LAST DAYS ON THE NILE

By this book missionary Forsberg seeks to bear witness that he and his Protestant brethren established a mission and did their part to aid and convert to Christianity the tribal people of the southern Sudan. A third of his text is given over to a retelling of Sudanese history, from early times until recent independence. Such characters as General Heston appear (played in real life by General Gordon), to witness their trials and tribulations for the good Sudanese nation. Next we are told how the missions were set up amid the rural tribes, against the wishes of the Moslem northerners under whose rule the southerners, from slave raiding times onward, were forced to live. With independence, government authorities flexed their muscles. Victims of this new nationalism were the missionaries. They were asked to leave, after decades of service to their charges. Forsberg tells this in a gentle, colloquial style which even those who do not share his vision will not find offensive. He seems a bit weary of Africa at the end of this narration, but in his humble way he would, we can be sure, not admit it. Limited audience.