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I Didnt Do It For You How the World Used and Abused a Small African Nation

Name: I Didnt Do It For You
Rating: 5.0 (1 reviews)
Author: Michela Wrong

Auteur: Michela Wrong

Taal: Engels

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5,0/5 (1 review)

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Auteur: Michela Wrong

Engels
Paperback
9780007150953
04 juli 2005
464 pagina's

Alle productspecificaties

Samenvatting

One small East African country embodies the battered history of the continent: patronised by colonialists, riven by civil war, confused by Cold War manoeuvring, proud, colorful, with Africa's best espresso and worst rail service. Michela Wrong brilliantly reveals the contradictions and comedy, past and present, of Eritrea.

Just as the beat of a butterfly’s wings is said to cause hurricanes on the other side of the world, so the affairs of tiny Eritrea reverberate onto the agenda of superpower strategists. This new book on Africa is from the author of the critically acclaimed In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz.

Eritrea is a little-known country scarred by decades of conflict and occupation. It has weathered the world's longest-running guerrilla war, and the dogged determination that secured victory against Ethiopia, its giant neighbour, is woven into the national psyche. Fascist Italy wanted Eritrea as the springboard for a new, racially-pure Roman empire, Britain sold off its industry for scrap, the US needed headquarters for its state-of-the-art spy station and the Soviet Union used it as a pawn in a proxy war.

Michela Wrong reveals the breathtaking abuses this tiny nation has suffered and, with the sharp eye for detail that was the hallmark of her account of Mobutu's Congo, she tells the story of colonialism itself. Along the way, we meet a formidable Emperor, a guerrilla fighter who taught himself French cuisine in the bush, and a chemist who arranged the heist of his own laboratory. An arresting blend of travelogue and history, ‘I Didn't Do It For You’ pierces the dark heart of our colonial history.

Productspecificaties

Inhoud

Taal: en
Bindwijze: Paperback
Oorspronkelijke releasedatum: 04 juli 2005
Aantal pagina's: 464
Illustraties: Nee

Betrokkenen

Hoofdauteur: Michela Wrong
Hoofduitgeverij: Harperperennial

Vertaling

Originele titel: I Didn't Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation

Overige kenmerken

Editie: 1
Product breedte: 127 mm
Product hoogte: 34 mm
Product lengte: 197 mm
Studieboek: Ja
Verpakking breedte: 128 mm
Verpakking hoogte: 33 mm
Verpakking lengte: 201 mm
Verpakkingsgewicht: 706 g

EAN

EAN: 9780007150953

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Categorieën: Taal

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Reisverhalen

Boeken
Taal: Engels
Boek, ebook of luisterboek?: Boek
Beschikbaarheid: Leverbaar
Studieboek of algemeen: Algemene boeken

Reviews

1 review

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A brilliant modern history
- pdoornb
- 14 februari 2010
Positieve punten
- Overzichtelijk
- Veel verrassende tips
- Praktisch
The only weakness of this book is its title. It refers to a scene during WW II, when British soldiers were busy liberating Eritrea from the Italians. A local woman ululated for passing British soldiers, whereupon one of them shouted what has become the title of this highly illuminating book. In other words, the British did not liberate Eritrea to become independent and rule itself. Nor did any other nation, before or after.
Every chapter in this book is a gem and an eye opener. Shamefully, what the Brits did after their victory over Italy was to dismantle and haul away every industrial investment made by Italy during the 1930s, and move it away to its other colonies, such as India and Kenya. Except for things that could not be moved like buildings: Italy turned Asmara into what is (still) the most beautiful capital city of Africa, subject of documentaries, coffee table books and a trickle of tourism. Reconstruction by elderly Eritreans of the destroyed rail link between Asmara and Massawa, covering a tortuous track and 2.200 m in altitude, is included in such tours an has been recorded in documentaries broadcast worldwide.
Marcela Wrong (MW) argues convincingly that the Eritrean national character has been shaped by a succession of betrayals by the Ethiopians, the Italians, the British, the UN, and again, the Ethiopians. Anyone curious to learn why the Eritrean government (which took decades of fighting to emerge without outside help) is not amenable to Western advice, should read this book.
MW has interviewed lots of key actors and observers, ranging from former Soviet generals and advisors, a US 95-year old top legal advisor to Emperor Haile Selassie, to local insiders, eccentrics and notables.

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