{"title":"Books by Max Siollun","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780745350080","title":"The Forgotten Era – Nigeria Before British Rule","description":"'Incredibly necessary, magnificently done, Siollun charts the characters and events that shaped the lives of those who inhabited Nigeria's territories centuries before colonisation’ - Remi Adekoya, author of It's Not About Whiteness, It's About Wealth'Without a doubt, Max Siollun is the best Nigeria-focused historian of our times’ - Matthew T. Page, former U.S. State Department Nigeria expert'Max Siollun accomplishes what few dare to attempt - a revival of a time when the region now known as Nigeria was alive with vibrant kingdoms, city-states, and complex social dynamics long before European colonisers imposed their narratives’ - Gimba Kakanda, writer and researcher‘There is no more eloquent and informed guide than Max Siollun' - Sathnam Sanghera, author of EmpirelandMuch is known about what Europeans did in Africa, yet very little is known about Africa's history before its colonisation. In this surprising exploration, Max Siollun uncovers societies that were not part of a backwards 'Dark Continent', but which instead had rich lore to rival the ancient Greeks and Romans.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56297139994997,"sku":"9780745350080","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780745350080_6c941146-a308-45ce-b801-81ef8bca98c7.jpg?v=1786015273"},{"product_id":"9781787382022","title":"Nigeria's Soldiers of Fortune","description":"In the cataclysmic decade that is the focus of this book, Nigeria was subject to several near-death experiences. These began when the country nearly tore itself apart after the northern-led military government annulled the results of a 1993 presidential election won by the southerner Moshood Abiola, and ended with former military ruler General Olusegun Obasanjo being the unlikely conduit of democracy.This mini-history of a nation’s life also reflects on three mesmerising protagonists who personified that era. First up is Abiola: the multi-billionaire businessman who had his election victory voided by the generals who made him rich, and who was later assassinated. General Sani Abacha was the mysterious, reclusive ruler under whose watch Abiola was arrested and pro-democracy activists (including Abiola’s wife) were murdered. He also oversaw a terrifying Orwellian state security operation. Although Abacha is today reviled as a tyrant, the author eschews selective amnesia, reminding Nigerians that they goaded him into seizing power. The third protagonist is Obasanjo, who emerged from prison to return to power as an elected civilian leader.The penumbra of military rule still looms over Nigeria nearly twenty years after the soldiers departed, and key personalities featured in this book remain in government, including the current president.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56305239687541,"sku":"9781787382022","price":27.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781787382022_022049d0-3445-42fa-83e3-5f2a22fbdf9a.jpg?v=1786025922"},{"product_id":"the-forgotten-era","title":"The Forgotten Era","description":"'Incredibly necessary, magnificently done, Siollun charts the characters and events that shaped the lives of those who inhabited Nigeria's territories centuries before colonisation’ - Remi Adekoya, author of It's Not About Whiteness, It's About Wealth'Without a doubt, Max Siollun is the best Nigeria-focused historian of our times’ - Matthew T. Page, former U.S. State Department Nigeria expert'Max Siollun accomplishes what few dare to attempt - a revival of a time when the region now known as Nigeria was alive with vibrant kingdoms, city-states, and complex social dynamics long before European colonisers imposed their narratives’ - Gimba Kakanda, writer and researcher‘There is no more eloquent and informed guide than Max Siollun' - Sathnam Sanghera, author of EmpirelandMuch is known about what Europeans did in Africa, yet very little is known about Africa's history before its colonisation. In this surprising exploration, Max Siollun uncovers societies that were not part of a backwards 'Dark Continent', but which instead had rich lore to rival the ancient Greeks and Romans.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57481648669045,"sku":"9780745352046","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780745352046.jpg?v=1786089933"},{"product_id":"what-britain-did-to-nigeria","title":"What Britain Did to Nigeria","description":"Most accounts of Nigeria’s colonisation were written by British officials, presenting it as a noble civilising mission to rid Africans of barbaric superstition and corrupt tribal leadership. Thanks to this skewed writing of history, many Nigerians today still have Empire nostalgia and view the colonial period through rose-tinted glasses.Max Siollun offers a bold rethink: an unromanticised history, arguing compellingly that colonialism had few benevolent intentions, but many unjust outcomes. It may have ended slavery and human sacrifice, but it was accompanied by extreme violence; ethnic and religious identity were cynically exploited to maintain control, while the forceful remoulding of longstanding legal and social practices permanently altered the culture and internal politics of indigenous communities. The aftershocks of this colonial meddling are still being felt decades after independence. Popular narratives often suggest that the economic and political turmoil are homegrown, but the reality is that Britain created many of Nigeria’s crises, and has left them behind for Nigerians to resolve.This is a definitive, head-on confrontation with Nigeria’s experience under British rule, showing how it forever changed the country—perhaps cataclysmically.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57490076795253,"sku":"9781911723264","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781911723264.jpg?v=1786441971"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-max-siollun.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}