An African Miracle: State and Class Leadership and Colonial Legacy in Botswana Development

by Abdi Ismail Samatar

Afro-pessimism has dominated the Africanist literature in the social sciences during the last twenty years. Many works characterized as such deal with what has gone wrong in Africa. In sharp contrast, An African Miracle shows how an African state and its people used their resources to remain free from the dictates of racist South Africa, achieving a high rate of economic growth while maintaining a solid commitment to democracy. The book examines the relationship between the dominant class in Botswana, its leadership, and the state in understanding why Botswana succeeded where other African states with more resources and talent failed.

Genres: Politics, History

240 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 1999

Reviews

[Iva Sojková · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strongly biased point of view blindly glorifying Botswana's economic development while ignoring serious issues as HIV/AIDS, corruption and questionable democratic systems because of its electoral registration system and long lasting limitations of freedom of speach. However, I apperciated its analytical part with it's explained what led to country's miraculous economic performance with applying of developmental theories (e.g.Evans) pointing out their limits on Botswana's (deviant) case.