
Dictatorland
The Men Who Stole Africa
Bloomsbury USA · Print & ebook · June 1, 2019
A Financial Times Book of the Year 'Jaw-dropping' Daily Express 'Grimly fascinating' Financial Times 'Humane, timely, accessible and well-researched' Irish Times The dictator who grew so rich on his country's cocoa crop that he built a 35-storey-high basilica in the jungles of the Ivory Coast.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- A clear, compact way into Africa’s postcolonial strongmen and the systems around them.
- Genres
- African Politics, African History, West African History
- Published
- Bloomsbury USA, June 1, 2019
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genre: African Politics.
In the Name of the PeopleLara Pawson48% match
Another Fine MessHelen C. Epstein54% match
I Didn't Do It for YouMichela Wrong65% match
King Leopold's GhostAdam Hochschild63% match
It's Our Turn to EatMichela Wrong51% match
The Fate of AfricaMartin Meredith58% matchAlso shares African History
The Panama PapersFrederik Obermaier, Bastian Obermayer52% match
Butler to the WorldOliver Bullough53% match
For younger readers: Strongman, The Bitter Side of Sweet, The Book of Kings
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
A Financial Times Book of the Year 'Jaw-dropping' Daily Express 'Grimly fascinating' Financial Times 'Humane, timely, accessible and well-researched' Irish Times The dictator who grew so rich on his country's cocoa crop that he built a 35-storey-high basilica in the jungles of the Ivory Coast. The austere, incorruptible leader who has shut Eritrea off from the world in a permanent state of war and conscripted every adult into the armed forces.
Continue reading
In Equatorial Guinea, the paranoid despot who thought Hitler was the saviour of Africa and waged a relentless campaign of terror against his own people. The Libyan army officer who authored a new work of political philosophy, The Green Book, and lived in a tent with a harem of female soldiers, running his country like a mafia family business. And behind these almost incredible stories of fantastic violence and excess lie the dark secrets of Western greed and complicity, the insatiable taste for chocolate, oil, diamonds and gold that has encouraged dictators to rule with an iron hand, siphoning off their share of the action into mansions in Paris and banks in Zurich and keeping their people in dire poverty.
Clear Entry
A clear, compact way into Africa’s postcolonial strongmen and the systems around them.
Come here for
- accessible political history
- cultural literacy with regional breadth
Expect
- easy-to-follow historical framing
- works as reference, read-through, or gift
Where it sits
| African Politics | 45% |
|---|---|
| African History | 18% |
| West African History | 18% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- African History
- 20th-Century History
- African Politics
- Authors
- Paul Kenyon
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury USA
- Published
- June 1, 2019
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- African History