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

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

between 1965 and 1966. Funded by the government of

Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...

, it covered politics, economics and culture from a

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

and anti-colonial perspective. Its staff included members of Ghana's prominent African American community. The author Julian Mayfield 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, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...

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) (born 1936), American academic * Preston King (mayor) Dr Preston King (1862-1943) was the Mayor of Bath in 1913 and 1917–18. ...

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: Whit ...

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 Augu ...

. ''The African Review'' was distributed in by the Publicity Secretariat in Ghana and by John Henrik Clarke 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 banned the magazine and publication permanently ceased.

References

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