Review
Mac Dixon-Fyle's rich and original study explores Saro history through close examination of the career of a single individual and his family in the small settlement of Sierra Leonians in the easter Nigerian city of Port Harcourt...He demonstrates a clear understanding of the relevent literatures. THE HISTORIAN, Vol. 65, No. 3

Book Description
By examining the history of the Potts-Johnsons (an immigrant Saro (emigrant Krio people) family from Sierra Leone) living in the Port Harcourt region of Nigeria from roughly 1912-1984, this study reviews the migration history of the Saro in the Niger River delta. The work also touches on many important issues to consider when researching African history: intra-African migration, status of and dominance by elites (both indigenous and immigrant), women's roles in social relationships, and the preservation of family and cultural values under extreme socio-economic stress. Mac Dixon-Fyle is an Associate Professor of History at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A Saro Community in the Niger Delta, 1912-1984: The Potts-Johnsons of Port Harcourt and Their Heirs reviews the history of Sierra Leoneans in the Niger Delta from the time of their migration there in the early twentieth century. By focusing on the Reverend L. R. Potts-Johnson, the unofficial leader of the Saro community, the work provides an inside view of the trends, thus enhancing the treatment of many important issues to be considered when researching African history, among them intra-African migration, status of and dominance by elites (both indigenous and immigrant), women's roles in social relationships, and preservation of family and cultural values under extreme socioeconomic stress.

SYNOPSIS