In a way, this book is historically a sequence to Kenyan statesman Ojinga Odinga's Not Yet Uhuru. It echoes his admonition, a generation ago, that ominous indications in the policies, behavior, and attitudes suggested that freedom was not, as yet, achieved even as colonialism came to an end. More than a decade into the democratization era, Not Yet Democracy's scrutiny of one third of West African states similarly suggests that, generally, the sub-region most affected by militarism and autocratic rule is emerging from the gripping embrace of authoritarianism extremely slowly indeed. Through a close analysis of an edifying sample of states, this book documents and illustrates how the experiment of abandoning authoritarianism has typically unfolded in West Africa. It singularly contributes theoretically and empirically to the ongoing debate both in academia and in popular circles on the pace, prospects, and dynamics of democratization and de-militarization of political life in the sub-region. The authors highlight the historical continuity both of military interference and elite rivalries over state control discernable in the agonizingly slow and unsettled transformation of West Africa's political landscape. The study is also a critical exposé of how the post-1990s crop of political leaders have (mis)handled the second chance afforded them to grant Africans long-denied basic human, political, and civic rights, which were, after all, the main promise of political independence a generation ago. The book proceeds on the analytical proposition that, against the background of shared praetorianism and military politicization, there is a discernable connection between the singular itineraries West African regimes have followed in their unsteady efforts to overcome a damning history of authoritarianism. The five chapters richly illustrate these intricate connections and their implications for the fortunes of the democratization movement in the sub-region as a whole. A sobering conclusion is that it will take time and much disillusionment for entrenched militarism and anti-democratic practices to disappear from West Africa. "This is a thorough study of democratization and authoritarianism in West Africa. Summing Up: Recommended." -- CHOICE Magazine, 2005

"Sums up his political beliefs and tells the story of his development from a local teacher to an international figure" -- Back cover.

This is a sharply observed assessment of the history of the last half century by a distinguished group of historians of Kenya. At the same time the book is a courageous reflection in the dilemmas of African nationhood. Professor B. A. Ogot says: "The main purpose of the book is to show that decolonization does not only mean the transfer of alien power to sovereign nationhood; it must also entail the liberation of the worlds of spirit and culture, as well as economics and politics. "The book also raises a more fundamental question, that is: How much independence is available to any state, national economy or culture in today's world? It asks how far are Africa's miseries linked to the colonial past and to the process of decolonization? "In particular the book raises the basic question of how far Kenya is avoidably neo-colonial? And what does neo-colonial dependence mean? The book answers these questions by discussing the dynamic between the politics of decolonization, the social history of class formation and the economics of dependence. The book ends with a provocative epilogue discussing the transformation of the post-colonial state from a single-party to a multi-party system."

Apartheid isn't over—so Malaika Wa Azania boldly argues in Memoirs of a Born Free, her account of growing up black in modern-day South Africa. Malaika was born in late 1991, as the white minority government was on its way out, making her a "Born Free"—the name given to the generation born after the end of apartheid. But Malaika's experience with institutionalized racism offers a view of South Africa that contradicts the implied racial liberation of the so-called Rainbow Nation. Recounting her upbringing in a black township racked by poverty and disease, the death of a beloved uncle at the hands of white police, and her alienation at multiracial schools, she evokes a country still held in thrall by de facto apartheid. She takes us through her anger and disillusionment with the myth of black liberation to the birth and development of her dedication to the black consciousness movement, which continues to be a guiding force in her life. A trenchant, audacious, and ultimately hopeful narrative, Memoirs of a Born Free introduces an important new voice in South African—and, indeed, global—activism.

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.