, Laurie met several other women, each of whom had a story of her own. Laurie combines these personal accounts with detailed information about the country's underlying social and political context. Readers interested in Africa, global affairs, women's studies, development, and international education will give high marks to Weaving a Malawi Sunrise.

This is the first of the two volumes, written with strong support from EFMD (The European Foundation for Management Development) and GMAC (The Graduate Management Admissions Council), aimed at understanding and examining the challenges involved in management education across Africa. The common perception of Africa is as a global growth region, and a continent on the move, with a parallel, huge demand for managerial skills to leverage the potential for economic growth.The authors, through a fine-grained, face-to-face, interview process, explore the perspectives, and interactions between, management educators and other business, and government stakeholders as they seek to close the management education gap.Africa has no collective identity. Therefore, it is important to understand the diverse cultures, histories and contexts underlying the 54 member states. With this is mind, the book "maps" the diverse landscape of Africa in the earlier chapters. This provides the framework around which subsequent chapters can reflect sensibly on the past evolution of alternative management education approaches in Africa, and the current landscape.

Seminar papers considering ways for African countries to sustain and accelerate growth in an increasingly globalised environment, focusing on how to encourage private investment and strengthen the contribution of governments. What is needed is transparency and accountability, a comprehensive approach to and country ownership of reforms, and better communication within African countries and with the rest of the world.

The authors of this handbook provide new research on the challenges and issues of the 21st century in Africa. Some of the topics discussed include the African Development Bank; the PEACE model; environmental developments; waste management; diseases and public health challenges; and education.

Innovation is critical to growth and development in Africa. In the context of a continent characterized by fast growing economies as well as an array of socioeconomic challenges, such as high levels of poverty, innovation in Africa must be understood in an encompassing manner. Africa needs to foster the emergence of its own Silicon Valley, but it must also foster the invention and adoption of more efficient wood-fueled traditional stoves that limit deforestation and combat climate change. This book contains a number of analytical case studies that examine the nature and origins of emerging high-end innovation hubs in Africa. These hubs are both understudied and little known inside and outside the continent. With this analysis, the book intends to highlight and draw lessons from some of the most promising and successful innovation cases in Africa today, exploring the key factors driving their successful emergence, growth and future prospects. Relevant for scholars, policymakers and business leaders, the book provides both inspiration and useful policy advice that can inform strategies and concrete measures to foster and speed up the pace of innovation in Africa today.

Over the past two decades, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been at the centre of the deadliest series of conflicts since the Second World War, and now hosts the largest United Nations peacekeeping mission in the world. In this compelling book, acclaimed journalist Michael Deibert paints a picture of a nation in flux, inching towards peace but at the same time solidifying into another era of authoritarian rule under its enigmatic president, Joseph Kabila. Featuring a wealth of first-hand interviews and secondary sources, the narrative travels from war-torn villages in the country's east to the chaotic, pulsing capital of Kinshasa in order to bring us the voices of the Congolese - from impoverished gold prospectors and market women to government officials - as it explores the complicated political, ethnic and economic geography of this tattered land. A must-read for anyone interested in contemporary Africa, The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between, Hope and Despair sheds new light on this sprawling and often misunderstood country that has become iconic both for its great potential and dashed hopes.

An illuminating account of Kenya's first fifty years of independence and the issues that block the nation's path to prosperity and justice On December 12, 1963, people across Kenya joyfully celebrated independence from British colonial rule, anticipating a bright future of prosperity and social justice. As the nation approaches the fiftieth anniversary of its independence, however, the people's dream remains elusive. During its first five decades Kenya has experienced assassinations, riots, coup attempts, ethnic violence, and political corruption. The ranks of the disaffected, the unemployed, and the poor have multiplied. In this authoritative and insightful account of Kenya's history from 1963 to the present day, Daniel Branch sheds new light on the nation's struggles and the complicated causes behind them. Branch describes how Kenya constructed itself as a state and how ethnicity has proved a powerful force in national politics from the start, as have disorder and violence. He explores such divisive political issues as the needs of the landless poor, international relations with Britain and with the Cold War superpowers, and the direction of economic development. Tracing an escalation of government corruption over time, the author brings his discussion to the present, paying particular attention to the rigged election of 2007, the subsequent compromise government, and Kenya's prospects as a still-evolving independent state. ]]>

In 2011, South Sudan became independent following a long war of liberation, that gradually became marked by looting, raids and massacres pitting ethnic communities against each other. In this remarkably comprehensive work, Edward Thomas provides a multi-layered examination of what is happening in the country today. Writing from the perspective of South Sudan's most mutinous hinterland, Jonglei state, the book explains how this area was at the heart of South Sudan's struggle.Drawing on hundreds of interviews and a broad range of sources, this book gives a sharply focused, fresh account of South Sudan's long, unfinished fight for liberation.