My Country, Africa chronicles, in her own eloquent words, the extraordinary life of Andree Blouin, a pivotal figure in Africa’s struggles for independence, who became chief of protocol to Congolese prime minister Patrice Lumumba. In an absorbing and intensely personal account, Andrée traces her evolution from rebellious schoolgirl to "black pasionaria.” Possibly the only woman to emerge a leader of the liberation movements of the 1950s and 1960s, she was at times branded a courtesan and a witch. Slander, expulsion, even attempts against her life did not deter her while she was embroiled in the events that led to the assassination of Lumumba. She won world acclaim as the Madame de Stael of the African Independence Movement as she fought to teach her humiliated and resigned countrywomen a new sense of pride and dignity.