A path-breaking collection of essays on city texts and cultures, this anthology merges the concerns of urban, cultural and literary studies and engages with a multiplicity of African contexts.

"The papers in this volume cast new light on Zimbabwe's difficult recent history through the experiences of the large numbers of Zimbabweans now settled across the world, mostly in South Africa and Britian. Especially in South Africa, building popular support for the Zimbabwean diaspora is an urgent political challenge, and one for which this book provides plenty of resources. At the same time it offers a creative and intelligent contribution to the wider academic literature on diasporas." - Prof. Jennifer Robinson, UCL

"The volume is to be welcomed as a considerable addition to the...

Zimbabwe has moved from a condition of restricted expression to one of many contradictory expressions. Politics has lost none of its compromises and conflicts, but it has been amplified by an explosion of voices. For the first time, a genuine debate is possible among many actors, insiders and outsiders, and the question marks over Zimbabwe and its future are no longer in terms of a narrow choice between one party and another, one outlook or another. Compromise government has meant complexity of debate. This does not preclude disillusionment within debate, but it does include vigour and...