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Nigeria at 63: four reasons for persistent disunity six decades on

Nigeria at 63: four reasons for persistent disunity six decades on

AT 63 the story of Nigeria can be anything from the “celebration of greatness to an act of barbaric cruelty”. These are the words of Nigerian writer Dipo Faloyin in his book Africa Is Not a Country. Nigeria attained its independence from Britain on 1 October 1960. Nearly half a century earlier, in 1914, the British amalgamated the Northern and Southern British protectorates into the Nigerian Federation. For many — including the Nigerian independence leader Chief Obafémi Awólòwò, in his book Path to Nigerian Freedom – the country that emerged from this amalgamation was “a mere geographical expression”. MUHAMMAD DAN…
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Kwame Nkrumah: memorials to the man who led Ghana to independence have been built, erased and revived again

Kwame Nkrumah: memorials to the man who led Ghana to independence have been built, erased and revived again

KWAME Nkrumah Memorial Park lies at the centre of Ghana’s capital, Accra. Recently renovated, it is dedicated to the memory of Kwame Nkrumah, the leader of Ghana’s independence struggle and its first president. Marking the spot of his final resting place at the park is a massive statue. CAROLA LENTZ, Professor of Anthropology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz The statue has been continuously contested since its original commission in 1956 and its unveiling at the first anniversary of independence in 1958. As a social anthropologist who has researched and written about Kwame Nkrumah themed monuments, I have explored the contradiction…
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Kenya at 60: six key moments that shaped post-colonial politics

Kenya at 60: six key moments that shaped post-colonial politics

KENYA celebrates 60 years of independence this year. As a political scientist who has studied Kenya for the past 20 years, I consider a turning point from each decade that helped to shape the East African country’s post-colonial politics. I haven’t selected elections, assassinations or other moments that have enjoyed much coverage over the years. Instead, I turn to often-forgotten moments that shed light on the country’s key steps forward – and backward – and the role of agency and institutions. GABRIELLE LYNCH, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Warwick 1964: The Lanet mutiny In the 1960s and 1970s, governments…
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Children’s book revolution: how East African women took on colonialism after independence

Children’s book revolution: how East African women took on colonialism after independence

AS independence from British colonial rule swept across East Africa in the early 1960s and freedom was won in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, parents and teachers worried about what their children were reading. Most children’s books on the market were dominated by European writers like Enid Blyton. One of Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiongo’s most stringent criticisms of colonialism was the explosive effect of this “cultural bomb” in the classroom, as missionaries taught African students Western cultures and foreign histories. This, according to Kenyan publisher Henry Chakava, was producing a new breed of black Europeans, who began to despise their…
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Ghana’s National Museum: superb restoration but painful stories remain untold

Ghana’s National Museum: superb restoration but painful stories remain untold

GHANA’S national museum has reopened its doors after a seven-year closure to allow for major renovations. The museum was first opened in March 1957 as part of the celebrations marking the transition from colonial rule to independence. The opening also marked the end of a bitter struggle between members of the museum staff over issues related to the creation of a new memory space. I traced this history in a paper about the origins of the museum. Author JON OLAV HOVE, Associate Professor, Department of Historical and Classical Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Often, museums are considered spaces…
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How Frelimo betrayed Samora Machel’s dream of a free Mozambique

How Frelimo betrayed Samora Machel’s dream of a free Mozambique

FORTY-SIX years ago, Samora Machel, the leader of Mozambique’s liberation movement and the country’s first president, stood before a euphoric crowd at Machava Stadium and declared the complete and total independence of Mozambique. He inspired the people of Mozambique to imagine and build a new nation in which development, social justice, and solidarity with – and care for – the oppressed took centre stage. DAVID MATSINHE, Losophone Research Specialist/Adjunct Professor in African Studies, Carleton University Four decades later, Machel’s declarations ring hollow. His words and the new dawn they heralded have since disintegrated. I’m a Mozambican political sociologist. I have…
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Can a tooth settle the mystery over Congo’s independence hero?

Can a tooth settle the mystery over Congo’s independence hero?

FISTON MAHAMBA  and MARINE STRAUSS BELGIUM’S federal court has said it would hand over a tooth, suspected to be the only remains of the murdered Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba, to his family, a move that could finally unlock the secret behind his death. Lumumba, a firebrand political leader, became the Democratic Republic of Congo's first democratically-elected prime minister after independence from Belgium in 1960, but alarmed the West with overtures to Moscow at the height of the Cold War. His government lasted just three months before he was overthrown and assassinated by firing squad, a killing for which the…
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