Publisher's Synopsis
Dr.Siaka Probyn Stevens was the third Prime Minister of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1971 and the first Executive president of Sierra Leone from 1971 to 1986. Siaka Stevens died on May 29th 1988. May His Soul continue to rest in peace. In 1985, Dr. Siaka Probyn Stevens published his Autobiography- 'What Life Has Taught Me'. What Life Has Taught Me is in part a political history of Sierra Leone and in part the story of a self-made man. This is a republication of the autobiography, which comes in two parts. Part I covers his political career and his role in shaping the political landscape of modern Sierra Leone. There is much in these pages to interest anyone - thoughts about the temptations of corruption, views on ideologies, and free speech. Siaka Stevens talks about his supporters and his opponents. He remembers the first Prime Minister, Sir Milton Margai, with reverence and respect - even when he reflects on his imprisonment during that period. Perhaps most revealing of Stevens (and especially interesting to scholars for its new information and perspectives), is his assessment of the military, attempts on his life, coups he tried to forestall by gentle warnings to potential perpetrators, those that were attempted and failed, as well as the one that succeeded in 1967.Stevens brings this period vividly to life and in the process poses difficult questions about how one controls a military bent on intervention in political affairs. Siaka Stevens has been more successful than many political leaders in this regard and as such his thoughts, concerns, and actions are particularly important. This book is important in addition because it reveals much more than the life of Siaka Stevens. It is also about the process of development, decolonization, and the dynamics of nation building.
