Description: What's in a name? As Osumaka Likaka argues in this illuminating study, the names that Congolese villagers gave to European colonizers reveal much about how Africans experienced and reacted to colonialism. The arrival of explorers, missionaries, administrators, and company agents allowed Africans to observe Westerners' physical appearances, behavior, and cultural practices at close range--often resulting in subtle yet trenchant critiques. By naming Europeans, Africans turned a universal practice into a local mnemonic system, recording and preserving the village's understanding of colonialism in the form of pithy verbal expressions that were easy to remember and transmit across localities, regions, and generations.
Review Quotes: "This innovative work offers rare access to African perceptions and interpretations of colonialism. Based on thorough research and creative analysis, Likaka's book will have widespread scholarly and classroom appeal."--Thomas Spear, series editor and professor emeritus of African history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison