African Muckraking

75 Years of Investigative Journalism from Africa

African Muckraking is the first collection of investigative and campaigning journalism written by Africans about Africa. The editors delved into the history of modern Africa to find the most important and compelling pieces of journalism on the stories that matter.This collection of 41 pieces of African journalism includes passionate and committed writing on labour abuses, police brutality, women's rights, the struggle for democracy and independence on the continent and other subjects. Each piece of writing is introduced by a noted scholar or journalist who explains the context and why the journalism mattered.Some of the highlights include: Feminist writing from Tunisia into the 1930s, exposés of the secret tactics planned by the South African government during apartheid, Richard Mgamba's searing description of the albino brothers in Tanzania who fear for their lives, and the reporting by Liberian journalist Mae Azango on genital cutting, which forced her to go into hiding. This edited collection includes the gems of African journalism and writing: stories on corruption and brutality by Mozambican journalist Carlos Cardoso and Angolan writer Rafael Marques, a loving profile of the legendary cameraman Mo Amin by his son and a piece written by Drum's investigative reporter Henry Nxumalo who went undercover in South Africa to write about labour conditions on the notorious potato farms of Bethal. Nigerian novelist Okey Ndibe describes Chinua Achebe's passionate writing on the war with Biafra and Kenyan novelist Peter Kimani describes the Hola massacre while Ken Saro-Wiwa warns of the coming war in the Niger Delta. Many African Muckrakers risked their lives telling their stories and have been imprisoned and even killed for their work. African Muckraking is a must-read for anyone who cares about journalism and Africa.