Publisher's Synopsis
Almost alone among serving African presidents, Robert Mugabe led the struggle against colonial rule and has held office since independence without a break. After 21 years of dominance Mugabe is now struggling to hold on to power against the opposition born from the spiraling economic and social collapse of Zimbabwe. Journalist David Blair, forced to leave Zimbabwe in June 2001 as the government sought to silence the media, tells a story; from the hopeful era of new independence to the present era of gas lines, food riots, and a terror campaign waged by Mugabe supporters. Blair exposes the senselessness behind events in Zimbabwe, not merely of Mugabe but of his opponents as well.