After the Party: Corruption, the ANC and South Africa's Uncertain Future
Paperback, 308 pages
ISBN: 9781844676279
May 2010
$19.95 / £8.99
Other Editions
ISBN: 9781844673568
April 2009
$26.95 / £14.99
Reviews
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“The most important book about South Africa since the demise of apartheid in the early 1990s...an account which makes John Grisham plots look wimpish.”
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“For those contemplating a first journey into the murky world of South African politics, there can be few better guides than Andrew Feinstein. This book by the lawyerly figure who would come to be known as the ANC's 'Mr Clean' ... charts a giddy ascent from political newcomer to euphoric MP and on to disillusioned critic and exile.”
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“With wrenching anger and painstaking care, Feinstein's new book describes how graft has infected [South Africa's] new establishment.”
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“Essential reading.”
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“A searing close-up portrait of the corrupting force of power.”
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“This important and brave book illustrates the extent to which South Africa's multibillion-dollar arms deal has undermined the rule of law, accountability and constitutionality in the country. It provides compelling evidence the corruption linked to the deal and the mishandling of the AIDS pandemic marked the point at which our young democracy lost its moral compass. It also speaks to the virtues of transparent, accountable politics of principle that is needed in South Africa and so much of the world.”
Blog
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"We are black..."—Verso books for Black History Month
We are black, it is true, but tell us, gentlemen, you who are so judicious, what is the law that says that the black man must belong to and be the property of the white man? ... Yes, gentleman, we are free like you, and it is only by your avarice and our ignorance that anyone is still held in slavery up to this day, and we can neither see nor find the right that you pretend to have over us ... We are your equals then, by natural right, and if nature pleases itself to diversify colours within the human race, it is not a crime to be born black nor an advantage to be white.
This excerpt is from a letter written in July 1792 by the leaders of the revolution of Haitian slaves. The letter has been republished in the collection of writings of the black leader Toussaint L'Overture, The Haitian Revolution, which includes also the correspondence between him and Napoleon Bonaparte. In the late eighteenth century, Toussaint L'Overture and his supporters established the first black republic in the world.
In the United Kingdom, October is Black History Month. The celebration was originally introduced in 1926 on the initiative of Carter G. Woodson, the editor of the Journal of Negro History. In 2007, no fewer than 6,000 events were held in the UK as part of its programme. Here are some key Verso titles past and present that are relevant to the study and celebration of African and Caribbean history.