African Section

Research Resources and Guides

Country Studies:

Africana Collections: an illustrated guide to the Africana Collections at the Library of Congress

African Business Guide: Increasingly, the global business community is viewing sub-Saharan Africa as a continent of rich business, trade and investment opportunities. This resource guide provides a selection of major African business and economic information resources available via the Internet. Additionally, it includes a selection of sources available in print format in the Library of Congress.

African Journals Online (AJOL) Database: The AJOL Database includes direct access to approximately 210 African published research journal titles from 21 African countries covering the fields of agriculture, health, science, technology and the social sciences. Tables of contents, abstracts, e-mail alerts, and document delivery services for selected journals are available. There is no subscription fee but registration is required to access the database.

Ancient Manuscripts from the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu: The manuscripts on view are from the Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library and the Library of Cheick Zayni Baye of Boujbeha, two of the most noteworthy institutions in the Timbuktu area. As part of its continuing effort to create a universal collection of recorded knowledge from all geographic areas and all historical eras, the Library of Congress is particularly proud to have the opportunity to exhibit these important cultural artifacts from Mali. The Library is also pleased that copies of these manuscripts will be deposited in its collections and will be available for use by researchers and scholars.

Reconciliation Processes in Africa During the last two decades of the 20th century, 28 sub-Saharan African countries were engaged in violent conflict. In Rwanda, alone, approximately 800,000 people died as a result of genocide in 1994; and an estimated 4.7 million died during the last decade of the 20th century in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Millions of non-combatants – women, children, the elderly, the disabled, and the poor – were killed in other African conflicts during the last century. Little scholarly research and analysis has been done to explore the different approaches that are being employed in Africa to foster reconciliation. In the African context, what is the potential for reconciliation? How has reconciliation been used to bridge historical and cultural divisions? How can reconciliation best be promoted and contribute to sustainable peace and democracy–building? What are its limits? This portal guide is an ongoing project to provide an irregular series of online reference and finding aids covering key Africa policy issues.