Political Economy of Colonial Relations and Crisis of Contemporary African Diplomacy

Book excerpt: "The book interrogates the nature of colonial economy and its influence on labour, trade and cooperation in pre-independence Africa. It clearly documents the multiplier effects of colonialism in relations to the new waves of challenges undermining contemporary African diplomacy." -Dr. Onyinye Anne Nwankwo, Director, Iruka: Centre for the Study of the Future of the Igbo, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Nigeria "The book traces the diplomatic problems of poverty, migration, xenophobia, border crisis and Chinese imperialism in Africa, to the nature of colonialism that produced the sovereign and independent African states." -Dr. Ufuoma Patience Ejoke, Department of Psychology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa The book presents a historical account of the colonial foundation of African economy and diplomacy. It reveals how the colonial companies and their agents penetrated different parts of Africa and entrenched Western colonialism and imperialism. Ironically, the arrival of these colonial companies became a driver of colonial labour migration as the educated and few privileged African people have to move towards the location of the colonial companies in order to eke-out improved standard of living. It presents the dynamics of import and export trade as promoted by the colonial companies. Consequently, the second part of the book raised the nature of relations amongst some independent African states. First, it reveals the deep-rooted challenge of poverty, migration problem, xenophobia in South Africa and resource conflicts within sovereign border areas of Nigeria and Cameroon as well as the Ethiopian dam crisis with Egypt, as some negative effects of colonialism on some African states. Secondly, it advocated for the advancement of African sports diplomacy, balancing of Chinese African trade diplomacy and improved labour migration within Africa as some paths to sustainable diplomacy in continent. Dr. Kelechi Johnmary Ani is a lecturer in the Department of History and Strategic Studies, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Nigeria and Visiting Scholar, Masters in International Relations, University of The Gambia. He is also an Extraordinary Professor in Afrocentric Governance of Public Affairs, North West University, South Africa. .