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Complexity made comprehensible
Another book about "Africa" you may ask, and one of only 128 small pages? What can anybody say on such confined space about the continent of 53 states and at least 2000 languages and a multitude of cultures? Caplan, with more than 40 years of active involvement with Africa and a "passionate commitment" to the continent's development, will surprise you in all regards. His analysis, presented in clear and succinct language in well structured chapters, is informative, erudite without getting caught in details. In all regards this is a very worthwhile read and a useful book to have on the shelf for further reference.
The "Betrayal of Africa" is published as a Groundwork Guide, a series intended to "provide an overview of key contemporary political and social issues& these books tackle pressing and sometimes controversial topics, offering both a lively introduction to the subject and a strong point of view." Caplan expertly lives up to the series' intentions. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of the continent's concerns, he presents a well reasoned analysis of the continuing challenges for the peoples of Africa.
Discussing the "common predicament[s]" of this most diverse of continents, the author briefly outlines the historical context, characterized by colonialism and its lingering aftermath, its vulnerability to severe climatic variabilities, wide-spread poverty, and, last but not least, the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Hand in hand with the exploitation of European masters went corruption and exploitation by local political and economic strongmen.
The newly independent states were left without adequate infrastructures, professional sectors or functioning education systems. These developments continued combined, later on, with often misguided or misappropriated international aid and investment funds. Caplan contends that these represent major obstacles to development and economic growth for the vast majority of Africans. Caplan reminds the reader that "far more of Africa's riches flow out to the West than are ploughed back in?". He provides examples and some statistics that are revealing in this regard. In the brief chapter on the recent engagement of China in Africa the author highlights some of the concerns of the Chinese approach and wonders if the Chinese investments will really contribute to economic advancements of Africans.
Caplan concludes with a brief reflection on the future for Africa as he sees it. He places hope in the people themselves. Local communities and civil society organizations have been sidelined for too long both by governments and the international institutions, such as the World Bank. Yet, their active participation in shaping the democratic and economic future of African countries is one of the preconditions for giving Africa a serious chance in the global economic market. On the other hand, he warns against a simple application of the slogan "African solutions for African Problems". Africa will continue to be closely intertwined with the West and the rest of the world. Still, a new generation of African leaders is emerging, already influencing the way these partnership relationships result in positive change. The Africa Timelines, the notes, the index and additional references are useful additions to round of this book as a good resource. [Friederike Knabe]
