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Gem On Our Shelves: Africa’s Peacemakers

This is a great giftbook for any lover of Africa or anyone interested in the continent’s rich history and the people who have shaped that history.

Africa’s Peacemakers, David Krut Bookstore, R450

Ibrahim Gambari, former UN special Representative to Angola and Darfur, and former UN Special Envoy to Myanmar described this books as: …a superbly documented and elegantly written book full of rich nuggets as well as profound insights into the lives, motivations, accomplishments, and disappointments of African Nobel Peace Laureates and those of African descent. The book demonstrates that Africa was not just a passive beneficiary of , but active contributor to, global peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.

In 2013 the African Union (AU) commemorated fifty years since the inception of its predecessor the Organisation of African Unity, which sought to bring about pan-African unity or Pax Africana as it was termed by Ali Mazrui in the 1960s, describing Africa’s search for ‘an African-owned peace.’ This volume is the first time that this important topic has been addressed so comprehensively, affirming Africa’s determination to define who she is for herself and on her own terms.

This excellent book is a perfect example of how African stories can be told by Africans about Africans in ways that empower Africa. The book tells stories that are insightful, important and surprisingly candid. The stories of Nobel peace laureates of African descent from both the continent and the diaspora are told with pragmatism, candour and a refreshing take on failure and challenge that shows how well-known figures such as Barack Obama, Albert Luthuli, Wangari Maathai and of course Nelson Mandela – to mention a few of the thirteen African peace laureates – have changed the world for better or for worse.

This remarkable collection of essays is available at The Blue House, the home of the David Krut Bookstore.