Shine Your Eye: In Search of West Africa (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781805264125)

West Africa is at a crossroads. Boasting tremendous natural wealth, its inhabitants are among the world's poorest. Despite apparent multi-party democracy, there have been coups, conflict and corruption since independence. Where can it go from here?

Journeying along the coast and across the Sahel, from Ghana to Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone to Senegal, Adéwálé Májà-Pearce uncovers a restless region on the verge of great change. Visiting fourteen countries--and seeking out the Nigerian diaspora in each--he reflects on these societies' dramatic shifts since the late 1980s, when he first travelled their roads. Refusing IMF loans and rejecting Western-imposed currencies, West Africa's diverse, expanding and overwhelmingly young population is staging a quiet revolution for its future, and discarding an aging elite still propped up by European power--from demonstrations against police brutality to the forced withdrawal of French troops.

Speaking with local journalists and dissident scholars, street hawkers and immigration officers, Májà-Pearce brings to life the compelling story of a region at breaking point--as told by West Africans themselves.

Author: Adéwálé Májà-Pearce
ISBN-10: 1805264125
ISBN-13: 9781805264125
Publisher: Hurst & Co.
Language: English
Published: 04/15/2026
Pages: 264
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.66lbs
Size: 8.51h x 5.51w x 0.88d