{"product_id":"9781805264125","title":"Shine Your Eye : In Search of West Africa by Adewale Maja-Pearce","description":"An acclaimed British-Nigerian writer's odyssey through West Africa, starkly transformed since his youth.   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, Ad?w?l? M?j?-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 theforced withdrawal of French troops.   Speaking with local journalists and dissident scholars, street hawkers and immigration officers, M?j?-Pearce brings to life the compelling story of a region at breaking point--as told by West Africans themselves.\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56369234739573,"sku":"9781805264125","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781805264125.jpg?v=1763552620","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/9781805264125","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}