Kenya 1982 - The Attempted Coup

Kenya is a country rich in natural and human resources, a potential political and economic success story. Yet when it achieved independence from British rule in 1963, the colonial system of `divide and rule', which had exacerbated tension amongst Kenya's 42 ethnic groups and torn the nation apart, remained firmly in place.

The subsequent nationalist governments of Presidents Kenyatta and Moi were based on ethnic affiliations and steeped in corruption, nepotism and incompetence. This book tells the story of Kenya's recent history and how, in 1981, a group of military men led by James Diangá, aggrieved at the plight of their country and its infrastructure, planned a coup to overthrow a corrupt regime, unite Kenya's disparate ethnic groups and build a strong, just state.

As a result, Diangá was arrested in January 1981 and charged with treason. His insistence that he had acted alone led to the initial charges being reduced to sedition, which saved his life and those of his co-conspirators, though he was sentenced to three years in prison.

On 1 August 1982, while Diangá was serving the sixteenth month of his sentence, his fellow plotters attempted to seize power in Kenya. When the coup failed, the perpetrators did not escape a second time: most were sentenced to death and finally executed. Yet, despite his sorrow at losing so many friends, Diangá remains defiant - and hopeful that one day, Kenya's disintegrating society will be rebuilt.

James Waore Diangá was born in Kenya in 1955. Boyhood experiences working in his father's nursing clinic and in the Boy Scouts influenced his decision to join the Kenyan Air Force in 1977, where he trained as a Fighter Control Operator working with radars. His refusal to be a tool of oppression for the dictatorial Kanu regime led to him instigating the attempted coup, though he was already in prison when it took place. On his release, he was forced into exile to escape being arrested again.

He now lives in Sweden, where he has gained a Masters Degree in International Relations and works in youth crime prevention. He hopes one day to return to Kenya and use his knowledge to help a still divided nation.

Kenya 1982 - The Attempted Coup
James Diangá
Paperback - 295 pages (April 2002)
ISBN 1904018203 U.K. £9.99
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When Will I See You Again?

Britain might seem a cold, unwelcoming place to a child who has grown up under the warmth of the Caribbean sun, and for some of the writers of this anthology, their first glimpse of grey skies filled them with dread. Yet for others, their arrival in Britain was heralded by feelings of excitement and an almost fairytale optimism about a land where, some believed, `they don't have poor people' and `there are no dunce people'.

When Will I See You Again? charts the experiences of a group of Caribbean people who came to Britain as children between the 1950s and 70s and began a new life, often parted from their immediate family. In both style and content, it is a book of contrasts: prose with verse, expectation with reality, past with present, separation with reunion.

There are, inevitably, moments of pain and conflict: many of the writers faced racial discrimination, poverty and a sense of culture shock in this alien environment. But more striking is the collective mood of positive energy they exude as they tell their individual success stories and celebrate the essentially happy marriage of two cultures.

Zindika Kamauesi is a writer and teacher. She is best known as a playwright and her plays have toured nationally. Her work has also been performed in collaboration with the Adzido Dance Company at Sadlers Wells and the Royal Festival Hall. She lives and works in London

Natalie Smith studied at the London College of Printing and has written for black, housing, women's and other publications. She enjoys covering social and personal interest-type stories.

When Will I See You Again?
Paperback - 259 pages (April 2002)
ISBN 1904018270 U.K. £9.99
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Full Many A Flower

In 1735, Thomas Rose left his simple Highland home on Culloden Moor to walk the 400 miles to London. He settled in Lenham, Kent, thus making Londoners of future generations of his family. Full Many a Flower tells the story of how Derek Rose, one member of that family, traced their history back to Thomas Rose's fateful journey, and followed it through to the present day. Written against the historical background of the times --including the Battle of Waterloo, the Crimea and World War One-- and leading the reader through the slums and the charities of Victorian London, the human stories evolve from the author's extensive research, helped along by a creative imagination and very real affection for the ancestors who may not have left their mark on history, but nonetheless shaped the lives of those who succeeded them.

Full Many A Flower
Paperback - 367 pages (2002)
ISBN 1904018335 U.K. £12.99
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Jessie's Story

Jessie Regan is a lovely, affectionate child, adored by everyone who lays eyes on her _ everyone, that is, except her father. For while Dan Regan is a decent and generous man at heart, he has never been able to forgive Jessie for the fact that her mother died giving birth to her.

As Jessie grows into an exquisite young woman, she finds solace in handsome Sean Casey, a family friend who offers her the love she has craved all her life. But this is the beginning rather than the end of Jessie's problems. Pregnant and abandoned by her lover, she is forced to leave home and fend for herself in the big city, armed only with her wits, kindness and incredible beauty.

It is only when she returns years later that she makes a diffident peace with her father _ and two life-changing discoveries.

Set in the peaceful English countryside and the bustling streets of 1930s London, Jessie's Story is a poignant exploration of the damage parents can do to their children, and the healing powers of love.

Angelina Lamb was born in Gravesend and has lived there all her life. Physically abused by her father from a very early age, she sought affection outside the family home and found it with Len, whom she married in 1944. They have lived happily together in Gravesend for 58 years and have a large family.

Angelina worked as a cleaner at her local hospital in the town for many years, and also raised funds to finance parties for the hard-working medical staff.

Inspired by Angelina's traumatic past, Jessie's Story is an attempt to finally lay it to rest.

Jessie's Story
Paperback - 135 pages ( 2002)
ISBN 1904018262 U.K. £5.99
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An Autobiography of a Nigerian Civil Servant

Charles Olatunde Lawson's autobiography is a fascinating account of his life, both personal and professional, in one of Africa's most volatile nations, Nigeria.

As a civil servant from 1947 until 1975, he witnessed radical changes taking place in his country, including a military coup and independence from British rule in 1960. In this book, he challenges certain fallacious claims by the military regarding Nigeria's history, as well as offering an in-depth analysis of its tribal politics and traditions, and recalling with nostalgia his strict but happy childhood and years at Oxford.

Lawson's perspective combines patriotism with appreciation for the achievements of the former colonists. Unlike successive military rulers, he focuses on the positive aspects of British dominion in Nigeria, particularly its legacy of democracy and an efficient civil service, which the military dismantled.

An Autobiography of a Nigerian Civil Servant is both the story of a fulfilling life and an excellent study of Nigerian history which also looks to the future.

Charles Olatunde Lawson died in 19..., and his memoirs have been published thanks to the efforts of his daughter and son.

An Autobiography of a Nigerian Civil Servant
(coming soon)