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Reviews the geography, history, people, customs, and the arts of the West African country of Nigeria. ... Read more

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Entertaining and informative read
I read this book for a graduate Anthropology course.Compared to many of the other books we read, this was enjoyable and 'easier' to get through.Should be required reading for anyone working in Nigeria. ... Read more

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 In Africa's Forest and Jungleis the memoir of Richard Henry Stone, a Civil War era Southern Baptist missionary, who served in what is now Nigeria during the late 1850s and again during the first years of the American Civil War. Stone published this work in 1899, when it became clear that age would prevent him from returning to Africa.

Stone served in Africa with his wife and successfully learned the Yoruba language. He was an intelligent, self-reflective, and reliable observer, making his works important sources of information on Yoruba society before the intervention of European colonialism.In Africa's Forest and Jungleis a rare account of West African culture, made all the more complete by the additional journal entries, letters, and photographs collected in this edition.

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The dominant trend in environmental studies has assumed that people ruin the natural environment. The contributors to Greening the Great Red Island: Madagascar in Nature and Culture challenge this assumption, not for its elements of obvious truthfulness, but its oversimplification. Diverse social-environmental perspectives on Madagascar demonstrate that Madagascar's rural people have dynamic, historical and complex relationships with their environments. Conservation organisations working to preserve Madagascar's biological megadiversity may achieve negative results if they start with the wrong assumptions. Combining potent theoretical and methodological analysis with detailed case studies from across the island of Madagascar, this collection will appeal to those doing research and teaching in African studies, anthropology, development, environmental studies, geography, history, political science and zoology. ... Read more

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An important read
Jeff Kaufmann has brought together a great collection of writings in this book.Many scholars deal with the people and biodiversity of Madagascar, and there is no shortage of social critiques of the conservation movement.However all to often such critiques are difficult to find, are published in little known jounals or remain restricted to thedoctoral theses where they were first developed.

This book presents in a single volume 14 chapters authored by scholars and conservation practitioners, giving many useful insights into the difficulties of resolving the dual challenge of rural development and biodiversity consevation in Madagascar. The studies also come from across Madagascar from Mananara-Nord to the Mahafaly and from Ranomafana to the Menabe.Another important feat which Kaufmann achieves is spanning the atlantic and the northern and southern hemispheres - authors come from organisations and universities in north america, across europe as well as Australia and Madagascar.

We should hope that the publication of this book will spark increased debate and discussion both between scholars from different academic disciplines, as well as between the social critics of the conservation movement and the conservationits themselves. It is only through such dialogue that better policies for people and nature will be moulded.Thoroughly reccomended. ... Read more

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"Hallen renders a great service to African philosophy." --Kwasi Wiredu

In this original and intimate look at Yoruba culture, Barry Hallen asks the Yoruba onisegun--the wisest and most accomplished herbalists or traditional healers--what it means to be good and beautiful. Hallen engages the onisegun and has them explain the subtleties and intricacies of Yoruba language use and the philosophy behind particular word choices. ... Read more

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yoruba philosophy explored
I really learnt a lot more about the yorubas..Informative ....interesting However what happened to the his co-other (sodipo) there was no mention of him as he(Hallen) would have learnt a lot from his friend (sodipo) -a yoruba man. Could they both write a follow up as it would be even better. Keep it up guys........

Very nice
This book examines the knowledge of the Yoruba people from their own way of expressiing it. In order to know a people I think its important to understand them from their own point of view. First rate scholarship.

The Good, The Bad - THE WONDERFUL!
After having read Mr. Hallen's other work (Knowledge and Belief of Witchcraft) I was interested to read his newest work. I had been eagerly awaiting the release for months and it was worth the wait!

Mr. Hallen expertly presents the values of the Yoruba culture as they relate to beauty and goodness. As a student and priest of Yoruba religious system, this book is a valuable addition to my library - an important step forward in my studies and the studies of anyone interested in this profound and sophisticated culture.

I think this book is much better than his former volume and would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who has an interest in learning more about the values and perspectives of the Yoruba people.

I extend my thanks to Mr. Hallen, wish him much success and hope that he continues to study and share the world of the Yoruba with the rest of the world. ... Read more

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As the most populous country in Africa and a major oil producer, Nigeria has long been recognized as the dominant force in West Africa. But its standing within the broader international arena, especially its comparative position within the Muslim world, has been less well understood. Indeed, does Nigeria's influence extend beyond the region?

In this concise volume, John N. Paden answers this very question, contending that Nigeria is globally significant for a multitude of reasons, not least of which for the political resiliency it has demonstrated despite its complex ethnolinguistic and religious diversity. He argues that Nigeria, with a population that is almost evenly divided between Muslims and Christians, could serve uniquely as a model for interreligious political accommodation and as a bridging actor in global politics between the West and the Muslim world. He concludes by calling on the United States to formulate better engagement strategies in the region and to support Nigeria’s political resilience by strengthening social, cultural, and economic ties, and by showing greater understanding and diplomatic tolerance toward the country.

Faith and Politics in Nigeria offers timely, clear, and astute analysis that will be valued by students and scholars of Islamic and African studies and provides keen recommendations for policymakers and conflict-management practitioners.
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Proposing a model for other Islamic countries to follow
A 'madrassah' is an Islamic religious school dedicated to teaching literacy and the Koran to the youth and adults of an Islamic community. Under the influence and control of militant Islamic fundamentalists, the community madrassah has been corrupted to incorporate the inculcation of violence against non-Islamic targets, as well as those elements of the Islamic community whom militant fundamentalism have declared to be heretical and illegitimate. Formerly a member of the Center for conflict Analysis and Prevention of the United States Institute of Peace, and currently a senior political scientist with the RAND Corporation, C. Christine Fair has compiled an analytical survey, "The Madrassah Challenge: Militancy And Religious Education In Pakistan" as the newest addition to the United States Institute of Peace Press' 'Perspectives Series" and has as her principle focus the use of these Islamic schools as incubators of Pakistan-based militants, the Pakistani government's efforts to deal with them, and the American foreign policy implications with respect to the arising concern about the use of the madrassah as a recruiting ground for Islamic terrorism. Insightful, thoughtful, informed and informative, "The Madrassah Challenge" is an important contribution to the national and international dialogue with respect to militant Islamic terrorism today.
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The most concise book on Nigerian Woman Writers
This book was exactly what I was looking for. This book took a really good thorough look at the other half of Nigerian novels. The side that is too often neglected: the Women. It went deep and discussed aspects of these novels that non-Nigerians and even Nigerian men are not likely to catch or know. ... Read more

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This book delves into history to unearth the aesthetics,significance and the meaning attached to dance as a socio-culturalphenomenon among the Yoruba ethnic group of modern Nigeria. ... Read more

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"This collection... strengthens the significance of understanding the African diaspora across time, and provides a model for studying other diasporas as well." -- Constance Sutton, New York University

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Ø More than 1.2 million people die in road traffic crashes every yearØ As many as 50 million people are injured or disabled by road traffic crashes every yearØ Road traffic crashes cost countries up to 4% of their Gross National ProductØ Correctly used seat-belts reduce the risk of death in a crash by 61%Ø Mandatory use of child restraints can reduce child deaths by 35%Ø Helmets reduce fatal and serious head injuries by up to 45%Ø Enforcing a drinking and driving law around the world could reduce alcohol-related crashes by 20% (WHO, 2005). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa has the world's highest rate of road fatalities per capita. For example, the statistics indicate that 2,043 people perished in road accidents in 2007 in Ghana alone compared to 1,858 people who died in 2006. Many factors contribute to road accidents in Africa. The notable ones include bribery and corruption. "While the focus of this book is Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa, for obvious reasons, nonetheless, Stopping the Carnage on African Roads is unmistakably germane to the totality of the dismal traffic situation in Africa at large. In this sense, the expansive title of the book is all the more appropriate. In sum, on the critical subject of preventable road carnage in Africa, Mr. Bonna is one, among a dispiritingly low number of writers and intellectuals, who knows exactly what he is talking about. In essence, the author's argument revolves around the salutary, commonsensical and imperative need for postcolonial African governments to ensure that the auspicious facility of vehicular transportation is safely and productively engaged. The latter observation, of course, implies the stringent and impartial enforcement of transit laws and penalties." (Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D., Bronx, New York). ... Read more

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This is the first collection of the essays of Femi Osofisan, the internationally recognized Nigerian dramatist, poet, and scholar, who is widely hailed as the leading writer in Africa. He belongs to the generation following that of Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe. His essays have appeared over the years in journals and magazines, some of which have unfortunately ceased to be published. It is a great boon to scholars of African literature to have these essays under a single cover now.

Often with acerbic wit and idealistic fervor, but always with the sympathetic understanding expected of an active and committed practitioner, Osofisan speaks about the vicissitudes of literature and of those who produce and consume it in a troubled post-colonial Africa. He uses an astounding map of references ranging from Euro-American to Asian to Latin American literary sources. The result is a passionate and original insight into not only the works of his contemporaries, but also into the adventures of Africa since the latter half of the last century. He also illuminates lucidly his own "aesthetics of revolt."

In addition to the essay titled "The Nostalgic Drum," other essays included in this collection are "Beyond Translation: A Comparative Look at Tragic Paradigms and the Dramaturgy of Wole Soyinka," "The Alternative Tradition: A Survey of Nigerian Literature in English since the Civil War,""The Saga of Clark andthe Trail of Ozidi: A Review of J. P. Clark’s The Ozidi Saga," and "Domestication of an Opiate: Western Paraesthetics and the Growth of the Ekwensi Tradition." ... Read more

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This study documents a crucial dimension of the resistance of Nigerian civil society to a repressive and monumentally corrupt military state in the late 1980s and 1990s in Nigeria. Employing a neo-Gramscian theoretical framework, the study relates how a section of the media defied censorship laws, outright bans, incarceration and the assassination of opposition figures, to prosecute the struggle for democracy.

It captures the tensions and contradictions between a pliant section of the media, which sought to legitimize the state and a critical section of the same media, which in alliance with radical civil society, invented rebellious outlets to carry on the struggle against dictatorship.

The study seeks to make fresh departures by documenting not only the role of the national media in the throes of democratic struggle, but that of the international media whose role was influential in the years studied. Finally the report offers empirical proof of the mechanisms by which a vibrant civil society can curb the ravages of a predatory state in an African country. ... Read more

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The birth of media guerrilla tactics in Nigeria
Chronicling a period of detentions, assassinations and newspaper seizures under Nigeria's military dictatorships, Olukotun deconstructs the state's struggle to secure political hegemony through control of the media. In spare, evocative sketches of political watershed events in this period, he details how the media revolution evolved to tackle the authoritarian rule of Nigeria's monumentally corrupt military class and call attention to the everyman's struggle to survive a derailed structural adjustment policy that raised the prices of staple foods more than 20-fold over the course of a few years. Guerrilla tactics kept these banned and hunted journalists alive, and kept up an irrepressible torrent of scorn and outrage that played a critical role in delegitimising the military state in the international community. This militant press genre actively fought the government's terror tactics in the face of state-sanctioned death threats, constant surveillance and a technologically bankrupt recession economy that made publishing a trial even for the sycophantic state-sanctioned papers. They learned to evade a government that would take a journalist's wife and baby daughter hostage until he presented himself to authorities to take their place in detention. The radical performances of outraged traditional poets and the `pavement radio' rumor mill complemented the underground media's efforts, spreading open scorn for the shamelessly dysfunctional military government. The powerful pirate radio station Freedom Frequency Radio - renamed Radio Kudirat after an assassinated activist - kept up its broadcasts by never allowing the station's location to be discovered by the authorities. Although it is written in a plain analytical style, the substance of this book is deeply inspiring - independent-minded journalists everywhere should be attentive to these terribly pertinent history lessons today. ... Read more