Kwame Nkrumah: The Father of African Nationalism. David Birmingham. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1999. Pp. 142.

This is a biographical study of one of the most complex African leaders of the twentieth century colonial era. The book admirably traces the problems Nkrumah faced as a student and aspiring politician. This African leader possessed a multifaceted personality and diverse interests which were reflected his early education in the fields of sociology, education and philosophy.

The various themes of each chapter nicely demonstrate Nkrumah's evolution from student to African hero. The author's writing style allows for an appreciation of the interaction between a young Nkrumah and world leaders during the colonial era.

An interesting aspect of the book is Birmingham's tracing of the radical influences on Nkrumah, including his association with such Pan-Africanists as C.L.R. James and George Padmore. This was evident in Nkrumah's involvement in the organization of the Manchester Conference on Pan-Africanism in 1945. Almost two decades later, in 1963, the spirit of Pan-Africanism would be present as Nkrumah played an instrumental role in the founding of the Organization of African Unity.

To a considerable extent, the author has achieved his aim of providing an overview of the life of Kwame Nkrumah and the economic and social forces which were at work at the national and international levels. The various sections of each chapter depict an image of an African leader who experienced both adulation and denigration among his people in Ghana.

Whilst the book provides the reader with insight into Nkrumah's life, the author's analysis of Nkrumah's years of political rule is difficult to assess. For instance, in the examination of Nkrumah as a national statesman, Birmingham notes that one of the criticisms of Nkrumah's rule was that he encouraged a 'personality cult.' The author believes "the charge was both fair and unfair (p.81)." Also queried, but never resolved by Birmingham, is the extent to which Nkrumah's rise to power was attributed to his personal ambitions or the impact of world events such as the death of Gandhi and apartheid in South Africa: "... it is hard to judge how far this meteoric ascent was due to his own driving spirit and how far he simply happened to rise on the crest of the wave that was then sweeping the colonial world (p.15)." The work would have been strengthened if the author had taken a stance on these aspects of in Nkrumah's life and rule.

Another shortcoming is that Birmingham has not specifically addressed the problems encountered by Nkrumah in a separate chapter. Issues such as the 'preventive detention' act in 1958 to deal with dissident voices, the Congo crisis of July 1960, and the intervention of the imperial powers in the late 1960s are only discussed in passing in the chapters "National Statesman" and African Ideas."

Apart from these minor flaws, the book is a colorful biography and assists the reader in understanding the tribulations and aspirations of Third World leaders in guiding their countries through the uncertain transition from colonialism to independence. These leaders were burdened by pressure to conform to the demands of a realpolitik which often did not adhere to the realities existing in their countries.

Jerome Teelucksingh
University of the West Indies, Trinidad