Synopses & Reviews
'The big, era-defining questions and, at last, the subtle, tenable answers, teased out without clich or compromise. A vital volume at a critical moment.'Dr Augustus Casely-Hayford, Director, Africa '05'This book dispels the myth of a uniformly hopeless, hungry continent. It shows just how extraordinarily diverse Africa is and how much it has changed in the last 20 years. Full of fresh thinking on problems that face Africa and new African approaches to development.'Richard Dowden, Director, Royal African SocietyThis ground-breaking book, with a foreword by former President of Ireland (1990 1997) and UN Human Rights Commissioner (1997 2002) Mary Robinson, uniquely distils the complex issues surrounding Africa at the beginning of the 21st century. African and Western scholars provide a fascinating 'map' for the reader to navigate between issues such as urban and rural livelihoods, the potential of fresh water fishing, health, the HIV/AIDS crisis, conflict and efforts at peacemaking. Also included are critical assessments of Africa's role in the global economy, the growth of regional economic cooperation within Africa, the influence of ethnicity on the continent's politics, the evolution of its political institutions, and the impact of Africa's legal systems on its development. A substantial introductory essay by the editors measures the distance Africa has travelled and the lessons it has learned since Africa in Crisis, the classic Earthscan book, was published in 1985.Ben Wisner is visiting research fellow at DESTIN, London School of Economics and at Benfield Hazard Research Centre, University College London, and visiting professor of environmental studies, Oberlin College, USA. Camilla Toulmin is Director of the International Institute for Environment and Development. Rutendo Chitiga is a freelance writer and editor, and has a postgraduate degree in environment and development.
Synopsis
* Provides a wide ranging review of the major successes and failures of development policy in Africa as the continent enters the 21st Century* The world's leading experts in African development issues combat the relentlessly negative public image of AfricaThis groundbreaking book with a foreword by Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN Human Rights Commissioner, uniquely distills the complex issues surrounding Africa today. African and Western scholars provide a fascinating map which reviews urban and rural livelihoods, the potential of fresh water fishing, health, the HIV/AIDS crisis, conflict, and efforts at peace making. The book also includes critical assessments of Africa's role in the global economy, the growth of regional economic cooperation within Africa, the evolution of its political institutions, the influence of ethnicity on the continent's politics, and the influence of Africa's legal systems on its development. A substantial introductory essay by the editors measures the distance Africa has traveled and the lessons it has learned since Africa in Crisis was published (Earthscan, 1985).