Africa at War and Peace

Conflict avoidance in Africa may have been easier in the continent’s early history. In this chapter we review the so-called ‘garden of Eden’ myth, which maintains that the people of Africa were contented and peaceful until the arrival of explorers and colonial power. There is scant evidence to support this idea; the myth is probably just that. But the good news is that since independence, African states, with a few exceptions, have mainly contained conflict within their borders, and the days of imperial conquest may be over.