An Introduction to Pre-Colonial History of the Mende of Sierra Leone (African Studies

by Arthur Abraham

Abraham (history, Virginia State U.) taught African studies and social sciences in Sierra Leone, and is a specialist on the Mende, a Mande- speaking people who inhabit most of the southern half of the modern Sierra Leone and a bit of northwestern Liberia. Among his conclusions are that the Mende arrived in the region only in the middle 16th century, that Mende was originally a lingua franca in the 17th century and spread very quickly, and that the wars European call savage tribal were in fact rational activities related to state-formation or expansion and proceeded by well-ordered rules. The text is double spaced. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

221 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003