Workers and Politicians in West Africa: 1945-1960: A Case Study of Burkina Faso: 1945-2015 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781546497394)

George R. Martens brings a unique perspective to his subject. Following studies in international relations, he served as a US Foreign Service Officer, first in France and then from 1965-67, in Burkina Faso. His PhD research compared political interest groups in Burkina Faso and Niger and he has written extensively on African trade unions since the 1970s. He worked for twenty years as an educator and publications director for the African American Labor Center, creating institutes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Togo and Senegal. In 1989 he joined the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) in Brussels as Education Director and soon became Head of Trade Union and Human Rights. He retired from the ICFTU in 2000 and continues to research and write on politics in West Africa. He currently divides his time between New London, New Hamphire, Boston and Paris.