The State of Africa by Martin Meredith

If you are looking to read a comprehensive book about the recent history of Africa then I would suggest reading Martin Meredith's "The State of Africa". A Cameroonian friend of mine suggested this book and I have to say I've now have a more clear picture of Africa and the reasons behind its current state.
In almost 700 pages Meredith manages to give, in his easy to read style, a comprehensive picture of contemporary African politics going through almost fifty years of independence covering the entire continent. Starting with Ghana in the late 1950s and closing with Zimbabwe and South Africa, Meredith observes the historical similarities between most of the countries which passed from the euphoria and hope of independence to the cruelty and corruption of single party politics based mostly on tribal loyalty. Examples of governments lavish spending and corruption are plentiful. President Omar Bongo of Gabon ordered a new palace for himself with sliding walls and doors, rotating rooms and a private nightclub, costing well over $200 million. In 1984, while in the countryside of Ethiopia millions of people were starving to death, Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam was planning his spectacular celebration to mark the 10th anniversary of Ethiopia's revolution. In 2003 six of the seven wealthiest people in Angola where government officials and the combined wealth of just 60 people was $4 billion, almost half of the country's GDP.
So how did this continent become the most desperately poor and underdeveloped region in the area, despite receiving the most financial aid? Reading this book the pattern seems common for most countries. A new state emerges with an early promise of freedom and prosperity with a charismatic leader like Mugabe, of whom Ian Smith, the leader of white Rhodesia said "He behaved like a balanced, civilized westerner, the antithesis of the communist gangster I had expected". But soon corruption is everywhere, palaces are built, top jobs go to a select few fellow tribesmen, opposite political parties are violently banned and the economy collapses … all laying the ground for a coup that will bring another idealist military leader who would end up to be a clone of the tyrant he deposed.
Of course there are exceptions of African countries like Botswana and of leaders like Mandela, but Meredith leaves the reader to decide for himself which is the more critical in holding the continent back: Not enough debt relief, free trade and aid or just bad leadership.