''The African Review'' was a magazine published in

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

between 1965 and 1966. Funded by the government of

Kwame Nkrumah Francis Kwame Nkrumah (, 21 September 1909 – 27 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained ...

, it covered politics, economics and culture from a

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

and

anti-colonial Decolonization is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. The meanings and applications of the term are disputed. Some scholars of decolon ...

perspective. Its staff included members of Ghana's prominent African American community. The author

Julian Mayfield Julian Hudson Mayfield (June 6, 1928 – October 20, 1984) was an American actor, director, writer, lecturer and civil rights activist. Early life Julian Hudson Mayfield was born on June 6, 1928, in Greer, South Carolina, and was raised from ...

was the magazine's editor-in-chief while

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credi ...

contributed articles about politics and culture. Jean Carey Bond,

St. Clair Drake John Gibbs St. Clair Drake (January 2, 1911 – June 15, 1990)Calloway, Earl (June 28, 1990). "Memorial services held for Dr. Drake, noted author and Roosevelt professor." ''Chicago Defender'', p. 10. was an African-American sociologist and anthr ...

and

Preston King Preston King may refer to: * Preston King (politician) (1806–1865), American politician * Preston King (academic) Preston Theodore King (born March 3, 1936) is an American academic and African-American civil rights activist. He taught extensiv ...

also wrote for the magazine while

Tom Feelings Tom Feelings (May 19, 1933 – August 25, 2003) was an artist, cartoonist, children's book illustrator, author, teacher, and activist. He focused on the African-American experience in his work. His most famous book is ''The Middle Passage: White S ...

contributed original artwork. It also featured early work by the Botswanan author

Bessie Head Bessie Amelia Emery Head (6 July 1937 – 17 April 1986) was a South African writer who, though born in South Africa, is usually considered Botswana's most influential writer. She wrote novels, short fiction and autobiographical works that are ...

and the Jamaican poet

Neville Dawes Neville Dawes (16 June 1926 – 13 May 1984) was a novelist and poet born in Nigeria of Jamaican parentage. He was the father of poet and editor Kwame Dawes. Biography Neville Augustus Dawes was born in Warri, Nigeria, to Jamaican parents Aug ...

. ''The African Review'' was distributed in by the Publicity Secretariat in Ghana and by

John Henrik Clarke John Henrik Clarke (born John Henry Clark; January 1, 1915July 16, 1998) was an African-American historian, professor, prominent Afrocentrist, and pioneer in the creation of Pan-African and Africana studies and professional institutions in acad ...

in the United States, but poor funding appears to have limited its reach elsewhere. After a coup toppled the Nkrumah government in 1966, the newly-formed

National Liberation Council The National Liberation Council (NLC) led the Ghanaian government from 24 February 1966 to 1 October 1969. The body emerged from a ''coup d'état'' against the Nkrumah government carried out jointly by the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Arme ...

banned the magazine and publication permanently ceased.

References

Society of Ghana Nkrumaism Magazines published in Africa {{Ghana-stub