Abstract:
This book investigates the ways in which soft power is used by African countries
to help drive global influence.
Selecting four of the countries most associated with soft power across the con tinent, this book delves into the currencies of soft power across the region: from
South Africa’s progressive constitution and expanding multinational corporations,
to Nigeria’s Nollywood film industry and Technical Aid Corps (TAC) scheme,
Kenya’s sport diplomacy, fashion and tourism industries, and finally Egypt’s
Pan-Arabism and its reputation as the cradle of civilisation. The book asks how
soft power is wielded by these countries and what constraints and contradictions
they encounter. Understandings of soft power have typically been driven by
Western scholars, but throughout this book, Oluwaseun Tella aims to Africanise
our understanding of soft power, drawing on prominent African philosophies,
including Nigeria’s Omolúwàbí, South Africa’s Ubuntu, Kenya’s Harambee, and
Egypt’s Pharaonism.
This book will be of interest to researchers from across political science,
international relations, cultural studies, foreign policy, and African Studies.
