PILLAGE AND PLUNDER:

AN ANTHOLOGY OF AFRICAN DICTATORS

A PROJECT DEVELOPED FOR THE THIRD YEAR UNDERGRADUATE TOPIC 'AFRICA ON A GLOBAL STAGE', OFFERED AT FLINDERS UNIVERSITY, ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, SEMESTER 1, 2003.

By Marc Roberts

Have Africans been responsible for their own plight?

Outside influences, such as colonisation, Cold War rivalries and globalisation are so often blamed for the parlous state of African nations, yet perhaps the problem lies much closer to home. The information provided on this web site suggests that indigenous Africans have presided over half a century of 'pillage and plunder' of their own people. This web site is aimed at provoking debate about the causes of tyranny in Africa and in general. Is it fair to blame the aforementioned external influences of colonisation and globalisation? Or are there other perspectives that help explain this behaviour? For example, it could be argued that human nature is the cause, and that anyone finding themselves in the position of the dictators profiled on this web site could potentially behave in the same way. A Darwinian analysis might suggest that there is something inherent in the genetic make up of African people that predisposes them to act in such a way. Alternatively, a gender analysis might suggest that men are predisposed to aggression, and that any man in the position of the African dictators could potentially behave in the same way. Despite this, until now there has been no comprehensive online 'one stop shop' which provides information on all of those individuals who have been branded with such titles as 'despot', 'dictator', or 'tyrant'. Now you can judge for yourself whether these monikers are deserved or not.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANTHOLOGY OF AFRICAN DICTATORS.

All the information on this web page has been retrieved from the sources cited in the ‘FURTHER READING’ sections and from the sources cited on the LINKS PAGE.