23.
factors related to the emergence of twentieth century African nationalism, such as slavery, colonialism, and the return of African soldiers from fighting in the two world wars. There is also space for five case studies of Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, and Tanzania, which were largely determined by the date at which the book was written. The case studies are written from a biographical perspective so that the independence of each nation is viewed largely as an extension of the activities of the national leader at the time of independence. The text, like the title, of this book includes numerous cliches about Africa. This is typical of books on African politics written for American children.
The most successful book of this type is Jill Hollings, African Nationalism (New York: Day, 1972).8 This is the only children's book that discusses both black and white nationalism in Africa within the same conceptual context, mentions early twentieth century African nationalists and nationalism between the two world wars, discusses details of the emergence of political parties, mentions economic factors related to the expression of nationalism, and explicitly states that the nationalist struggle continues after independence. The book is too short to discuss many details of political structure or political process, but it does provide specific examples from all of the major geographical regions of Africa and all nationalities of colonial control, except Spanish.
Although not conceptually written as a book on African nationalism, A. F. Addona, The Organization of African Unity (Cleveland: World, 1969) contains information about political processes involved in the development of African nationalism. Negritude and Panafricanism are discussed as factors related to African independence, the process of decolonization is explicitly labeled and outlined, and the formation of blocs of African nations as the OAU receives considerable attention. The major problems with which the OAU was concerned in its early years also are discussed: African liberation, the Congo crises, refugees, and regional cooperative groups. In a sense this book complements other children's books that deal with African nationalism by focusing on the intra-African components of African nationalism and by detailing some of the interests and activities of national political leaders outside the borders of their own nations.
Reference Books
Apart from children's encyclopedias there are few books that provide basic data pertaining to the politics of African independence.9 What data there are in children's books are extremely limited. Ben Wattenberg and Ralph L. Smith, The New Nations of Africa (New York: Hart Publishing Company, 1963) is a country-by-country survey with numerous photographs that includes information on ethnology, industry, economics, and education, in addition to government and politics. It is full of cliches and factual errors. Since it has not been revised, it has extremely limited value.
Africa 1966 (Washington, D.C.: Stryker-Post, 1966) is the first of a
series of reference books in the World Today Series prepared by Pierre Etienne Dostert that has been published annually since 1970. Each volume usually appears in the autumn of the year for the date in the title. In it one can find political facts such as the former colonial status of each nation, date