Book description
Award-winning journalist James Fergusson is among the few to have
witnessed at first hand the devastating reality of life in the failed
and desperate state of Somalia.
This corner of the world has long been seen as the rotting and
charred heart of Africa: a melting pot of crime, corruption, poverty,
famine and civil war. And in recent years, whilst Somalia's lucrative
piracy industry has grabbed the headlines, a darker, much deeper
threat has come of age: the Al Qaida-linked militants Al Shabaab, and
the dawn of a new phase in the global war on terror.
Yet, paradoxically, Somalia's star is brightening, as forms of
business, law enforcement and local politics begin to establish
themselves, and members of the vast Somali diaspora return to their homeland.
Fergusson takes us to the heart of the struggle, meeting everyone
from politicians, pirates, extremists and mercenaries to aid workers,
civilians and refugees. He gives a unique account of a country ravaged
by war, considers what the future might hold for a generation who have
grown up knowing little else and exposes the reality of life in this
hard, often forgotten land.
James Fergusson is a freelance journalist and foreign correspondent
who has written for many publications, including
The Times
and
The Economist
. He is the author of
Kandahar Cockney
,
Taliban: The Unknown Enemy
and the award-winning,
A Million Bullets
. He lives in Edinburgh.
