Journal of Social Development in Africa (1994), 9,1,85-97 
Book Reviews 
Small Business Management, REngleman(ed),StellagraphicsLtd,1991,249pp. 
Price KSh 105. 
The purpose of this book is to disseminate management knowledge among the 
small businessmen in Kenya. The book may conveniently be divided into seven 
parts, each focusing on specific topics. 
Part one deals with the basics of management and includes four articles written 
by different authors with varied experiences in small business. In this part 
essentials of management, planning, time managementand management problems 
in the family business are discussed. All these four articles are important and 
entrepreneurs should observe them. 
The second part discusses rudiments of personnel management in small firms. 
Personnel management issues, proper job placement, training needs and legal 
issues involved in starting and managing small businesses are discussed. 
The third part of this book is production management. Covered in this part are 
aspects of purchasing; however these seem not to have been adequately covered. 
The topic would have been handled better if illustrations were utilised. 
One noticeable omission in this part is stock control. Stock control is an 
important element in that a small businessman should order the most economical 
quantities of various stock levels to be maintained by the business. Maintaining 
stock levels avoids two key problems in business, namely under-stocking and overstocking. 
These two problems have their negative consequences for the small 
business. 
Partfour deals with marketing management Marketing management is important 
in that producing goods alone is of little value if the goods do not reach the final 
consumer. The coverage here seem to be adequate for its purpose. 
Financial management is covered in part five. Discussed here are sources of 
finance, institution lending to small businesses, programmes for small businesses, 
insurance and financial analysis. My view is that the content on insurance seems 
to have been misplaced, as it does not fall under this classification. 
Part six focuses on accounting and book-keeping. The better title of this part 
would have been the other way around, as bookkeeping comes before accounting. 
In the article on introduction to basic bookkeeping, adequate illustrations are used. 
This makes it easier for the reader to understand the material. Whereas the article 
on auditing fits in this part well, the article on computers is not part of accounting.
86 Book Reviews 
To be included here the article should have focused on the accounting application 
of computers. 
Finally, part seven deals with legal aspects of management. Perhaps the article 
on insurance could have been included in this part, or separately treated as 
management of risk. 
This book has four basic strengths. First is that the authors are professionals with 
versed experiences, hence their presentation of information is quite good. Second, 
the more complex management subjects are divided into small articles which can 
easily be digested or understood. Third, the language used is quite simple to 
understand. This has been achieved by avoiding technical terms as much as 
possible. Fourth, a comprehensive glossary and in some cases illustrations have 
been provided. This makes it easier to follow and check up terms which are not 
explained in the text Other than the problem of some articles being shorter due to 
different approaches by some of the of authors, the book is quite useful to those 
wishing to start and manage small enterprises. The book provides an alternative 
solution to wage employment, which is self-employment. Kenya, as such, is not 
able to provideadequate solutions to employment except through self-employment 
this view issupported by policy documents such as sessional papers and development 
plans. It is in this regard that this book makes essential reading. 
Reviewed by G S Namusonge, Director Regional Centre for Enterprise 
Development, Jomo Kenyatta University College of Agriculture and Technology, 
African Entrepreneurs: Pioneers of Development, Keith Marsden, International 
I O T ^ L rpOration> Disc"ssion Paper No 9, The World Bank, Washington D C, 
1990.66pp, ISSN: 1012-8069. No price given. 
This Discussion Paper highlights the problems and needs of modern African 
enu-epreneurs, based on its interview findings of 36 entrepreneurs in six subaanaran 
African countries. Its findings are said to be intended for policy-makers, 
fodtfih P V1SCrS Wh° haVe A f r i c a n d e v e l°Pm e n t in we"- hearts. However, I also 
in T? J**IS ^"efic'a' to future African entrepreneurs as they will gain an 
•ns^ght into what it takes to be an entrepreneur. 
anH ^ .S d e c i s i o n t o write the Paperarose from an awareness of the neglect 
two Z Imng of m o d e r n African entrepreneurs. In the 66 pages, divided into 
AfrirT SeCtlOns> toe author successfully demonstrates the role of modern 
beer!i down^P r e"e u r s in toe development process. African entrepreneurship has 
-p ayed in many African countries for some time because indigenous
Book Reviews 87 
entrepreneurs were presumed to be scarce, whilst at the same time foreign 
entrepreneurs were not trusted. The widespread belief was that entrepreneurship 
flourished in the Western world but not in Africa. However the Paper finds that 
entrepreneurship is 'alive' and well in Africa and has flourished where there has 
been both supportive policies and even hostile environments. 
The author points out the importance of entrepreneurship in Africa, ie it creates 
employment for jobless people. He also stresses that successful enterprises have 
expanded from informal to formal enterprises as their owners have acquired 
experience and accumulated capital. However the author criticises the informal 
sector for its on-the- job training. It is pointed out that training is repetitive and does 
not take cognisance of issues concerning both the obsolescence, and, conversely, 
the increasing sophistication of machines. 
Of major importance is that the author points out that although the governments 
generally did not encourage foreign entrepreneurs into Africa, these entrepreneurs 
have not blocked local entrepreneurship. Moreover, foreign entrepreneurs have 
benefited indigenous entrepreneurs by imparting to them their technical skills of 
running enterprises. 
Perhaps the other factor worth mentioning is the shortage of funds available to 
African entrepreneurs. African enterprises are said to be retarded by inadequate 
access to bank credits, and high rates of interest imposed by banks which also 
limits the number of borrowers. 
The second section deals with the findings of the interviews carried out. Thirtysix 
entrepreneurs in six countries were interviewed, the majority of which were 
selected from a list of people who received assistance from the Africa Project 
Development Facility (APDF), an institution founded in 1986 on the initiation of 
the International Finance Corporation. APDF provides advisory services to private 
entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa, including assistance in preparing market, 
technical and other feasibility studies. 
Some interviewees were suggested by financial institutions and other contacts 
in the field. The criteria were African nationality, a track record of performance and 
coverage of a range of activities. 
The author presents the interviewees' appreciation of the assistance they 
receive from the APDF in spite of the limited funds it offers. Commercial banks 
were found not to be willing to assist if the individual had no collateral. Female 
entrepreneurs have been severely affected by this, such that one had to have her 
truck (obtained with an end-of-service gratuity from the Ghanaian army) used as 
collateral in order to solicit funds from the Agricultural Development Bank. She 
then purchased a second-hand wooden fishing boat which gave her the opportunity 
to break eventually into the market for canned tuna fish. A few interviewees
88 Book Reviews 
claimed to have links with foreign partners and financial institutions. Assistance 
from governments as acknowledged by the author is said to be limited. However, 
some entrepreneurs started their enterprises from their own savings whilst some 
inherited them. 
A particular strength of this section is highlighting the contributory factors to the 
successes of the African entrepreneurs. Factors are said to be personal characteristics 
such as social, educational backgrounds and age groups. It is also pointed out that 
enterpreneurs often tend to set up enterprises in fields they are familiar with. For 
instance some pursue similar businesses to those of previous employments. Large 
numbers of African entrepreneurs employ wage labour and run enterprises on 
modern lines. 
Perhaps the other contributory factors to the success of the enterprises could be 
better understood if they were given as advice to future entrepreneurs. These 
include hard work, thrift, desire for self-improvement, shrewd business sense and 
undoubtedly entrepreneurial drive. The author, however, points out that the first 
few years are difficult as only a few things proceed according to plan. Perseverance 
and good management skills are therefore important. Finally, in cases of risk, the 
entrepreneurs should diversify their enterprises further. 
In conclusion, the author deserves a pat on the shoulder for a well-researched 
study on entrepreneurs. However, the title "African entrepreneurs" is misleading, 
as one is bound to expect information about the whole of Africa, yet the study is 
only on sub-Sahara Africa. The author therefore should have been more specific. 
Despite this shortcoming the Discussion Paper fairly represents African situations 
as a whole. The information presented is clear and useful and is to be recommended. 
Multigenerational Family Therapy, David S Freeman, University of British 
Columbia Canada,The Haworth Press, New York, 1992, ISBN: 1-56024-125-X 
(h/b), 1-56024-126-8 (p/b), 389pp + index, $49,95 (h/b). $24,95 (p/b). 
"No family therapist - whether experienced practitioner, student, teacher, 
or supervisor- will want to miss Multigenerational Family Therapy. 
Anyone who has ever struggled to shift responses from content to the 
process of a family s thinking will be delighted to have this method of 
inducing growth and and change illustrated and demystified. After setting 
jortn tne goals and assumptions that guide his therapeutic interventions, 
«?nl man.l"ustrat"these "*'* transcripts of actual sessions in the begincuLTn 
, 7f* Phases °ftheraPy involving adult couples. The 
C^r2nOlatU>Z°flheSe cases not only shows the importance of including 
£Z?h; "?im8S- Mother significantpersons, but also demonstrates 
SOVEZT rfOne effective'y" Carolyn LAttneave. PhD. SciD, Professor 
Emeritus, University of Washington
Book Reviews 89 
This summary in the Haworth Press announcement says it all. David Freeman, 
whilst focusing on multigenerational family therapy, uses family history to shed 
light on the present, and particularly the resources the family has for coping in the 
future. Whilst set in the North American context, the approach appears to have the 
theoretical principles which can straddle different cultures and contexts. 
The author utilises the extended family and highlights its importance in 
supporting and influencing beliefs and value systems held by individuals, which 
are often carried over into family life, aspects which are of particular importance 
to those of us working in the African context. 
He shows how individual family members bring their own histories from their 
families of origin to synthesise with the next generation in a process of dynamic 
interaction. 
Freeman also demonstrates how events can be experienced and interpreted 
quite differently by individuals, dyads and groups, often leading to complex effects 
and beliefs in families. In this way he highlights the challenge for the therapist who 
must understand these different realities and yet facilitate a process of positive 
change which affects all concerned. 
I found this book enthralling, practical, illuminating and challenging, and I can 
thoroughly recommend it to all those involved in working with families. 
Reviewed by C Farrell, Director, CONNECT, Zimbabwe Institute of Systemic 
Therapy, Harare. 
Women and Development in the Third World, by Janet Henshall Momsen, 
Routledge 1991, edited by John Bale and David Drakakis Smith, 115 pp, ISBN: 
0-415-01695-9. No price given. 
"Women are agents of change and not just victims and making investment in 
women a development priority will make a critical contribution to development", 
writes Janet Henshall Momsen, a senior lecturer in Geography at the University of 
Newcastle. 
This book is one of a series on development and underdevelopment- In an effort 
to highlight the role and contributions of women in economic growth the writer 
illustrates by way of case-studies. The book establishes beyond doubt that women 
in the Third World do both productive and reproductive work. They work longer 
hours than men, yet they earn 10% of theworld'sincomeandown l%of the family 
property, produce almost half the world's population and yet there are fewer girls 
in schools.
90 Book Reviews 
There is a clear-cut division of labour by sex and according to the writer this is 
as a result of colonialism, sexual segregation, capitalism and modernisation, where 
the traditional economies have been overtaken by the modem sector. These 
traditional economic activities were (and still are) done by women, and consequently 
new and better-paid jobs go to men, yet the income so derived is not spend on the 
family. 
Discontent is expressed in the book that the United Nations Third World Decade 
on Development has come to an end without having done anything to change the 
attitudes of institutionalised male dominance. Janet Henshall Momsen 
acknowledges that there is an awareness of the need to consider women when 
planning for development. She highlights approaches to women and development 
and suggests use of the integrated approach which is human-centred. 
All societies have division of labour by sex, although this varies from country 
to country. There are gender roles within a household, but an integration of the 
women's reproductive and productive work should be realised within the private 
sphere of the home and public spheres in order for people to appreciate women's 
roles in development. Productivity has been equated with the cash economy, 
thereby ignoring women's economic contributions. Women are involved in smallscale 
agriculture and marketing, whilst men migrate to towns where the majority 
are found in areas of high economic value, where they work as producers. 
Over-emphasis is made on female marginalisation which is due to historical, 
cultural and ideological factors. However, the commonly cited attributes of female 
marginalisation are the physical weakness of women, women's concentration on 
the periphery, that is on the informal sector-type jobs, the idea of making jobs 
feminine thereby according them a low status, eg nursing and teaching, economic 
inequality, that is occupational differentiation, and lack of fringe benefits and job 
security on work considered as women's. 
Students of social work and sociology would quest for more answers to this 
gender differentiation and the writer briefly discusses the theoretical explanations 
of division of labour by sex. She indicates that there is the Neo-Classical Economic 
V*0** w n i c l 1 maintains that workers are paid according to productivity. This 
theory emphasises the disadvantage position of women, characterised by poor 
education, less physical strength, lack of training and high turn-over. This line of 
tnougnt pre-supposes that differences can be ironed out by way of exposing women 
to education which is intended to improve them. It assumes that there is an equal 
access to employment, yet ignores gender-based segregation prevalent in most 
societies. 
The writer also discusses the Labour Market Theory which assumes that the 
labour market is institutionally controlled through formal and informal types of 
employment. As a result women are seen to be more in the informal sector due in 
part to their high turnover and unreliability.
Book Reviews 91 
The Feminist Theory, on the other hand, discusses the position of women in 
terms of social and cultural factors that restrict women's access to the labour 
market: "A woman's place is in the kitchen". The argument is that the reproductive 
and productive roles of women are inseparable. It is only when men perceive 
women as equals that a balance can be realised. But while men expect women in 
employment to fall back on their gender-based social expectations, and continue 
treating women as sexual objects, then this still remains an issue. 
Janet Henshall Momsen discusses and presents in the book ten case studies with 
personalised stories of women's lives and how they have developed coping 
strategies in the context of the Third World. She has established that women are 
central to development; they control most of the non-money market economy 
through bearing and raising children; they provide labour for the household; 
provide maintenance and subsistence agriculture. They also contribute to both the 
formal and informal sector of the economy. 
She concludes the book by challenging policy makers by calling for increased 
opportunities for women so that they can become economically independent. 
I recommend the book to students of social work for it would give them an 
insightintosomeof the problems that society today faces, and gender differentiation 
is just but one of them. The book is very informative, educative, interesting and 
attempts toclarify some of the myths that arise because of women's issues; perhaps 
the question remains as to whether there should be positive discrimination so as 
to accord women an equal status. Definitely the problem cannot be isolated to the 
Third World. It is a global issue and therefore needsa united (global) confrontation. 
Reviewed by Agatha Tsitsi Dodo, National Association of Non-Govemmental 
Ogranisations (NANGO), Harare. 
The Politics of Africa's Economic Recovery, Richard Sandbrook, Cambridge 
University Press, New York, 1993, ISBN: 0-521-41543-8 (h/b), 0-521-42563-8 
(p/b), 27,95 pounds (h/b), 10,95 pounds (p/b). 
Sandbrook raises the most perplexing and unsettled question of concern to the 
student of African politics: which is the appropriate development strategy for 
Africa? Since independence, there has been no agreement on a suitable model of 
development, hence two predominant ideologies of development were adopted: 
state-capitalism and (African) socialism. The issue of appropriate development 
strategy is particularly important because of the current economic crisis in Africa 
and the need for a model that would overcome the crisis to promote sustainable 
development Sandbrook's work is a vivid portrayal of economic hardship in sub- 
Saharan Africa.
92 Book Reviews 
The book contains data for comparative analysis of Africa's economic 
performance and illustrates that very few countries have been successful while the 
majority have had dismal records. Sandbrook outlines the link between economic 
stagnation and state decay. Chapter 2 highlights the failure of both state-capitalist 
and socialist-oriented models of development adopted in sub-Saharan Africa. His 
explanation for the failure of both strategies centres on both lack of political will 
of leaders, and lack of state abilities for initiation and execution of development 
programmes. He tackles the controversial structural adjustment programmes 
(SAPs), stating their merits and demerits as well as their flawed or faulty 
assumptions. He correctly points out that SAPs have not had the intended impact. 
Citing cases to back-up his arguments, he concludes that overall, SAPs have 
neither improved the socioeconomic conditions of the poor majority, nor increased 
production and foreign investment. 
More important and illuminating is his valuable assessment of the current 
strategy of development based on the free market economy and democratisation 
favoured by the international donor community and embraced by African 
governments. He dispels the notion that the free market economy and democracy 
are 'twin panaceas' of Africa's economic and political ills as promoted by such 
institutions as the World Bank, and cautions the high expectations of African 
leaders and the people as to the results of such a model of development 
Sandbrook convincingly illustrates that in the short-run the current strategy 
would help revitalise African economies. However, he is sceptical of its long-run 
utility. He recommends an alternative strategy called the transformational approach 
forlong-term and viable development He is critical of the World Bank'sinadequate 
consideration of the global economy's restraints on African development prospects 
because of its emphasis on domestic hindrances. He emphasises the negative 
consequences of external dependency on African economies. Therefore, he echoes 
the radical writings of dependency theorists like Gunder Frank in assigning the 
prime role to world market forces to explain under-development and the need for 
re-onentauon of Third World economies as well as self-reliance. Sandbrook, 
however, discusses internal constraints on African development and illustrates 
inter-relauonship between external and internal factors as deterrents on African 
development. Moreover, he acknowledges that the transformational approach 
(based on self-reliance, state intervention, mass participation and promotion of 
people s basic needs), though an alternative to the market economy approach, has 
not been a success in the past, both at national and regional levels. Therefore, he 
is cautious of its implementation in the future. 
He also takes to task the other assumptions of the free market economy and 
democratisation strategy of development: the limited role assigned to the state
Book Reviews 93 
which he considers faulty because historical experience elsewhere (eg 19th 
Century Europe - Russia) shows the need for an active develop-mental state to 
spearhead economic development. Africa, being underdeveloped, needs an 
'interventionist' state, not only to initiate productive investment and create a 
conducive economic environment for prospective investors, but also to provide 
economic goods to the disadvantaged majority for improved human welfare. He 
challenges the assumption that democratisation is a sufficient condition for 
equitable distribution of the fruits of economic liberalisation. He is not at all sure 
that conditions in Africa are conducive to the sustenance of liberal democracy. He, 
therefore, brings up the popular concern of whether or not democracy and political 
stability are feasible in view of the economic hardships experienced by the majority 
of Africans. 
It makes stimulating and easy reading. It is a useful analysis of major problems 
affecting African development and keeps alive the debate about Africa's 
development prospects. It is a must for academics, especially for college and 
university students of African and International Politics, international aid institutions 
and political leaders alike. 
Reviewed by Prof KwakuOsei-Hwedie, Senior Lecturer, Department of Political 
and Administrative Studies University of Botswana, Gaborone. 
Marriage and Family Therapy: a Sociocognitive Approach, Nathan Hurvitz 
and Roger A Straus, Haworth Press, New York, 1991, ISBN 1-56024-060-1 hard/ 
1-56024-061-X soft, 229 pp + index, $29,95 (h/b), 517,95 (p/b). 
"A revelatory new book. Marriage and Family Therapy is important 
reading for therapists working with clients of varied social, cultural and 
economic backgrounds. Drawn upon concepts from sociology and techniques 
from psychology, this book is the result of the extensive work of the 
late Dr Nathan Hurvitz. It is rich with transcripts and case examples, culled 
from the authors' more than 35 years of practice, providing valuable 
background information on difficult-to-reach populations. The result, a 
humanist' approach to family problems, as detailed in Marriage and 
Family Therapy, enables the therapist to cross social, cultural and racial 
boundaries to work effectively with and make an impact of families whose 
social characteristics differ greatly from his or her own" (The Haworth 
Press). 
I unreservedly agree with the press release statement because I found reading 
this book very pleasurable and refreshing. It is very practical and the clinician is
94 Book Reviews 
taken step-by-step through the sociocognitive approach to handling cases. Because 
itholds a systemic view to therapy, family therapists will find this book very useful. 
The relabelling of personal problems, not as psychopathology, but as personal 
limitations, helps the therapist to see the client in a positive light from the 
beginning. 
Dr Hurvitz's crisis management techniques are very practical and also the 
incorporation of contracts between family members is a very useful technique 
which many clinicians will find very valuable if they incorporate this in their work 
with clients, whether in crisis or not 
I would recommend the book to all clinicians who work with individuals and 
families whether they be family therapists, social workers or psychologists. 
Reviewed by E Muzenda, Training and Clinical Director, CONNECT (Zimbabwe 
Institute of Systemic Therapy), Harare. 
Teaching Secrets: The Technology in Social Work Education, by Ruth R 
Middleman and Gale Goldberg Wood (eds), 1991, The Haworth Press, New York, 
138 pp, ISBN: 1-56024-213-2 (h/b, $22,95. 
Ruth Middleman and Gale Goldberg Wood have produced a book that has given 
me hope in my aspiration to be the best lecturer that I can possibly become. In this 
book, both authors have articulated various ways of being a creative teacher. The 
way they have presented and discussed the relationship between the "secrets" of 
practice and the use of self is excellent This is the book that is a must for teachers 
of social work and I will have no hesitation to recommend that the School of Social 
Work should obtain a copy for each of its staff. If all lecturers read this book, they 
would be stimulated to become more creative in their teaching methods. 
Middleman and Goldberg Wood have done an excellent job in editing various 
chapters of the book and making them read congruently. My favourite chapters in 
the book are: "Helping Students Learn from Each Other", and "Standing for Values 
and Ethical Action: Teaching Social Work Ethics". In fact, all the chapters written 
by various academics are excellent and one finds it hard to pinpoint the weaknesses 
This book has left me with a renewed sense of excitement that it is possible for 
one to become a creative and excellent teacher without having gone through a 
J-aculty of Education. I highly recommend this book for all the lecturers who teach 
social work without having learnt "teaching methods" as taught at Teacher 
TL1"8 C o ' 1 ^ - Anybody who is interested in becoming an outstanding lecturer 
will find this book compelling and useful as a constant reference book. 
Reviewed by Ruth H Kiire, Lecturer, School of Social Work, Harare.
Book Reviews 95 
Social Development in Africa: Some Radical Proposals, Stephen Chan, The 
Edwin Mellen Press, London, 1991, ISBN: 0-7734-9637-8 (h/b). No price given. 
Stephen Chan was sent to Africa in the early 1980s by the Commonwealth 
Secretariat to work in the fields of social development and international relations. 
His book is based on his field work experiences. It focuses on youth and social 
development, and the broad question of development aid. 
The author raises an important argument pertaining to the determination of the 
criteria that guides the disbursal of foreign aid. The lack of participation of poor 
countries in this process results in the creation of aid policies which emphasise the 
establishment of uniform operational procedures which serve to justify and 
perpetuate the existence of the international technocratic missionary that manages 
development assistance. The author's argument that political leaders in peripheral 
nations are powerless to oppose the North's economic paternalism is superficial. 
Many Western-educated political and bureaucratic elites in Africa perceive 
metropolitan countries as a reference society. Hence, even local development 
initiatives are inspired by Western values and concepts of development 
The book perceives the minimalist basic needs strategy which was articulated 
by the World Employment Conference in 1976 as a form of debilitating welfare 
imperialism. It has dismally failed to produce significant changes in the lives of the 
dispossessed. The author also notes that the super-imposition of small-scale 
industries on developing countries should be discouraged as it effectively reinforces 
patterns of international power and dependency. 
Chan's discussion on the impact of foreign aid on the South is handicapped by 
a lack of penetrating class analysis. In effect, some of his views reverberate the 
sentiments expressed by Africa's lumpen bourgeoisie who simply define their 
countries' economic predicament in terms of the North's political and economic 
manipulation. The process of internal colonisation in Africa has permanently 
subordinated the have-little to the have-plenty, oppressed tribes to dominant ones, 
women to men, white Africans to black-skinned Africans, and rural communities 
to urban and regional centres. 
The ruling elites in Africa have derived disproportionate benefit from foreign 
aid. They have also contributed to the postponement and termination of foreignaided 
projects through bad policy and bad government Sambona (1993) contends 
that their lack of discipline is inspired by the metropolitan elites. He defines foreign 
aid as " ...transfersfromrich countries by their corrupt political elites to the equally 
corrupt counterparts in the poor countries".
96 Book Reviews 
Some of Chan's proposals would be perceived by radical scholars as simplistic 
and paternalistic. His recommendation that industrialised countries should adopt 
aid policies that will boost developing countries' development efforts presupposes 
that foreign aid is inspired by the North' s benevolence. This downplays the fact that 
donor countries derive economic advantage from aid programs. Rempel (1992) 
also shows how foreign aid bankrupts Africa. Thus no amount of hand-outs will 
eke out Africa from calamitous poverty and under-development. 
As the competition for world resources gets tougher and tougher, African 
countries should become more self-critical, assertive and ambitious. They should 
forge strong regional and continental links that willenhance their bargainingpower 
and increase their right to self-determination. 
The author makes no recommendation for the radical restructuring of power 
relations within African states. It should be accepted that even if the volume of aid 
for Africa can be increased it will not empower grossly deprived masses because 
of growing structural inequalities. New measures should be adopted to create 
effective democratic institutions in Africa. The process of cultural imperialism 
should also be reversed so that development policies can become more sensitive 
to the needs of the marginalised majority. 
In Chapter Five Chan criticises the clinical hegemony of the individual service 
approach. He maintains that the phenomenal growth of youth unemployment in 
Africa will render this approach ineffectual. The youth are desperately in need of 
resources, services and opportunities. He proposes the introduction of social work 
education and practice which are informed by sociological and economic disciplines, 
rather than psychoanalytic ones. Although his recommendation finds 
support in the writings of several African scholars it overshadows the fact that 
casework can be radicalised. Once the unempowered are equipped with critical and 
reflexive consciousness they will confront their oppressive situations individually 
and collectively (Paulo Freire, 1972). 
The author's argument that Western-based social work approaches are inappropriate 
to the African context shrouds the fact that these methods have also failed 
to upgrade the status of the poor in developed societies. Social work in Africa, as 
in developed societies, was not created to play a proactive role in the process of 
social and economic development, but to respond to social pathologies generated 
by the processes of industrialisation and urbanisation. The major achille's heel of 
Chan's work is that it fails to situate the failures of this profession within the 
dominant capitalist ideology that is operating in Africa. Conservative social work 
and other helping professions cannot be transformed if the hegemonic ideology 
which informs national development planning is not challenged and changed. An 
analysis that casts the net wide might inspire social workers to network with other
Book Reviews 97 
human services professionals, political parlies and pressure groups which seek to 
mobilise resources for the African peasantry and unemployed youth. 
It is not clear what Chan means by African social work. Development policies 
in Africa are over-dominated by the modernisation thesis, which is encouraging 
westernisation. The issues and problems that social work seeks to confront are 
generated within a political economy which has contributed to the dislocation of 
traditional institutions of welfare and support As well, social work educators, 
students and practioners in Africa and other peripheral nations are informed by 
conceptions of social work that were developed in the North. 
This author has missed out another important point which any radical writer 
cannot overlook. This relates to class conflicts that exist between social workers 
and their clientele. Social work professionals support ideological commitments 
which are oppressive against the youth from marginal classes and subcultures. The 
poor and their radical advocates should pressurise social workers to reorientate 
their philosophic orientation so that their profession can become accountable to 
their constituency. Social work intervention can only be effective if the poor are 
given more power to determine and run programme services. 
The rest of the book discusses the problems that effect the implementation of 
youth development Although this book covers some pertinent issues that affect 
social and economic development in Africa, some of its arguments and proposals 
are rather limited and outdated. The work of Fraser Taylor and Fiona Mackenzie 
(1992) provides a penetrating analysis of Africa's current crisis, and reveals how 
the ordinary people are struggling to survive. 
References 
Freire, P (1972) Pedagogy of The Oppressed, Penguin Books, New York. 
Sambona, J (1993) "How Much Aid Reaches The People?", in New Africa, June. 
Rempel, H (1992) Bankrupting The Poor: International Debt And The Lower 
Income Classes, University of Botswana, Gaborone. 
Taylor, F and Mackenzie, F (eds) (1992) Development From Within: Survival 
in Rural Africa, Routledge, London. 
Reviewed by Logong Raditlhokwa, Department of Social Work, University of 
Botswana, Gaborone.