A concise yet comprehensive survey of the reasons why South West Africa (now Namibia) is a vital area of the African continent. The author traces the course of over eighty years' economic and political exploitation of the African population by a succession of white powers, from the original British and Dutch traders to the Nationalist regime begun in 1948. She argues that the ironic tragedy whereby a League of Nations mandate became an instrument of oppression may yet become a source of hope.