With the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, there's been increased discussion of the current situation in the CAR -- but I'm having trouble finding good histories of the region (preferably 1950-present) to put the current violence in context. Help?
I'm in the middle of Martin Meredith's The Fate of Africa, which has some information, but not a great deal. I'm looking for something relatively entry-level; while I have some basic knowledge of central Africa, I'm looking for something more accessible than scholarly work on post-colonial Central Africa (and with more context than Amnesty International reports).
Hi, sorry it took a few days to get to you.
I am not familiar with much in English that covers CAR that extensively. So, the following will be pretty introductory. Also, they will all have some information about Jean Bedel Bokassa (which is how I found them.)
First off, if you want to read a biography of Emperor Bokassa I, you could start with Dark Age by Brian Titley. The major focus of that will be the years from 1966-1979 when he served as president and later Emperor of the Central African Republic/Empire.
Twentieth Century in Africa has a broad focus similar to Meridith's Fate of Africa but it does provide an overview of CAR politics from 1960-1999.
Disconsolate Empires deals with British, French and Belgian military intervention and "assistance" in their former colonial empires. Given the post-colonial history of CAR, there are several references to French involvement in the CAR.
On the same theme, France in Centrafrique deals specifically with the CAR-France relationship, through the lens of Francafrique
Unfortunately, none of these books really deal with the tenure of Francois Bozize. Understanding his tenure from 2003-2013 is pretty integral to understanding the current situation. However, I can't find a good retrospective about his time as leader of CAR. Also, I am reluctant to talk much more about that era as it hits up against the 20-year rule. Apologies I can't be more helpful in this matter.