Synopsis

This animated and entertaining account of the varied and often colourful aspects of district administration in rural Tanganyika (Tanzania) during the last years of Britain’s trusteeship will dispel many misconceptions about colonial life. The reader is presented with a kaleidoscope of events and images, and will be drawn into the author’s enthusiasms and concerns, all against a background of rapid political change. There are descriptions of foot safaris, poaching, murder, anti-famine measures, smuggling, witchcraft, a school riot, a locust invasion, and the threat of civil unrest; also of domestic matters, friendships made, and the sadness of leaving. Although the style is understated, the reader will be aware of the writer’s affection for Africa and for the people amongst whom he lived and worked.

This book will appeal to the serious and casual student of African affairs and history, and to anyone who takes pleasure in reading of unfamiliar events in distant places.

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