Meet the Greatest heroes of africa--from ancient to modern times "The books in the Black Stars series are the types of books that would have really captivated me as a kid." --Earl G. Graves, Black Enterprise magazine Kofi Annan Askia the Great Bambaata Behanzin Hossu Bowelle Stephen Biko Cetewayo Constance Cummings-John Imhotep Kenneth Kaunda Jomo Kenyatta Khama Sir Seretse Khama Patrice Lumumba Albert John Luthuli Nelson Mandela Menelik II Moshesh Mansa Musa Kwame Nkrumah Julius Nyerere Nzingha Piankhy Rabah Haile Selassie Albertina Sisulu Osei Tutu Youssef I
Examines, through the lives of five important English and French figures, the history of the exploration and colonization of Africa between 1870 and 1914, and the role the mass media played in promoting colonial conquest.
“For anyone who wants to understand how the African economy really works, The Bright Continent is a good place to start” (Reuters). Dayo Olopade knew from personal experience that Western news reports on conflict, disease, and poverty obscure the true story of modern Africa. And so she crossed sub-Saharan Africa to document how ordinary people deal with their daily challenges. She found what cable news ignores: a continent of ambitious reformers and young social entrepreneurs driven by kanju—creativity born of African difficulty. It’s a trait found in pioneers like Kenneth Nnebue, who turned cheap VHS tapes into the multimillion-dollar film industry Nollywood. Or Ushahidi, a technology collective that crowdsources citizen activism and disaster relief. A shining counterpoint to conventional wisdom, The Bright Continent rewrites Africa’s challenges as opportunities to innovate, and celebrates a history of doing more with less as a powerful model for the rest of the world. “[An] upbeat study of development in Africa . . . The book is written more in wonder at African ingenuity than in anger at foreign incomprehension.” —The New Yorker “A hopeful narrative about a continent on the rise.” —The New York Times Book Review
Drawing on extensive research and his own wide travels, Ford vividly retells ancient African myths and tales and brings to light their universal meanings.
The incredible true account of World War I in Africa and General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, the last undefeated German commander. “Let me say straight out that if all military histories were as thrilling and well written as Robert Gaudi’s African Kaiser, I might give up reading fiction and literary biography… Gaudi writes with the flair of a latter-day Macaulay. He sets his scenes carefully and describes naval and military action like a novelist.”—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post As World War I ravaged the European continent, a completely different theater of war was being contested in Africa. And from this very different kind of war, there emerged a very different kind of military leader.... At the beginning of the twentieth century, the continent of Africa was a hotbed of international trade, colonialism, and political gamesmanship. So when World War I broke out, the European powers were forced to contend with one another not just in the bloody trenches, but in the treacherous jungle. And it was in that unforgiving land that General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck would make history. With the now-legendary Schutztruppe (Defensive Force), von Lettow-Vorbeck and a small cadre of hardened German officers fought alongside their fanatically devoted native African allies as equals, creating the first truly integrated army of the modern age. African Kaiser is the fascinating story of a forgotten guerrilla campaign in a remote corner of Equatorial Africa in World War I; of a small army of ultraloyal African troops led by a smaller cadre of rugged German officers—of white men and black who fought side by side. But mostly it is the story of von Lettow-Vorbeck—the only undefeated German commmander in the field during World War I and the last to surrender his arms.
From one of Africa’s most influential and eloquent essayists, a posthumous collection that highlights his biting satire and subversive wisdom on topics from travel to cultural identity to sexuality “A fierce literary talent . . . [Wainaina] shines a light on his continent without cliché.”—The Guardian “Africa is the only continent you can love—take advantage of this. . . . Africa is to be pitied, worshipped, or dominated. Whichever angle you take, be sure to leave the strong impression that without your intervention and your important book, Africa is doomed.” Binyavanga Wainaina was a pioneering voice in African literature, an award-winning memoirist and essayist remembered as one of the greatest chroniclers of contemporary African life. This groundbreaking collection brings together, for the first time, Wainaina’s pioneering writing on the African continent, including many of his most critically acclaimed pieces, such as the viral satirical sensation “How to Write About Africa.” Working fearlessly across a range of topics—from politics to international aid, cultural heritage, and redefined sexuality—he describes the modern world with sensual, emotional, and psychological detail, giving us a full-color view of his home country and continent. These works present the portrait of a giant in African literature who left a tremendous legacy.
Erased. Ignored. Hidden. Lost. Underappreciated. No longer. Delve into the unique, inspiring, and world-changing history of Black people. Black leaders, writers, civil rights activists, scientists, and more have influenced, inspired, and changed the societies we live in. This history book’s pages are filled with the stories of these historical giants and their contributions to the world. Grow Your Understanding of Black History This children’s book, prefaced by Mireille Harper, introduces children to prominent Black people in history such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, and Dr. Martin Luther King. The timelines have been individually commissioned, with the stunning visual designs reflecting the essence of that particular historical person. This visual reflection from DK Books will compel children to investigate further and understand world history and the important roles Black people played in shaping it: • Features an equal number of timelines about women and men • Explores the amazing stories of incredible figures often ignored by European-focused history • Covers key moments in European, Caribbean, North American and African history, taking readers from pre-colonial Africa through the Jim Crow Era and the Civil Rights Movement to today’s Black Lives Matter movement • Created, designed, written, and edited by a multicultural team from many different nations, heritages, communities, faiths, and no faiths From Mansa Musa to Barack Obama; learn about more than 100 Black leaders and historical individuals, and discover the 30 timelines from throughout world history in this compelling children’s Black history book. Learn about Lewis Latimer and his integral contributions to the lightbulb, of how Ethiopia avoided colonisation thanks to its brave queen, and many more important moments in world and Black history. Pages of visual representations take children, adolescents, and adults on a trip through history. Stacked with facts and visually vibrant, Timelines From Black History: Leaders, Legacies, Legends is an unforgettable and accessible hive of information on the people and the issues that have shaped Black history.
Teeming with interesting nuggets of fact and information, 100 African Americans Who Shaped American History includes such legendary men and women as Benjamin Banneker, Dred Scott, Mary Church Terrell, George Washington Carver and Bessie Smith. Also included are Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall and many, many more. Organized chronologically and meticulously researched, this book provides an educational look at the prominent role that these individuals played and how their varied talents, ideas and expertise contributed to American history. * Concise & Easy to Read Text * Fully Illustrated * Includes Index, Time Line, Trivia Quiz & Suggested Projects * Makes History Fun Bluewood Books' "100 Series" includes 28 additional fun and educational titles, including: * 100 Hispanic Americans Who Shaped American History * 100 Native Americans Who Shaped American History * 100 Scientists Who Shaped World History * 100 American Women Who Shaped American History * 100 Athletes Who Shaped Sports History * 100 Inventions That Shaped World History * 100 Artists Who Shaped World History * ...and many more
Join TIME to explore the full story of Nelson Mandela, the remarkable man whose incandescent smile, forgiving spirit and work for reconciliation made him one of the most significant leaders of the 20th century and one of the most admired people in the world. TIME Nelson Mandela traces the twin journeys of Mandela and his nation away from the hateful system of racist apartheid to the creation of a modern South Africa where all people are free. Here is Mandela’s journey in full detail: his birth in a grass hut as a prince of the Thembu tribe … his work as an inspiring young lawyer fighting for civil rights for blacks … his years as an underground freedom fighter … and the 27 years he spent in jail as a political prisoner. And here is his incredible return to freedom, when he moved the world by vowing to forgive his captors and to reconcile all the people of his land, steering his nation away from a racial war. TIME Nelson Mandela features a personal and insightful introduction by TIME managing editor Richard Stengel, the co-writer of Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. Here is history as only TIME can tell it: rich, clear, incisive and filled with the details that bring the story of one of our great modern heroes to fresh, inspiring life.
