THE FORGING OF AN AFRICAN NATION: The Political Evolution of Uganda from Colonial Rule to Independence, 1894-1962

by G.S.K. Ibingira ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1973

The author, a barrister who is now Uganda's U.N. ambassador, was an organizer of the Uganda People's Congress and a participant in the constitutional conferences with the British which preceded Ugandan independence in 1962. As Ibingira's dry, deadpan narrative describes it, British rule had been so benevolent that no grass-roots political formations existed, just some corrupt nationalist cliques and the subservient native elite, plus the usual religious-based groupings. The transitional ""era of internal self-government"" in the early '60's -- rendered in great but not very illuminating detail -- was marked by a clamor from tribal leaders for a decentralized federalism and the persistence of separatism in the richest region. The expulsion by current ruler General Amin of the Asian Ugandans is prefigured by Ibingira's repeated comments on their disproportionate wealth and power. The book ends in 1962 with a reiteration of the need for a strong central government. There is an afterword on Ibingira's imprisonment by first Ugandan President Obote, who is described as a horrid dictator, while Amin's military rule is upheld as necessary ""for a length of time"" before Uganda can ""glitter in the sunshine of freedom."" Worth a critical reading by African specialists.

Pub Date: March 1, 1973

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1973

Categories: NONFICTION