Dinosaurs, Diamonds & Democracy: A short, short history of South Africa

An asteroid the size of Table Mountain crashed into what was to become South Africa over 2 billion years ago, marking the spot. The country’s history since then has always been robust and full of energy. Francis Wilson's Dinosaurs, Diamonds & Democracy takes you in record time from that moment, when the earth’s richest gold reefs were shaped, to the advent of democracy in 1994, another event that stunned the world. Along the way you will encounter some of the most ancient dinosaurs on record, the very first people on the planet, and the first cultures. You will see outsiders moving in to reshape history: hunters and gatherers, cultivators and herders, iron-workers from the north, and immigrants from Europe and Asia. They fought and made peace; they stumbled upon gold and diamonds; they rose to the heights of excellence and sunk to the depths of oppression, until on one day they all queued as equals to elect a government. That is the story marked by dinosaurs, diamonds and democracy.

REVIEWS

You can’t understand Mandela or today’s South Africa without looking at the entire history of this complex, fascinating country and at the dreams of land and quick riches that have done so much to determine its course. This is a highly readable, quick survey, profusely illustrated, by a distinguished South African economist, Protestant layman and social-justice activist.
Adam, Hochschild, The Washington Post