The stories in this collection are set in West Africa. They differ widely in content and form, ranging from the shocking to the amusing, from romantic comedy, to comedy of intrigue, to the exploration of the consciousness of victims of economic exploitation. In the title story, three main characters, a farmer, a school teacher and a security guard share their experiences in a effort to pave the way for effective worker solidarity. 86pp, LESOTHO. INSTITUTE OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN STUDIES.

The story of Nom Emvul, a hero to the Beti people. 406pp, in French, BNS, FRANCE. L'HARMATTAN, 2747506126

A new edition of this classic, comic novel. Liz and Paul, the occupants of `Carpenter's Gothic' do battle with the Reverend Ude to preserve the African mission on which they live. 262pp, UK. ATLANTIC BOOKS, 184354167X

Sequel to 'Hustling is Not Stealing'. Hawa returns to her native Burkina Faso faced with new challenges as she creates a different life for herself from the marginality of bar girl independence in Ghana and Togo. Gloss, maps, 425pp, USA. CHICAGO U P.

Scobie, a senior police officer serving in a war time West Africa state, is distrusted since he is immune to bribery. However, when he falls in love, he is forced to betray everything he believes in, with drastic consequences for himself and those around him. 272pp, UK. VINTAGE UK, 0099286068

Reprint of Greene's classic 1936 book based on his journey from Sierra Leone to Liberia. 250pp, UK. VINTAGE U K, 0099282232

An epic of an ethnic group living on the banks of the Niger, this is the first ever narrative cycle of the Somono published in English and Bambara. BNS, 150pp, NETHERLANDS. EJ BRILL, 9004121854

Interweaves the analysis of fiction, drama, and poetry with an exploration of the broader political, cultural, and intellectual contexts within which West African writers work. Anglophone literatures form the central focus of the book, with comparative comments on vernacular literature, francophone writing and oral literatures, and detailed discussion of selected francophone texts in translation (e.g., Senghor, Tadjo, Beyala, Ba, Sembene). Moving from a discussion of nationalist and anti-colonial writing in the period before independence, towards the more experimental writings of contemporary authors such as Veronique Tadjo (Ivory Coast), Syl Cheney-Coker (Sierra Leone), and Kojo Laing (Ghana), the book constantly relates texts to the social and political history of West Africa. Index, maps, 284pp, UK. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.

Second volume in the Women Writing Africa series which sets out to collate narratives of African women's experiences in never-before-published texts that include communal songs and lullabies, letters and speeches, poetry and fiction. Countries and territories included are: Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Niger, Ghana, Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Gambia. Numerous ethnic groups and cultures from the region are given exposure, such as the Yoruba, Hausa, Wolof, Igbo, Malinke, Fulfulde, Akan-Fante, Tuareg, Songhai, as well as English and French. 480pp, USA. FEMINIST PRESS.