Product Description

Proud, ruthless and erratic, Robert Mugabe is a unique figure. Almost alone among today's African presidents, Mugabe led the struggle against colonial rule and has dominated his country since independence. David Blair was forced to leave Zimbabwe in June 2001 as Mugabe sought to silence the media. Before then, he witnessed every twist and turn of the country's drama. This is the story from the hopeful era of new independence to the present reality of farm invasions, food riots, fuel queues and a terror campaign waged by Mugabe's supporters. From white farmers who live as if the colonial era had never ended, to a paranoid government and its often inept opposition, Blair exposes the wilfulness and folly that lie behind the crises in Zimbabwe. In this new paperback edition Blair examines the events leading up to and during the 2002 elections. The months filled with violence, media clampdowns and political manoeuvrings brought almost inevitable results. Now with Mugabe back in office, internationally isolated and on the brink of famine, what does the future hold for Zimbabwe?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1770620 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Review
"A dramatic eyewitness account of the recent land invasions.... timely...riveting on the last three years of mayhem...a superb chronicle of a campaign during which laws of land ownership were torn up and distinguished judges openly defied."

New Statesman, March 11, 2002
"Blair’s book is the vibrant storytelling of a newspaper journalist who finds himself in the middle of an astonishing story."

Scotland on Sunday, March 17, 2002
"Read Degrees in Violence for its often fascinating reportage of events during a crucial two year period."