In This Review

The First Dance of Freedom: Black Africa in the Postwar Era
The First Dance of Freedom: Black Africa in the Postwar Era
By Martin Meredith
Harper, 1985, 412 pp

A veteran journalist in Africa sums up the quarter-century of independence. Unfortunately his penchant for the short narrative take leads to a seemingly endless catalogue of conflict, coup, catastrophe. With events in 53 countries to reckon with, one soon loses the forest in the trees and grapples vainly for cause and effect. It all just seems a terrible mess.

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