Mozambique’s Samora Machel
A Life Cut Short
Allen F Isaacman author Barbara S Isaacman author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Ohio University Press
Published:8th Sep '20
Should be back in stock very soon
From his anti-colonial military leadership to the presidency of independent Mozambique, Samora Machel held a reputation as a revolutionary hero to the oppressed. Although killed in a 1987 plane crash, for many Mozambicans his memory lives on as a beacon of hope for the future.
The precipitous rise and controversial fall of a formidable African leader.
Samora Machel (1933–1986), the son of small-town farmers, led his people through a war against their Portuguese colonists and became the first president of the People’s Republic of Mozambique.
Machel’s military successes against a colonial regime backed by South Africa, Rhodesia, the United States, and its NATO allies enhanced his reputation as a revolutionary hero to the oppressed people of Southern Africa. In 1986, during the country’s civil war, Machel died in a plane crash under circumstances that remain uncertain.
Allen and Barbara Isaacman lived through many of these changes in Mozambique and bring personal recollections together with archival research and interviews with others who knew Machel or participated in events of the revolutionary or post-revolutionary years.
“Allen the idealist and Barbara the sceptic joined forces to provide us with a portrait of a great African leader that is rich, loving, and incisive.”
“An all-encompassing book that covers the major events in Mozambique’s modern history … recommended to all scholars of Mozambique.” * American Historical Review *
“Essential reading for anyone trying to understand the impact of Samora Machel on Mozambique and the African continent.”
“Acutely attuned to the politics of memory, the authors scrutinize a diverse—often conflicting—array of public and private archival sources, memoirs, scholarly literature, and oral sources to assess the life of this remarkable, complex African leader.”
“Lively, accessible, and ideal for undergraduate teaching and the wider reading public."
“A comprehensive, up-to-date, expanded perspective on Samora Machel’s political thought, his contributions to international socialism, and his leadership. The authors knew Machel, and their exceptional access enriches the text with accounts of his personal life and controversial death.”
“The authors have achieved a compelling narrative of how Samora shaped post-colonial events in Mozambique and how the leader’s personality and life trajectory were transformed by these same events. Students and all those readers interested in learning more about Mozambique’s recent history will find this book a great introductory read.” * Connections: A Journal for Historians and Area Specialists *
ISBN: 9780821424230
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
258 pages