As the most successful female writer from Francophone Africa, Calixthe Beyala occupies an unusual place in French literary and popular culture. Her novels are bestsellers, and she appears regularly on French television and radio, yet her reputation has in recent years been tarnished by allegations of plagiarism. She is lauded both as a consecrated, bestselling authentic African author and a proven literary fake, found guilty of plagiarism in the High Court in Paris but in the same year awarded the highly prestigious Grand Prix du roman de l'Academie Francaise for one of the novels in which she had allegedly plagiarized. This study a nuanced attempt to understand the work - and public role - of one of the most important women writing today. 192pp, UK. LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY PRESS.

Charts the rise of Anglophone Cameroon theatre since the late 1980s, coincident with disen-chantment with Paul Biya's single party regime. This study goes beyond a simple clash of Anglo- and Francophone political cultures, to examine a paradigm shift from protest theatre to the inception of a whole aesthetics of change. Index, bib, 220pp, GERMANY. BAYREUTH.

Through the editorship of Ambroise Kom's 'interview' there emerges a biography of Mongo Beti: education, life in Cameroon and visit to Aix, writings and publica-tions, constraints and local work, media, the presidential system of Biya, common issues in Francophone Africa- press, co-operation and language, Bay-reuth African Studies Series Number 54, 197pp, index, chronology, notes, Germany. BAYREUTH A S, 3927510653

A personal history, political tract, performance manual and drama collection describing the establishment of 'people theatre' workshops throughout Cameroon. Doho examines the origins and evolution of people theatre on the African continent and, through five examples of actual workshops dealing with community health, human rights and minority issues, presents the process by which people theatre is created. Index, bib, 236pp, USA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS.

Rapacious exploitation of the rain forests around Mount Cameroon, environmental degradation with great losses in biodiversity, combined with an inconsiderate environmental policy at the expense of the environment and the rural forest population, are issues that plague both the economy and the society in Cameroon. Theatre for Development practice aims at empowering target communities to regain control over the management of their immediate environment with its natural and economic resources. Index, bib, 193pp, GERMANY. BAYREUTH.

Women are particularly marginalised in Cameroon, but numerically the major force in the rural and peri-urban economy. Because of their importance for the economy and their potential for social and economic change women became the favoured target group in development policies. Contrary to the Women and Development approach (WAD) that concentrates on women's issues like child care, health care, household and home keeping issues, Emelda Ngufor Samba introduces the broader approach of Gender in Development (GAD). GAD does not look at issues from an isolated gendered perspective, but integrates them into the general social framework, emphasising the fundamental role of women in development. Index, bib, tables, 244pp, GERMANY. BAYREUTH.