West African Resistance

Book excerpt: Originally published in 1971, this book is a study by 9 historians of West Africa, three of whom are themselves African, of the military response to the colonial occupation of West Africa. Apart from the fact that the extent and effectiveness of African resistance to 19th Century European invasion of Africa has been underestimated by historians, those studies of the African campaigns that have been made have been primarily concerned with the military strategy and problems of European invaders. Very little attention has been paid to the way African military commanders reorientated their military strategies and deployed their armies against the better-armed European invaders.