African Independence

Tukufu Zuberi is the Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations and professor of sociology and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He writes and speaks widely about race, both in the United States and internationally. He is a host on the hit PBS series History Detectives and has been interviewed on NPR and other media all over the world.

• Map of Pre-Colonial Africa, before 1600Map of Colonial Africa, 1914Map of Pre-Independence Africa, 1950Map of Independent in Africa, 1994Selected Chronology of EventsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionWhy I wrote this Book and Made a FilmMy Point of ViewHow I Tell the StoryChapter 1—From Colonialism to Pan Africanism: The Impact of World War II on AfricaFascist War on EthiopiaNorth Africa CampaignAfrican Contributions to the War EffortAfrican Post-War Response to ColonialismAfrican Post-War Uprisings5th Pan-African CongressChapter 2—The End of Colonial Rule: Beginnings of IndependenceThe Movement MaterializesPolitical Independence in GhanaThe Spread of the MovementPower of the GunChapter 3—Africa in the Cold War: Repression and LiberationThe Cold WarAfrican Decolonization and RepressionPatrice Lumumba’s CongoSouthern AfricaCoup After CoupAfrican Power in the Cold WarApartheid Chapter 4—April 1994 and Beyond: African Independence TodayThe Post-Independence Map of AfricaApril 1994Post-Independence UnityTraditional Ethnic ConflictHypocrisy, Terror, AID, and CrimeExtending African Independence

In this pleasant and accessible study, Zuberi, an academic and host of the PBS series History Detectives, guides readers through the historical and current straits of the vast continent of Africa. Zuberi documents the decisive role played by African soldiers in WWII and argues that the war's savagery exposed 'the myth of civilized Europe and barbaric Africa.' Though the Allied victory was 'forged with considerable African sacrifice,' much of the continent remained in European imperial hands. However, African participation in the defeat of the Axis powers rekindled anti-colonial aspirations, resulting in a series of uprisings and growing international support for decolonization. Regrettably, the Cold War derailed national independence movements and the continent again became 'locked in a death grip' by brutal military dictatorships supported by either the U.S. or the U.S.S.R. The era of globalization witnessed progress in such countries as South Africa, but lingering ethnic tensions stoked by colonial authorities and ruling elites erupted in bloodshed in Rwanda and Kenya. With appearances by a long roster of 'history makers'—including activists, leaders, and freedom fighters—Zuberi's work is a well-researched and informed, if selective, story of the making of modern Africa, and constitutes an impassioned plea to recognize the continent for more than the trouble it has endured. Maps and photos.