Killing the Wizards: Wars of Power and Freedom from Zaire to South Africa

by Alan S. Cowell

For a decade, as the nations of southern Africa rose up to break the chains of history, The New York Times' Alan Cowell--winner of the George Polk Award--has told the stories of struggle and change. Zambia. Mozambique. Angola. Zimbabwe. South Africa. As the beat of the liberation struggle moved south, Cowell made headlines with news from the latest fronts. From the bloody battles of race to the mysteries of fading tribal cultures; from secret guerrilla wars to the hushed gardens of a dying colonial world, Cowell has given us a portrait of a continent in startling images. In Killing the Wizards, a gripping report on the people, the new nations and the seemingly unending ordeals of southern Africa, Cowell broadens this portrait. Through the adventures of a reporter knee-deep in the fray (Cowell was expelled from South Africa), we witness the drama of emerging nations and evolving cultures. Cowell explodes the myths that have long hindered our understanding. He reveals a post-colonial landscape that has served, too often, as a checkerboard for alien ambitions. We see how the superpowers of the East and West played at patronage as they pushed their own hidden agendas. We see how leaders in black-ruled states used dictatorship and the Cold War to thwart real liberty and progress. We see how change finally came--in waves of suffering and flame. Cowell goes behind lines we've never crossed: flying in ancient Dakotas to guerrilla outposts; hiding out in townships; filing stories from the frontlines by carrier pigeon; weaving together the myriad contradictions, beauties and cruelties of a place that remains more fascinating and troubled than any other. Killing the Wizards is a true reporter's book, a record of a decisive era and its astonishing transformations. Few have shown us the world of Africa--the heroes and despots, the place itself, its legacy and its liberation--in such extraordinary detail. Alan Cowell illuminates the swirling tapestry of Africa in all its viv

Genres: Africa

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

ALAN S. COWELL is a British writer whose career spanned four decades as a foreign correspondent, first for Reuters and then for The New York Times. Alongside news coverage, he authored works of fiction and non-fiction, including The Terminal Spy, a definitive account of the life and death of Alexander V. Litvinenko, a former KGB officer poisoned with radioactive polonium in London in 2006. His novels include Permanent Removal, set in post-apartheid South Africa. Cowell is married and lives in London.

Reviews

[Tom Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read and full of insight. The only downside is that the contents have become dated. It is now a beautiful and insightful look at the reality of southern African in the 80s.