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Brief Summary Somalia, the Horn of Africa nation, is finally recovering from recent wars and famine. Written by a native Somali, Culture and Customs of Somalia gives students and interested readers an in-depth look at the land and people, past and present. It is the only accessible, comprehensive, and up-to-date general reference on this country. Somalia was once colonized by Europeans, but Abdullahi's superb survey, with its historical context, evokes a Somaliland from a Somali viewpoint. This Muslim country has strong pastoral roots and is known as a land of poets with a long oral cultural tradition. Some highlights found herein include discussion of handcrafts and artisanry, distinctive architecture and nomad housing, camel culture, intriguing food and eating customs, rites of passage, leisure and economic pursuits, education, and the Somali musical genres. A chronology, glossary, and numerous photos enhance the text. ISBN:9780313313332 Author:Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi

Brief Summary Once marginalized in the world economy, the past decade has seen Africa emerge as a major global supplier of crucial raw materials like oil, uranium and coltan. With its share of world trade and investment now rising and the availability of natural resources falling, the continent finds itself at the centre of a battle to gain access to and control of its valuable natural assets. China's role in Africa has loomed particularly large in recent years, but there is now a new scramble taking place involving a wider range of established and emerging economic powers from the EU and US to Japan, Brazil and Russia. This book explores the nature of resource and market competition in Africa and the strategies adopted by the different actors involved - be they world powers or small companies. Focusing on key commodities, the book examines the dynamics of the new scramble and the impact of current investment and competition on people, the environment, and political and economic development on the continent. New theories, particularly the idea of Chinese "flexigemony" are developed to explain how resources and markets are accessed. While resource access is often the primary motive for increased engagement, the continent also offers a growing market for low-priced goods from Asia and Asian-owned companies. Individual chapters explore old and new economic power interests in Africa; oil, minerals, timber, biofuels, food and fisheries; and the nature and impacts of Asian investment in manufacturing and other sectors. The New Scramble for Africa will be essential reading for students of African studies, international relations, and resource politics as well as anyone interested in current affairs. ISBN:9780745647845 Author:Padraig Risteard Carmody

Brief Summary This is the first volume in a new series Africa: Policies for Prosperity. For the first time in more than a generation, sustained economic growth has been achieved across the continent - despite the downturn in global economic fortunes since 2008 - and in many countries these gains have been realized through policy reforms driven by the decisive leadership of a new generation of economic policymakers. The process of reform is continuous, however, and the challenge currently facing this new generation is how to harness these favourable gains in macroeconomic stability and turn them into a coherent strategy for sustainable growth and poverty reduction over the coming decades. These challenges are substantial and encompass the broad remit of economic policy. Each volume in this series brings leading scholars into the policy arena to examine these challenges and to lay out, in a rigorous but accessible manner, key challenges and policy options facing policymakers on the continent. Kenya has experienced a period of high and sustained growth since the mid 1990s, growth that has involved economic transformation away from a heavy reliance on traditional economic activities towards an emerging manufacturing economy. But this process, and the economic and social stability that had come to characterize Kenya, have been severely tested by the post-election violence of 2008. Restoring equitable growth and sustaining the structural transformation of the economy is essential if Kenya is to leave this period behind. The chapters in this volume address the key issues that will face economic policy makers in the coming years. They cover the conventional but central questions of finance and macroeconomic management, but also much deeper structural issues of trade, employment generation and education; of land policy, migration and urbanization; and the fiscal challenges facing an ageing but increasingly urbanized, and increasingly affluent, society. ISBN:9780199602377 Author:Christopher Adam Paul Collier and Njuguna Ndungu

Brief Summary Somaliland is "Africa is best kept secret," according to South African academic Iqbal Jhazbay. Somaliland has earned this description owing to its extraordinary achievements in the 12 years since its declaration of independence. Despite being unrecognized and almost entirely ostracized by the international community, Somaliland has, following a brutal war with Somalia is now defunct dictatorship, rebuilt much of its severely damaged infrastructure, repatriated half a million refugees and removed thousands of mines from the ground. In addition, Somaliland has maintained a comparatively decent human rights record and has made significant progress towards the establishment of a constitutional democracy. Rebuilding Somaliland: Issues and Possibilities is the fruit of an extensive research project initiated in 1998 by the former War-torn Societies Project (WSP), now WSP International, in partnership with a local institution, the Academy for Peace and Development. It aims to present a "self-portrait of Somaliland" and the challenges facing it at the turn of the century. This book also documents the animated, often controversial debates on the future direction that needs to be taken in such areas as: • Decentralization of government institutions • Media and political reconstruction • Regulating the livestock economy • Impact of the war on the family Functioning as more than records of research and debate, more than essays on post-war rebuilding, these contributions provide a unique insight into the future that the people of Somaliland want for themselves and for their children. As such, the essays are in many ways a blueprint for Somaliland as it seeks to regenerate itself into a peaceful, mature society that will earn the respect and recognition of the international community. ISBN:9781569022290 Author:War torn Societies Project