Africa in The Sixties

This is a general survey of Africa in the sixties. The work focuses on the major events which took place across the continent during those years. It was the euphoric sixties, a period when Africans celebrated the end of colonial rule. Most of the countries on the continent won independence in the sixties. But they were also turbulent years marked by conflict. Some of the most tragic events during those years include the Congo crisis – the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the secession of Katanga province, civil unrest across the country and intervention by external forces which turned Congo into the bleeding heart of Africa. Another tragedy was the Nigerian civil war. There was also the Zanzibar revolution. The sixties were also a decade of military coups, and much more. Its complementary volume, Remembering the Sixties: An African Experience, addresses other subjects on some of the major events which took place during those years. The sixties stand out as some of the most important years in the history of post-colonial Africa. It is a decade that will never be forgotten, especially by those, including the author, who were there during those days.