Portland Public Library

Developing the rivers of East and West Africa, an environmental history, Heather J. Hoag

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 259-275) and index

mapsillustrations

index present

non fiction

Developing the rivers of East and West Africa

bibliography

858493214

Heather J. Hoag

an environmental history

"How did rivers contribute to the economic and political development of modern Africa? How did African and European notions of nature's value and meaning differ? And has the approach to development of Africa's rivers changed between 1850 and the present day? Drawing upon examples from across Britain's African colonies, Developing the Rivers of East and West Africa explores the role African waterways played in the continent's economic, social, and political development ... The book offers the first comparative history of the key themes in African river history."--Page 4 of cover

Introduction : harnessing Africa's waters -- Part 1. From the river's edge. Unpredictable blessings : life along the Rufiji River, Tanzania -- Mapping a continent : British exploration of the Niger River -- Part 2. Colonizing Africa's rivers. Greening the fields : agricultural development during the colonial period -- Electrifying the empire : debates about power production in Africa -- Part 3. The changing value of rivers. The damming of Africa : converting African water to hydropower -- Thirsty cities : urbanization and the changing values of African rivers -- Epilogue : managing Africa's rivers in the twenty-first century