When it was founded in 1984, Def Jam was a tiny operation nestled in the college dorm room of Rick Rubin. He and promoter Russell Simmons quickly built a music empire around a talented crew of groundbreaking artists and an allegiance to the "real street music" that was about to bust out of New York City's hip-hop circles. Over the course of several decades, Def Jam has helped launched many of the best acts in rap and pop music, including LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Method Ma...

Human rights are the fundamental freedoms and privileges to which every individual is entitled. Most people agree that basic rights include the liberty to practice a particular religion, express a political view, or associate with a certain group of people without prejudice, discrimination, or exploitation. Unfortunately, as international organizations like Freedom House have noted, human rights are routinely violated or ignored in many African countries. This book discusses the history be...

Arab-Israeli Relations, 1950-1979 examines the history of relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors, discussing such important events as the 1956 Suez Canal crisis, the June 1967 War, and the 1978 Camp David Accords.

The early history of Liberia was promising. Under the auspices of white Americans, freed slaves had been offered a new home in the West African region during the early 19th century. In 1847 the settlers founded the continent's first independent republic—a full century before the rest of Africa began to shake off colonial rule. Although the new republic modeled itself on the United States—and even named its cities after U.S. leaders—it has nevertheless endured sluggish development, class di...

"[The Groundwork Guides] are excellent books, mandatory for school libraries and the increasing body of young people prepared to take ownership of the situations and problems previous generations have left them." -- Globe and MailThink Africa, and many people think of brutal war, endless famine, pervasive corruption, unworthy rulers, universal poverty, an AIDS epidemic out of control. As this book in the Groundwork Guides series shows, these characteristic...

The combination of breathtaking scenic beauty, fabulous wildlife, and peace-loving citizens makes Botswana a favorite of tourists from all over the world. This country in the heart of southern Africa is also the homeland of a proud people, the Batswana, who have created a vibrant democracy. Since Botswana won its independence in 1966, it has become one of Africa's leading economies. In particular, Botswana's diamond industry provides many people with a comfortable life. However, the AIDS e...

Uganda is sometimes called the "land of lakes," because almost one-third of its territory is covered by water. The greatest Ugandan body of water is Lake Victoria, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world. The world's longest river, the Nile, also has its source in Uganda. Uganda has faced a great deal of turmoil since becoming independent in 1962. During the rule of Idi Amin in the 1970s, some 300,000 Ugandans—mostly from the Acholi and Lano tribes—were massacred. Political instabi...

Many anthropologists believe the human species originated in Kenya's Rift Valley, where hominid skulls more than 2 million years old have been discovered. That fact alone would make Kenya an important place. But this East African nation has many other extraordinary characteristics: diverse terrain, a remarkable variety of plant and animal life, and a fascinating blend of cultures and languages among its people. The political system in Kenya is far from ideal. Historically, government corru...

With more than 170 million people, Nigeria is Africa's most populous country. Military leaders have ruled Nigeria for much of its history as an independent country, and it was not until 1999 that a civilian government was restored. However, this has not ensured peace. Conflicts have broken out between Muslim extremists and other Nigerians over the imposition of sharia, a series of religious rules and laws that Muslims are supposed to follow. Sharia carries penalties that most observers con...

Rhodesia, a country in southern Africa, was a fairly prosperous British colony until the mid-1960s; however, the black African majority of Rhodesia was ruled by a handful of white leaders. The country fought Great Britain in a 15-year war for independence, which it ultimately achieved in 1980. Zimbabwe, as the new country became known, saw its prosperity decline dramatically under Robert Mugabe, its first ruler. He seized total control over the country and persecuted his political enemies....

In 1498 Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama became the first European to set foot on the shores of Mozambique. By the next century, this region along the southeastern edge of Africa had become a colony of Portugal. For almost 500 years the region remained under Portuguese rule, until years of armed conflict and struggle brought independence in 1975. The warfare did not end, however, as the brutal civil war that followed lasted until the early 1990s. Although peace has come to Mozambique, its...

Even before the country became independent in 1962, Rwanda's two largest ethnic groups, the Hutu and Tutsi, were often at war. In the spring of 1994, tensions between the two groups culminated in nationwide massacres of approximately 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu. The genocide drew international attention to the problems of this small state in central Africa. Since the genocide ended, Rwanda has made slow but steady progress. In 2003, a new constitution was adopted that would prevent fut...