Godfrey Mwakikagile
This is the fourth edition of 'Nyerere and Africa: End of an Era. It is also the largest and includes new material not found in previous editions. The work is a comprehensive study of the political career of President Julius Nyerere spanning half a century. The author takes a critical look at Nyerere's policies and influence in the domestic and international arenas for an objective evaluation of the life and times of one of the most influential leaders in the twentieth century. The major role he played in the liberation of southern Africa is just one of the subjects addressed by the author. He also provides insights into Nyerere's personality from some of the people who knew him best. Included in the book are interviews with some of the people who knew Nyerere since his childhood. Some of them were his teachers. And they outlived him. Others were his schoolmates and colleagues in government and when he was a teacher. And some of them were his students. Also included are interviews with some of his family members. This is an essential study of post-colonial Africa. It is also a study in political leadership and Cold War politics in the African context, among many other subjects addressed in the book which should serve as a reference text for scholars and laymen alike interested in Africa and the Third World in general.