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Nigeria & West Africa
Audio CD
First published April 1, 1992
About the author
Wendy McElroy
69 books45 followersWendy McElroy is a Canadian individualist feminist and anarcho-capitalist.
Among feminists, she identifies herself as being sex-positive: defending the availability of pornography and condemning anti-pornography feminism campaigns. She has also voiced criticism of sexual harassment policies, particularly the zero-tolerance policies common to grade schools, which she considers to be "far too broad and vague" and lacking the sound research necessary to guide responsible policy-making decisions.
In explaining her position in regard to capitalism, she says she has a "marked personal preference for capitalism as the most productive, fair and sensible economic system on the face of the earth," but also recognizes that the free market permits other kinds of systems as well. She says what she wants for society is "not necessarily a capitalistic arrangement but a free market system in which everyone can make the peaceful choices they wish with their own bodies and labor." Therefore, she does not call herself a capitalist but someone for a "free market."
(This description is taken from Wikipedia.)
Among feminists, she identifies herself as being sex-positive: defending the availability of pornography and condemning anti-pornography feminism campaigns. She has also voiced criticism of sexual harassment policies, particularly the zero-tolerance policies common to grade schools, which she considers to be "far too broad and vague" and lacking the sound research necessary to guide responsible policy-making decisions.
In explaining her position in regard to capitalism, she says she has a "marked personal preference for capitalism as the most productive, fair and sensible economic system on the face of the earth," but also recognizes that the free market permits other kinds of systems as well. She says what she wants for society is "not necessarily a capitalistic arrangement but a free market system in which everyone can make the peaceful choices they wish with their own bodies and labor." Therefore, she does not call herself a capitalist but someone for a "free market."
(This description is taken from Wikipedia.)
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 17, 2019
Yikes.
This is shockingly racist and unbelievably inaccurate.
Also the author takes every opportunity to 'other' and 'exoticize' the people. European monarchies believe God gave them their Thrones and that they sit on them because of God. Just because Christian Mythology is normalized doesn't make it true or fact.
Oral history is not any less accurate than written history, which isn't at all accurate.
European history is primarily lies and propaganda. So the fact that white people wrote their made up and inaccurate history in books does not give it validity. 🤦🏽♀️ it's so much fucking cringe.
Starting with the idea that white people are native to Nigeria. That humanity basically had 2 races: Negroid and Caucasoid. The Caucasoids had light skin and left africa to settle the world. Those with dark skin settled into the middle of Africa into a lost and dark world.
This is fucking awful and the author needs to be smacked.
Hard.
This is shockingly racist and unbelievably inaccurate.
Also the author takes every opportunity to 'other' and 'exoticize' the people. European monarchies believe God gave them their Thrones and that they sit on them because of God. Just because Christian Mythology is normalized doesn't make it true or fact.
Oral history is not any less accurate than written history, which isn't at all accurate.
European history is primarily lies and propaganda. So the fact that white people wrote their made up and inaccurate history in books does not give it validity. 🤦🏽♀️ it's so much fucking cringe.
Starting with the idea that white people are native to Nigeria. That humanity basically had 2 races: Negroid and Caucasoid. The Caucasoids had light skin and left africa to settle the world. Those with dark skin settled into the middle of Africa into a lost and dark world.
This is fucking awful and the author needs to be smacked.
Hard.
February 20, 2022
Interesting book, with good historical and political account of Nigeria, from colonial times to independence. But the book is outdated, and references are not provided. I’m not sure about the author’s credentials.
April 27, 2016
Highly relevant information for anyone that, while geographically far from this area, has interest in knowing how things got to where they are in central Africa.
As in the case of other works of this series, this is a concise, short and to the point account which makes not pretension of covering every detail its subject matter. Still, it provided me with sufficient information to satisfy my moderate curiosity and interest in this region.
I would give it 3.5 stars (as opposed to 4) if only because it outdated. It covers up to 2006.
Great, short history book.
As in the case of other works of this series, this is a concise, short and to the point account which makes not pretension of covering every detail its subject matter. Still, it provided me with sufficient information to satisfy my moderate curiosity and interest in this region.
I would give it 3.5 stars (as opposed to 4) if only because it outdated. It covers up to 2006.
Great, short history book.
January 9, 2016
A short and sound little history of West Africa that does what it sets out to do. I'm afraid it struggles, as almost all other books about Africa, to get away from the habit of telling the history of Africa's relationship with the West. But it is better than most at just telling us about the actual subject.
Read
August 4, 2022A concise, historical, partisan, account of Nigeria up to the late 1970s, with necessary surrounding areas and world events included. I’m really unsure how much stock to put in to the reliability of it.
I initially took it for a decent survey overview. But toward the end she says, in what seems like slightly reluctant lip service to her research that, Historians point accusingly to the legacy of slavery and colonialism as the reason for any failure for it to reach its full potential. She follows this with something about Maybe someday they will overcome their intertribal conflicts and be able to thrive! Ok, she’s drawing her own unilateral conclusion that problems are their own fault.. On backtracking to check this again I googled some of her other statements. She states factually that Obasanjo held Festac to distract the world from problems in Nigeria. But on googling I cannot find this. There is a NYT article titled "African Festival Ends, a Decided Success". Not to say she is patently wrong, but she is staking a partisan position for sure. She says For years Nigeria hungrily assimilated western ways and then with equal hunger, demanded to be African. This contradicts stuff she said earlier, something about Northern Nigerians taking flight or Hijrah from the British? Also “Nigeria’s” John Payne Jackson may have been Liberian, though I guess he was in Nigeria…
I picked this up as I wanted a Cliffs Notes kind of short cut to get my bearings on the area. But it turned into a long cut and my confidence in what I got from it is shaky. Instead of googling the entirity of the book I will just find another source on the topic.
I initially took it for a decent survey overview. But toward the end she says, in what seems like slightly reluctant lip service to her research that, Historians point accusingly to the legacy of slavery and colonialism as the reason for any failure for it to reach its full potential. She follows this with something about Maybe someday they will overcome their intertribal conflicts and be able to thrive! Ok, she’s drawing her own unilateral conclusion that problems are their own fault.. On backtracking to check this again I googled some of her other statements. She states factually that Obasanjo held Festac to distract the world from problems in Nigeria. But on googling I cannot find this. There is a NYT article titled "African Festival Ends, a Decided Success". Not to say she is patently wrong, but she is staking a partisan position for sure. She says For years Nigeria hungrily assimilated western ways and then with equal hunger, demanded to be African. This contradicts stuff she said earlier, something about Northern Nigerians taking flight or Hijrah from the British? Also “Nigeria’s” John Payne Jackson may have been Liberian, though I guess he was in Nigeria…
I picked this up as I wanted a Cliffs Notes kind of short cut to get my bearings on the area. But it turned into a long cut and my confidence in what I got from it is shaky. Instead of googling the entirity of the book I will just find another source on the topic.
July 28, 2022
Shockingly racist and outdated. The amount of references to "caucasoid" and "negroid" peoples, "darkest Africa" and "black magics", all said with absolute sincerity, made me think 'oh, this must be a reading of a book written in the 30s or 40s, right?'. Nope, 2006. How did this shit get published?
December 16, 2020
Good, quick overview of Nigerian history.
February 22, 2021
Very interesting summary of the history of the region
September 27, 2021
Well introduced and easy to follow. Very insightful and good for those looking to know the history of Nigeria.
I would recommend this one for sure.
I would recommend this one for sure.
May 4, 2022
Good book, tells a lot about the slave trade.
March 23, 2023
After reading Yoruba this is so short, I almost forgot about it.
Mainly 19th and 20th century information are of interest.
How divided is this country? It’s a wonder it’s one country at all.
North , South and East are all so different.
Insecurity troubles these people most. It has become such a fighting culture.
Survival is what drives them. I see little tolerance and I am sad to say that I have little confidence for peace, cooperation or unity.
Mainly 19th and 20th century information are of interest.
How divided is this country? It’s a wonder it’s one country at all.
North , South and East are all so different.
Insecurity troubles these people most. It has become such a fighting culture.
Survival is what drives them. I see little tolerance and I am sad to say that I have little confidence for peace, cooperation or unity.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews