Book Review: The State of Africa By Martin Meredith.
Book Review by Mwebya Fred TITLE: The State of Africa AUTHOR: Martin Meredith In this book, Meredith offers an overview of the continent’s history that is both readable and illuminating, starting from the independence era of the fifties and sixties. Almost without exception, however, the fortunes of Africa’s newly independent countries took a downward spiral. What went wrong? As Meredith shows, the honeymoon of African independence was brief, although memorable. African leaders, riding the crest of popularity, stepped forward with energy and enthusiasm to tackle the tasks of development and nation-building. Ambitious plans were launched, bright young men rose quickly to the top. The sense of euphoria had been raised to even greater heights by the lavish promises of nationalist politicians campaigning for power, pledging to provide education, medical care, employment and land for all. In defining their ideological stance, most governments opted ...