Africa is forever on our TV screens, but the bad-news stories (famine, genocide, corruption) massively outweigh the good (South Africa). Ever since the process of decolonialisation began in the mid-1950s, and arguably before, the continent has appeared to be stuck in a process of irreversible decline. Constant war, improper use of natural resources and misappropriation of revenues and aid monies contribute to an impression of a continent beyond hope. How did we get here? What, if anything, is to be done? Weaving together the key stories and characters of the last fifty years into a stunningly compelling and coherent narrative, Martin Meredith has produced the definitive history of how European ideas of how to organise 10,000 different ethnic groups has led to what Tony Blair described as the 'scar on the conscience of the world'. Authoritative, provocative and consistently fascinating, this is a major book on one of the most important issues facing the West today.

英国记者、作家和历史学家。自21岁首次访问非洲起，曾作为记者常驻非洲达15年之久，长期从事非洲事务的新闻报道与研究工作，对非洲、特别是非洲近现代历史有很深的造诣。曾出版关于非洲政治、历史、环境、传记题材的著作共十余部。

现居住在英国牛津。