Columbia's guides to postwar African literature paint a unique portrait of the continent's rich and diverse literary traditions. This volume examines the rapid rise and growth of modern literature in the three postcolonial nations of Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia. It tracks the multiple political and economic pressures that have shaped Central African writing since the end of World War II and reveals its authors' heroic efforts to keep their literary traditions alive in the face of extreme poverty and AIDS. Adrian Roscoe begins with a list of key political events. Since writers were composing within both colonial and postcolonial contexts, he pays particular attention to the nature of British colonialism, especially theories regarding its provenance and motivation. Roscoe discusses such historical figures as David Livingstone, Cecil Rhodes, and Sir Harry Johnston, as well as modern power players, including Robert Mugabe, Kenneth Kaunda, and Kamuzu Banda. He also addresses efforts to create a literary-historical record from an African perspective, an account that challenges white historiographies in which the colonized was neither agent nor informer. A comprehensive alphabetical guide profiles both established and emerging authors and further illustrates issues raised in the introduction. Roscoe then concludes with a detailed bibliography recommending additional reading and sources. At the close of World War II the people of Central Africa found themselves mired in imperial fatigue and broken promises of freedom. This fueled a desire for liberation and a major surge in literary production, and in this illuminating guide Roscoe details the campaigns for social justice and political integrity, for education and economic empowerment, and for gender equity, participatory democracy, rural development, and environmental care that characterized this exciting period of development.

The Columbia Guide to East African Literature in English Since 1945 challenges the conventional belief that the English-language literary traditions of East Africa are restricted to the former British colonies of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Instead, these traditions stretch far into such neighboring countries as Somalia and Ethiopia. Simon Gikandi and Evan Mwangi assemble a truly inclusive list of major writers and trends. They begin with a chronology of key historical events and an overview of the emergence and transformation of literary culture in the region. Then they provide an alphabetical list of major writers and brief descriptions of their concerns and achievements. Some of the writers discussed include the Kenyan novelists Grace Ogot and Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Ugandan poet and essayist Taban Lo Liyong, Ethiopian playwright and poet Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin, Tanzanian novelist and diplomat Peter Palangyo, Ethiopian novelist Berhane Mariam Sahle-Sellassie, and the novelist M. G. Vassanji, who portrays the Indian diaspora in Africa, Europe, and North America. Separate entries within this list describe thematic concerns, such as colonialism, decolonization, the black aesthetic, and the language question; the growth of genres like autobiography and popular literature; important movements like cultural nationalism and feminism; and the impact of major forces such as AIDS/HIV, Christian missions, and urbanization. Comprehensive and richly detailed, this guide offers a fresh perspective on the role of East Africa in the development of African and world literature in English and a new understanding of the historical, cultural, and geopolitical boundaries of the region.

Historical study of social change and cultural change in Africa South of Sahara, with particular reference to East Africa and Central Africa - refers to the period prior to the 20th century, and covers geographical aspects, political aspects, tribal peoples, demographic aspects and cultural factors, leadership, tradition, migrations, religion, languages, family and social structures, the role of European countries, etc. Bibliography pp. 325 to 327 and maps.

Fourteen interdisciplinary essays probing themes presented by writings from and about Africa. The contributing scholars touch on studies of the African Diaspora, particularly in Britain and the Caribbean, exploring the relationship between writing and discourses of empire, decolonization, post-coloniality and gender within the framework of North African, West African, and East and Central African popular writing and oral traditions. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

First published in 1977, this is an eminently readable introduction to contemporary literature in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. The author examines work in verse, prose and drama, and discusses vernacular language problems, the role of oral literature and tradition and the varied responses to the struggle for freedom and its achievement. He argues that African literature is achieving its own inner dynamic, revealing a rapid spread of influences from one side of the continent to the other and a decrease in influences from the Western world. Part of his argument is based on a discussion of authors not yet known outside East and Central Africa, but whose works shows signs of great promise and originality. Dr Roscoe has close personal knowledge of many of the authors he discusses, as he has worked in East and Central African universities throughout the period of the literary awakening he discusses.

How colonial governments in Asia and Africa financed their activities and why fiscal systems varied across colonies reveals the nature and long-term effects of colonial rule.