• From Dar es Salaam to Bongoland: Urban Mutations in Tanzania

    The name Dar es Salaam comes from the Arabic phrase meaning house of peace. A popular but erroneous translation is ‘haven of peace’ resulting from a mix-up of the Arabic words “dar” (house) and “bandar” (harbour). Named in 1867 by the Sultan of Zanzibar, the town has for a long time benefitted from a reputation of being a place of tranquility. The tropical drowsiness is a comfort to the socialist poverty and under-equipment that causes an unending anxiety to reign over the town. Today, for the Tanzanian, the town has become Bongoland, that is, a place where survival is a matter of cunning and intelligence (bongo means ‘brain’ in Kiswahili). Far from being an anecdote, this slide into toponomy records the mutations that affect the links that Tanzanians maintain with their principal city and the manner in which it represents them.

    This book takes into account the changes by departing from the hypothesis that they reveal a process of territorialisation. What are the processes – envisaged as spatial investments – which, by producing exclusivity, demarcations and exclusions, fragment the urban space and its social fabric? Do the practices and discussions of the urban dwellers construct limited spaces, appropriated, identified and managed by communities (in other words, territories)? Dar es Salaam is often described as a diversified, relatively homogenous and integrating place. However, is it not more appropriate to describe it as fragmented?

    As territorialisation can only occur through frequenting, management and localised investment, it is therefore through certain places – first shelter and residential area, then the school, daladala station, the fire hydrant and the quays – that the town is observed. This led to broach the question in the geographical sense of urban policy carried out since German colonisation to date. At the same time, the analysis of these developments allows for an evaluation of the role of the urban crisis and the responses it brings.

    In sum, the aim of this approach is to measure the impact of the uniqueness of the place on the current changes. On one hand, this is linked to its long-term insertion in the Swahili civilisation, and on the other, to its colonisation by Germany and later Britain and finally, to the singularity of the post-colonial path. This latter is marked by an alternation of Ujamaa with Structural Adjustment Plans applied since 1987. How does this remarkable political culture take part in the emerging city today?

    This book is a translation of De Dar es Salaam à Bongoland: Mutations urbaines en Tanzanie, published by Karthala, Paris in 2006.

  • St. Augustine’s College: Conquering With Perseverance – Our Past, Our Present And Our Future

    The 724-page book is the first-ever reference book by any college in Ghana. It serves as both a history book on everything one needs to know about the St. Augustine’s College and serves as both an encyclopaedia as well as almanac that compiles in detail, every single one of the over 400 parishes, out-stations and individuals that contributed towards the establishment of the College. It also traces the history of the Gold Coast Catholic as the root of Catholic Education, contribution of the Catholic Church to Ghana’s Education Sector, the establishment of St. Augustine’s College initially as a Teacher Training College in Amisano and subsequent construction and transfer of the College to Cape Coast with a Secondary Department. In all the narration, the authors bring out the undercurrents that led to the clamour of the Gold Coast Catholic faithful to have their own Secondary School and the frustrations that the Catholic Church hierarchy had to endure to have the College established.

    The book gives a background to the naming of the College after the foremost Christian Theologian of African descent and how that dove-tailed into the philosophy, unique identity and character of the College’s products. Detailed highlights are given on major roles played by the Society of African Missions and the Congregation of Holy Cross in the holistic development of the College’s students. The College’s scholarship, excellence in sports and role as a citadel of the arts are well explained in the book with an impressive roll-call of outstanding alumni across various sectors as an emphasis to the role of the College within the context of national development. The very essence of campus life, management and curriculum is brought to the fore through reminiscence by APSUnians across its nine decades of existence. The various narrations are interlaced with interviews, discussions with College Management, academic staff and alumni dating as far back as the 1950s.

    The book also does a comprehensive listing of every college alumnus from 1933 when the very first graduates left college till 2017 by their programmes offered and provides 65 coloured pages of very historic privileged pictures some dating as far back as 1930s. The role of the past students’ union (APSU) as one of the most critical stakeholders in the development of the College is clearly established all through the book which closes with prospects on the establishment of an endowment fund to secure the gains made over the decades.

    Whether an APSUnian, Augusco parent, Catholic faithful, a historian or researcher, one will require a copy of this historic document to fully appreciate the work of the missionaries in the development of education in Ghana, role of the Catholic Church in the establishment of schools in Ghana among others.

    The book is printed on quality paper and stitched hard-bound with dust jacket.

  • Unwrapped: The Story of a Shepherd Boy

    Unwrapped is a deep and sincere account of how one can not only live well but also carve out a very impressive career that contributes to a better world. Abraham Mnzava’s account of his life demonstrates how one can contribute to improving health and eventually alleviating poverty by hard work. Moreover, Unwrapped reminds us that the basis for success relies not only on skills and determination but on partnerships that bridge systems and cultures, though this should be coupled with a deep respect for ones’ roots.

    “If we do not know where we come from, we will not know where we are going to.”

    However, if we are too attached to the past, we cannot be open to the future. The insight into the life of Abraham Mnzava provided by Unwrapped offers hope for the future for many of us across the globe.

  • How to Raise Capital for your Start-up Business

    The most important skill for every aspiring entrepreneur to develop is to be able to raise capital for your start-up business.

    The book serves as a complementary knowledge in building this very important skill which will ultimately help to grow start-ups to big companies that will contribute to economic development.

    This book also serves as a motivational book for this generation of both the young and old to continue to believe in their dreams of building start-up businesses, and apply this handy knowledge to raise capital.

    The seven chapters book is built around the word CAPITAL for readers to easily recall the contents and apply them in the process of raising capital for start-ups.

  • Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir

    In three critically acclaimed novels, Akwaeke Emezi has introduced readers to a landscape marked by familial tensions, Igbo belief systems, and a boundless search for what it means to be free. Now, in this extraordinary memoir, the bestselling author of The Death of Vivek Oji reveals the harrowing yet resolute truths of their own life. Through candid, intimate correspondence with friends, lovers, and family, Emezi traces the unfolding of a self and the unforgettable journey of a creative spirit stepping into power in the human world. Their story weaves through transformative decisions about their gender and body, their precipitous path to success as a writer, and the turmoil of relationships on an emotional, romantic, and spiritual plane, culminating in a book that is as tender as it is brutal.

    Electrifying and inspiring, animated by the same voracious intelligence that distinguishes their fiction, Dear Senthuran is a revelatory account of storytelling, self, and survival.

  • When Strong Women Cry

    “There is nothing more painful for a strong woman than when she is told to be strong or applauded for being strong, when in actual fact, she is broken and dying silently inside, hoping and wishing she could let it all out. It really hurts, especially, when she has been projecting herself, personally, as a strong woman”. Oheneyere Gifty Anti.

  • My Footprints in Ghana’s Black Gold

    This memoir — part historical and part autobiographical — traces the author’s involvement with the final phase of petroleum exploration in Ghana, a journey that took over a century, beginning with the first onshore well in 1896. It has been a most interesting journey, with many twists and turns.

    In the early days of the existence of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, there were various myths and half-truths about the presence or absence of commercial quantities of oil and gas in the basins of the Ghana.

    • Nigeria was draining Ghana’s oil and that all that was required was for Ghana to buy powerful machines and begin to pump and drain her own
    • Ghana would never find oil until the gods of Nzemaland and the Volta Region had been pacified
    • The GNPC Model Production Sharing Agreement was too stringent on contractors

    A major seismic interpretation of the Cape Three Points sub-basin of the Western Region, in 1992, would turn out to be the watershed of this new brave phase of exploration in Ghana.

    The book was finally launched in Ghana in April 2022.

    Hopefully, going to the heart of the matter should help future generations of ordinary Ghanaians, politicians and explorationists understand what it took to make Ghana a petroleum producing country, just in case the country was afflicted by the “Dutch disease.”

  • Africa: A Continent on Bended Knees

    Not content with debating his peers on diverse platforms to articulate his critical concerns on the Pan-African agenda, outspoken Son of the Soil, Femi Akomolafe has produced this development reference book.

    Africa: A Continent on Bended Knees weaves together a collection of thought-provoking articles, which must entice anyone blessed with a black skin and a conscious soul.

    How can Africa unleash its power to a world that is in need of the continent’s energies and authenticities? Focusing on Ghana, where the author is based, if he is not in the Netherlands, the publication explores the socio-economic development of Africa. Presenting detailed scrutiny on the most imperative issues, the observations, analysis and reflections advocate for one thing – change. Be it history, culture, education, entrepreneurship or good old politics, the issues are clinically diagnosed, and the prescriptions laced with the tonics of thinkers such as Sartre, Foucault, Diop and Nkrumah.

    The beauty of this volume is that the writer does not pretend to brandish the silver bullet to change the fortunes of nations. He only lifts up a compass to show that the Destination is possible.

  • Ahwene Pa Nkasa: Standing with JDM

    Standing with JDM is quite clear in this title that it does not intend to undermine the former president’s image but to burnish it. What is not clear is whether it was written to coincide with the 2020 Election Year.
    It is in two parts, “The Homeland Briefs” and the “Diplomatic Briefs”. Independent of each other, they are held together by what the author calls the “Mahamarabilia” thread – a word he invented to describe his privileged proximity to the 4th president of the 4th Republic of Ghana.
    Part One has 42 chapters that highlight events like Dumsor, Gitmo 2, Montie 3, Cheating at Elections, Lying and Blaming it on Mahama, Destroying friends and Family and much, much more…It also has intellectual discourses on Traditional Governance and the Ballot Box, Kigali (dangers that could be awaiting Ghana in this Election Year), Ebola and Covid-19 and the history of Ghana’s “coodetas” in new lights that would surprise and reveal…
    Part Two, with 25 chapters, is devoted entirely to the author’s diplomatic service and reads sometimes like a coursebook on practical diplomacy and other times like a travelogue with intriguing insights. We come across his encounter with a sex change person (man to woman) and how his life was nearly cut short when his official car and ostrich crashed into each other on the highway from Windhoek to Gaborone. Part Two is so suffused with humour that it is difficult to tell whether he is pulling the reader’s leg or stating facts.
    Most of the chapters are illustrated with unique pictures that could stand on their own as stories. It is a beautifully designed book, well laid out reader-friendly. For the first time, a modern version of adinkra, called adinshia, has had a public airing in the book…
    Whatever your political persuasion is, your intellect will make you love this beautiful book on Mahama.

  • The Right Stuff Comes In Black Too (Hardcover)

    The right stuff is a designation that was used originally to describe the early astronauts who pioneered space travel for the United States of America. They exhibited an extraordinary ability to perform in the challenging circumstances one finds in outer space.

    This term can be used to describe Blacks of Extraordinary achievements in Movies, Sports, Business and many fields including Technology. This is how we describe the achievements of Dr. Thomas Mensah, who has succeeded against incredible odds. Ebony Magazine calls him a genius in the October 2006 publication.

    He is the author of four books on Engineering Innovation and was awarded 7 US Patents in Fiber Optics in the short time frame of six years. He is also a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors USA.

    CBS Television News in America on February 25, 2017 Black History Month Program dedicated a special feature interview on him, titled Celebrating the Engineer Who Revolutionized the Internet. This segment was televised worldwide.

    His Innovations have impacted many fields of Engineering, including the Military and Defense, the Environment, Theme Parks, Nanotechnology and the Internet Platform. From Fiber Optics Development to cutting-edge research in Nanotechnology, Dr. Mensah is a Modern day thought leader, a Technology Innovator and one of the most brilliant minds of the 21st Century. He truly embodies the description of the Right Stuff Comes in Black Too.

  • Leaders Don’t Have to Yell: National Team Coach on Leading High-Performing Teams

    Ghana’s Coach James Kwasi Appiah highlights experiences from his international playing and coaching career, and showcases his thoughts on Ghana football’s past, present and future. Appiah also discusses major events during his time as a player, his journey to becoming an international coach, qualifying the national team to the World Cup, his teams preparations and participation in the 2019 African Cup of Nations, Ghana’s Best XI, and leaving a legacy.

    The book is divided into four parts:

    Part 1 – From Boy to Man, about his childhood through to his days with Kumasi Asante Kotoko;

    Part 2 – A Leader of Men and Teams, about becoming a coach and eventually the coach of the Black Stars;

    Part 3 – Champions Always Play to Win, about key events in his playing and coaching career; and

    Part 4 – Leaving a Legacy, about money, Ghana’s Best XI, and the future of Ghana football.

    Appiah gives his account of Senegal ’92, which includes an eye-witness account of the Black Stars’ painful loss of an AFCON final after the marathon penalty shootout, as well as about the captaincy controversy at that tournament that involved Kwasi Appiah, Abedi Pele, Tony Baffoe and Tony Yeboah. He also shares about the Brazil 2014 World Cup events, AFCON 2019 (which has three chapters dedicated to it), about making money and investing wisely, and his list of Ghana’s all-time best players.

  • A Silent Heritage: An Autobiography of Letitia E. Obeng

    A Silent Heritage: An Autobiography of Letitia E. Obeng

    Dr. Letitia Obeng has produced a fascinating and monumental piece of work; a tribute to scientific scholarship and the strength and ingenuity of Ghanaian womanhood.This is an autobiography of the first female science PhD in Ghana, It is an account of her unusual life experiences that must aspire the youth of today. This book is so engaging you will not be able to put this book down,

    120.00
  • Dark Days in Ghana

    Kwame Nkrumah, foremost exponent of African unity and socialism, never saw Ghana in isolation from the rest of Africa or from the world revolutionary struggle.

    In Dark Days in Ghana, he exposed the true nature of the military-police dictatorship that was established after the overthrow of Ghana’s Constitutional Government on 24th February 1966, setting the event in the context of the wider continental and world situation.

    Dark Days in Ghana demolishes the “big lie” that Ghana had needed to be rescued from “economic chaos”. Nkrumah recounts the systematic sell-out of Ghana’s assets to neo-colonialist interests by the military-police junta, and the subsequent reduction of Ghana from democratic statehood to the humiliating position of neo-colony.

    Since this book was first published, Ghana has had several governments − military and civilian. None have succeeded in restoring Ghana to the position it occupied in Africa and the world during Nkrumah’s stewardship.

    This and other works of Nkrumah demonstrate the accuracy of Nkrumah’s political and philosophical vision, and the clarity of his understanding of the problems and possibilities for all those resisting oppression and exploitation throughout the world, and for the continuing development of continental African unity.

  • Between the Generations: An Anthology for Ama Ata Aidoo at 80

    Ama Ata Aidoo, multiple award-winning Ghanaian novelist, poet, playwright and author of the critically acclaimed play, Dilemma of a Ghost, turned 80 in March, 2020. And as part of efforts to celebrate her – the first female African playwright – Between Generations: An Anthology for Ama Ata Aidoo at 80 was released.
    Described by Editor Ivor Agyeman-Duah, as ‘international affairs through fiction’, the 230-page collection tackles wealth and inequality, immigration, sisterhood, love lost and regained and other contemporary issues in Africa and the world.
    Opening with Aleppo by Ama Ata Aidoo, the anthology includes stories by eleven other contemporary African writers: Nigerian novelists, Sefi Atta, Ogochukwu Promise; South African novelist, Njabulo S. Ndebele; Senegalese novelist Boubacar Boris Diop, Ghanaian novelists, Ayesha Haruna Attah, Bisi Adjapon, writers Martin Egblewogbe, and Gheysika Adombire Agambila; Rwandan writer, Louise Umutoni and Cameroonian writer Ray Ndebi.

  • Being the Change

    Being the Change is a masterpiece for all Change Makers and those who desire to change the status-quo, by moving to the next level in their life, career or other pursuits. It contains practical lessons on how by our resilience, we can change our communities, nations, our worlds, and even ourselves; by becoming the change we desire. It reiterates that “The change we always desire must always come from us”.

    The author shares valuable collections of his work as a Member of Parliament; from connecting over 4500 youths to various job models on the MADINA Job Center, impacting Muslim communities through the Islam Project, Service Above Self Best Teacher Awards and other Educational Interventions, Heath Outreaches and many more. In less than two years, the Author introduced 5 New Private Members Bills personally and with other colleagues. The Book also shares a number of incredible articles written by or about the author, spanning governance, judiciary, rule of law, economy, security among others. This book in short, is a compendium of the life, work, practices, inspirations and the experience of a Change Maker. You will find inspiration to become the Change you desire after reading this book.

    Being the Change

    110.00

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