Books published by Pambazuka Press

Arguing that the climate crisis confronting the world today is rooted mainly in the wealthy economies' abuse of fossil fuels, indigenous forests, and global commercial agriculture, this book investigates how Africa has been exploited and how Africans should respond for the good of all. As it examines the oil industry in Africa and probes the causes of global warming, Bassey warns of its insidious impacts and explores false solutions.

With case studies from nine African countries this book provides a rich understanding of the status of e-governance in Africa, assesses the effects of information and communications technologies (ICTs) on local governance, and offers a roadmap for policymakers, decision-makers, and practitioners to implement and evaluate their own e-local governance projects. With governance high on the agenda in Africa, many governments are using ICTs to introduce innovations in their structure, practices, and capacities as well as in the ways they use human capital and deliver services to citizens. However, the potential for e-governance in Africa remains largely unexploited. Progress requires infrastructure improvement, the enactment of appropriate laws and policies, and capacity and content development. This book addresses the lack of evidence on ICTs in local governance in Africa and provides an important collection of studies and analyses on the transformative potential of ICT.

A compelling and critical destruction of both the English agricultural revolution and the theory of comparative advantage, upon which unequal trade has been justified for three centuries, this account argues that these ideas have been used to disguise the fact that the Northfrom the time of colonialism to the present dayhas used the much greater agricultural productivity of the South to feed and improve the living standards of its own people while impoverishing the South. At the same time, the imposition of neoliberal reforms in the African continent has led to greater unemployment, spiraling debt, land and livestock losses, reduced per capita food production, and decreased nutrition. Arguing that political stability hangs in the balance, this book calls for labor-intensive small-scale production, new thinking about which agricultural commodities are produced, the redistribution of the means of food production, and increased investment in rural development. The combined effort of African and Indian scholarly work, this account demands policies that defend the land rights of small producers and allow people to live with dignity."

The 54 essays included are wide- ranging and complied into 11 focused chapters. An introductory chapter outlines the global and regional context of underdevelopment in Africa, while special attention is given to the conflicts in The DRC, Rwanda, Sudan and Zimbabwe. The establishment of the African Union and attempts to develop regional integration are commented upon along with special chapters devoted to resource exploitation, Womens Rights and the rights of refugees in Africa. Both the IMF and World Bank celebrated their 60th anniversaries in 2004; their track-records in Africa are assessed. The concluding Chapter 11 contains a selection of letters submitted by subscribers to Pambazuka News which demonstrate the lively debate many of these editorials have sparked. The 47 contributors include such distinguished Africans as Mahmood Mamdani, Adebayo Olukoshi, Kewsi Kwaa Prah, Brian Raftopoulos, Pierre Sane and Ernest Wamba dia Wamba.

Exploring the dilemmas and complexities involved in addressing past human rights violations from an African perspective, this unique book argues for a more peaceful future.It challenges current transitional justice narratives which have inadequately addressed the concerns of postconflict societies in Africa and emphasizes the need to avoid representing African issues as exotic and exceptional. Unique and comprehensive, this book not only considers the core debates about how to develop a transitional justice agenda, but also assesses the potential of localized justice models to contribute to justice systems."

There has been an explosion of attention on China s interests and activities in Africa and on the wide spectrum of Chinese actors involved in countries across the continent, yet the terms and implications of the China Angola partnership remain unclear. This book focuses on the increased cooperation between Angola and China; explores how relations with China have bolstered regime stability and boosted the international standing of the Angolan government; and investigates the extent to which collaboration serves their separate interests in the immediate and the longer term. It offers a rich look at the relations between the countries: examining some of the labor, infrastructure, and policy issues arising from Chinese involvement. From the perspectives of Angola s oil, construction, retail, and wholesale sectors, this discussion shows the need for better local control to tackle the shortcomings and foster the benefits of cultural, economic, and professional interchange."

Exploiting the general public s growing concerns about the ecological and climate crisis, some corporations are proposing "quick fixes" that threaten to wreak havoc on our planet. This book exposes how a biomass economy, based on using gene technologies to reprogram living organisms, will devastate our ecosystems as well as the human populations of the southern hemisphereby accelerating the wave of land grabs already common in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Well-researched and groundbreaking, this analysis explores a number ofinterrelated topicsvis-a-vis the uses of bio- and nano-technologies."

Excision, or female genital mutilation (FGM), in Africa is no longer the private concern only of women; it is a social and political issue that concerns both men and women and this book reports on an innovative research and action project amongst girls and boys in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal. The project explores whether young people's use of information technology could contribute to the abandonment of FGM. In the age of the internet, beliefs and practices of FGM are shifting, particularly among young people. The results of this project show how, in the era of globalized citizenship, a cross-sectional vision that puts young people and gender at the center of development can produce real change.