'God punished the baobab for her gigantic and bloated arrogance and He tossed her in the air as some insignificant weed and he hurled her back onto the ground first, and that is why the baobab gropes with its roots towards Heaven and buries her head, arms and hands in the deep earth in shame...it is therefore fitting that she should abound in the Land of Shame and Suffering...' The title story is a symbolic reflection upon the war in Mozambique, its people abandoned to drought and floods. Other stories in this collection take us to Botswana, Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. 'Purple Heart' tells the story of Selina Clarke, a thirteen year-old orphan and paraplegic, with both legs amputated above the knee; a deformed and disabled victim of one of Africa's civil wars. Kari Dako is Norwegian and lives in Ghana. Ama Ata Aidoo identifies the author and her writing thus: 'This collection of stories have Africa for a background; characters who are, or deal with matters Africa. What is important though is that they are excellent tales.'

Contributors to this volume ask what are the new directions of African literature? What should be the major concerns of writers, critics and teachers in the twenty-first century? What are the accomplishments and legacies? What gaps remain to be filled, and what challenges are there to be addressed by publishers and the book industry? What are the implications for pedagogy in the new technological era? ERNEST EMENYONU is Professor of the Department of Africana Studies University of Michigan-Flint. North America: Africa World Press; Nigeria: HEBN

This much-anticipated collection of essays from eight respected academics in the field brings a number of critical perspectives to focus on the signal work of a 21st century Ghanaian writer. Amma Darko is recognised in these interdisciplinary critiques as a significant writer whose storytelling talent documents the continent's globalisation pains. What is revealed in this collection is a complex and complicated writer who knows how to tell a good story, and yet is confident enough in her art to deliver an unflinching criticism of what Ghana has become.

Ghanaianisms is a compilation of words and expressions, peculiar to English in Ghana and used by English-speaking Ghanaians, that have been absorbed into Ghanaian English from local and foreign languages. The glossary contains some 2,000 entries. All items included have been found in written language and in print at least three times, over a period of ten years. For each entry, the sources and history of the words, their meanings, and examples of usage are provided. A detailed introduction elucidates the principles of the work and the present socio-linguistic situation in Ghana.