The land beyond the mists: Essays on identity and authority in procolonial Congo and Rwanda

The horrific tragedies of Central Africa in teh 1990s riveted teh attention of the World. But these crises did not occur in a historical vacuum. Peering through the mists ofthe past, David Newbury presents a series of case studies that illustrate the significant advances in our knowledge and understanding of the pre-colonial histories of Rwanda, burundi, and eastern Congo. Based on both oral and written sources, the essays in th eLan beyond the Mists are important both for their methods-viewing history from the perspective of local actors-and for their conclustions, which seriously challenge colonial myths about the area.