Military Coups in West Africa Since the Sixties

Military Coups in West Africa Since the Sixties PDF Author: Godfrey Mwakikagile
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
For three decades, since the sixties, military coups became a ritual of African politics. They consist of self-perpetuating incidents which spilled into the 1990's, through on a much smaller scale. This book is a chronological sequence of these events in West Africa. The focus is on the coups in sub-Saharan Africa during these turbulent decades, and what can be done to stop them in Africa's quest for democracy.

Military Coups in West Africa Since the Sixties

Military Coups in West Africa Since the Sixties PDF Author: Godfrey Mwakikagile
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
For three decades, since the sixties, military coups became a ritual of African politics. They consist of self-perpetuating incidents which spilled into the 1990's, through on a much smaller scale. This book is a chronological sequence of these events in West Africa. The focus is on the coups in sub-Saharan Africa during these turbulent decades, and what can be done to stop them in Africa's quest for democracy.

Militocracy vs. Democracy in West Africa 1960s – 1990s

Militocracy vs. Democracy in West Africa 1960s – 1990s PDF Author: Godfrey Mwakikagile
Publisher: New Africa Press
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 410

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Book Description
This is a historical narrative and analysis of the unconstitutional changes of government in most West African countries where military rule became institutionalised more than in any other part of the continent from the sixties to the nineties. There is no specific reason why the region has suffered from usurpation of power by soldiers more than any other part of the continent, besides the desire by soldiers to rule, recently demonstrated by coups in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Guinea in 2021, and Burkina Faso in 2022. Governments in West Africa are no more unstable or weaker than their counterparts in other parts of the continent. Overthrowing governments became a continental phenomenon when military rulers went on to legitimise their their seizure of power through rigged elections by turning themselves into civilian rulers. They “civilianised” themselves, not only to claim that they were no longer military rulers but were democratically elected leaders; a manipulation of power that triggered counter-coups by their opponents to end their rule, resulting in many deaths in many countries where this violent change took place. Military rule in Africa started soon after independence in the sixties. The most ambitious goals in the postcolonial era were consolidation of the state and nation building with varying degrees of success in different parts of the continent. Military rulers proved to be no better than their civilian counterparts they had replaced. In most cases, they were even worse and used coercive power of the state to perpetuate themselves in office just as their civilian counterparts did. The result was consolidation of the state as an instrument of oppression, the most oppressive apparatus being the executive branch itself, invested with all the powers, which evolved into the imperial presidency, a phenomenon that persists in some African countries legitimised through rigged elections enabling leaders to remain in office under the guise of democracy “in the name of the people.”

The African Liberation Struggle

The African Liberation Struggle PDF Author: Godfrey Mwakikagile
Publisher: Intercontinental Books
ISBN: 9987160107
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 592

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Book Description
This work focuses on the liberation struggle from the 1960s to the 1990s in the countries of southern Africa to end white minority rule. The author writes from personal experience. When the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was formed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in May 1963, Tanganyika (now Tanzania) was chosen to be the headquarters of the OAU Liberation Committee. All the African liberation movements went on to open their offices in Tanzania's capital Dar es Salaam. Many refugees fleeing oppression in the countries of southern Africa also went to live in Tanzania. The author was a young news reporter in Dar es Salaam in the early seventies and got the chance to know some of the freedom fighters and their leaders who were based there during those days. He also interviewed a number of them and has provided an additional perspective to his work as a primary source of some of the material included in his book. It was one of the most important periods in the history of post-colonial Africa. Most countries on the continent had won independence by 1968. The toughest struggle was in the few strongholds of white minority rule in the southern part of the continent and in the Portuguese colony of Guinea-Bissau/Cape Verde in West Africa which finally ended in victory. As President Nyerere once said: "Throughout history, nationalist struggles have had one end: victory."

Africa in War and Peace

Africa in War and Peace PDF Author: Eric S. Packham
Publisher: Nova Publishers
ISBN: 9781560729396
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
The author served in the Gold Coast Regiment of the British Army during World War II and as a colonial administrator in the Gold Coast (now Ghana), later staying on to work the incoming Nkrumah government after independence. He combines memoir and history in this examination of these years, describing World War II battles in Ethiopia, the demise of colonial rule, and Nkrumah's rise and fall. Annotation : 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Godfrey Mwakikagile: Biography of an Africanist

Godfrey Mwakikagile: Biography of an Africanist PDF Author: David Kyoso
Publisher: Intercontinental Books
ISBN: 1981731504
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
This is a collection of biographical accounts and other writings about Godfrey Mwakikagile, a writer from Tanzania and specialist in African studies. Included are some autobiographical accounts. The work complements his autobiographical writings to provide a broader perspective on him and his contribution to the study of post-colonial Africa.

African Writers

African Writers PDF Author: Bridgette Kasuka
Publisher: African Books
ISBN: 998716028X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
This work looks at some African writers, including those who are not well-known, to show the potential and diversity in the works produced by Africans. Included is a profile of Chinua Achebe and commentaries on his works soon after he passed away.

My Life as an African

My Life as an African PDF Author: Godfrey Mwakikagile
Publisher: New Africa Press
ISBN: 144861256X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 422

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Book Description
This is an autobiographical work covering a wide range of subjects including a number of major events relevant to Africa and the African diaspora.

Ethnic Diversity and Integration in The Gambia

Ethnic Diversity and Integration in The Gambia PDF Author: Godfrey Mwakikagile
Publisher: Continental Press
ISBN: 9987932223
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 3

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Book Description
This work is a comprehensive look at The Gambia as a country and as a nation. Subjects covered include a general history of the country, its geography - regions and towns - and its people. It's also a profile of the country's demographic composition. The author looks at the different ethnic groups and their cultures and how they have been able to achieve unity in diversity in one of the most peaceful countries on the African continent. The work is also a study in regional integration with a focus on the Senegambia confederation. The author draws parallels between the short-lived Senegambia confederation and the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar shedding some light on some of the problems African countries face in their quest for unity. The collapse of the Senegambia confederation is in sharp contrast with the unity The Gambia has achieved within as nation. One of Gambia's most outstanding features is ethnic and cultural integration in spite of the cultural and historical differences among the country's different ethnic groups. People going to The Gambia for the first time may find this work to be useful. It's not a tourist guide but an introductory work covering a wide range of subjects on Africa's smallest country. Members of the general public who want to learn about The Gambia will also find this work to be helpful. The author has also taken a scholarly approach on a number of subjects using well-documented sources in an analytical context and has provided useful insights into the complexities of the country across the spectrum, addressing a wide range of subjects including ethnicity, cultural fusion, and national integration. He also contends that understanding ethnicity as a phenomenon and as an analytical tool and a conceptual framework is critical to any study of African countries most of which are multi-ethnic societies; and that the spatial theory of ethnicity is not applicable in all contexts including Gambia where the opposite - of what the theory says - is true. The work may therefore be useful to students and scholars who are interested in The Gambia. But it should be seen as a general work on The Gambia in spite of the academic approach the author has taken in his analysis of a number of subjects on this country which is also known as a gateway to West Africa.

Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II

Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II PDF Author: James Ciment
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317471865
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 1334

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Book Description
Thoroughly revised to include 25 conflicts not covered in the previous edition, as well as expanded and updated information on previous coverage, this illustrated reference presents descriptions and analyses of more than 170 significant post-World War II conflicts around the globe. Organized by region for ease of access, "Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II, Second Edition" provides clear, in-depth explanations of events not covered in such detail in any other reference source. Including more than 180 detailed maps and 150 photos, the set highlights the conflicts that dominate today's headlines and the events that changed the course of late twentieth-century history.

Africa at the End of the Twentieth Century

Africa at the End of the Twentieth Century PDF Author: Godfrey Mwakikagile
Publisher: New Africa Press
ISBN: 9987160301
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 230

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Book Description
The author looks at Africa at the end of the twentieth century and the challenges the continent faces in the twentieth-first in terms of development, governance and conflict resolution. The author also re-examines the concepts of sovereignty and the nation-state and their relevance to Africa and proposes restructuring the modern African state to reflect African realities and accommodate conflicting interests - political, regional and ethnic, among others - to achieve and maintain peace and stability in the quest for development. He also looks at the highly centralised state and whether or not federalism - redefined to suit African conditions and incorporating traditional institutions of governance - provides a better alternative to centralised authority so typical of most countries across the continent. He proposes a new form of federalism which addresses problems arising from ethnicity and regionalism. He also contends that there is an imperative need for Africans to return to their roots in order to revive and use their traditional institutions and indigenous knowledge to achieve peace, justice, stability and progress in the 21st century instead of relying on imported ideologies which have done more harm than good to Africa and are not even modified to suit African conditions. Botswana stands out in that regard. It has used its traditional institutions very well, such as kgotla, in resolving conflicts and making community decisions on other matters on consensus basis. As the Tswana say, the highest form of war is dialogue. The author also looks at devolution as a means to achieve true democracy and as a tool in conflict management and resolution in countries where some groups, especially ethnoregional, feel they are marginalised by the central government dominated by a few individuals or rival ethnic groups. He also addresses regional integration versus secession and contends that although there may have been some secessionist movements in the post-colonial era which were justified - Katanga was not one of them, he maintains - the future of Africa lies not in secession but in regional integration and formation of federations. Africa has experienced both, integration and secession, and may still face secession in some parts of the continent in the future if the leaders involved do not address the grievances of their people, especially ethnic and regional groups which are marginalised. The author states that there may even be a need for another "Berlin conference," but this time one that is organised by the Africans themselves, and only for Africans, to redraw the map of Africa and resolve territorial and ethnoregional disputes and conflicts caused by the boundaries which were imposed on Africans by the imperial powers to suit their own interests, totally ignoring the indigenous people as if they did not even exist. The book also provides a theoretical framework for further research and rigorous analysis and for devising innovative solutions to Africa's multi-faceted problems although the author has avoided delving into abstract concepts since the purpose of his work is to involve everybody, not just academics, in finding solutions to the problems the continent will continue to face in the twentieth-first century.