My First Coup d'Etat And Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa

by Mahama, John Dramani

• ISBN13: 9781608198870
• ISBN10: 1608198871
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-05-14
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Summary

My First Coup D'Etatchronicles the coming-of-age of John Dramani Mahama in Ghana during the dismal post-independence "lost decades" of Africa. He was seven years old when rumors of a coup reached his boarding school in Accra. His father, a minister of state, was imprisoned for more than a year. My First Coup D'Etatoffers an intimate look at the country that has long been considered Africa's success story. This is a one-of-a-kind book: Mahama's is a rare literary voice from a political leader, and his personal stories work on many levels--as history, as cultural and political analysis, as fables, and, of course, as the memoir of a young man who, unbeknownst to him or anyone else, would grow up to be vice president of his nation. Though non-fiction, these are stories that rise above their specific settings and transport the reader into a world all their own, one which evokes a time lost and explores the universal human emotions of love, fear, faith, despair, loss, longing, and hope despite all else.

Author Biography

His Excellency John Dramani Mahama is a writer, historian, communications expert, former member of Parliament and Minister of State, and sitting President of the Republic of Ghana. He lives in Accra, Ghana.