{"product_id":"my-country-africa-autobiography-of-the-black-pasionaria-9781839768712","title":"My Country, Africa: Autobiography of the Black Pasionaria","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"We who have been colonized can never forget\"\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAndr?e Blouin--once called the most dangerous woman in Africa--played a leading role in the struggles for decolonization that shook the continent in the 1950s and '60s, advising the postcolonial leaders of Algeria, both Congos, Ivory Coast, Mali, Guinea, and Ghana. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this autobiography, Blouin retraces her remarkable journey as an African revolutionary. Born in French Equatorial Africa and abandoned at the age of three, she endured years of neglect and abuse in a colonial orphanage, which she escaped after being forced by nuns into an arranged marriage at fifteen. She later became radicalized by the death of her two-year-old son, who was denied malaria medication by French officials because he was one-quarter African. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn Guinea, where Blouin was active in S?kou Tour?'s campaign for independence, she came into contact with leaders of the liberation movement in the Belgian Congo. Blouin witnessed the Congolese tragedy up close as an adviser to Patrice Lumumba, whose arrest and assassination she narrates in unforgettable detail. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBlouin offers a sweeping survey of pan-African nationalism, capturing the intricacies of revolutionary diplomacy, comradeship, and betrayal. Alongside intimate portraits of the movement's leaders, Blouin provides insights into the often-overlooked contribution of African women in the struggle for independence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Verso\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/07\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781839768712\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.81lbs","brand":"Andr?e Blouin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44833818575029,"sku":"9781839768712","price":22.91,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_5425b0cb-aecd-4eda-b62a-829625e29054.jpg?v=1732030218","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/my-country-africa-autobiography-of-the-black-pasionaria-9781839768712","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}