This blog post is the second of three pieces marking the publication of Working People Speak – Oral Histories of Neoliberal Africa. It features Alexander Freund’s compelling foreword, which introduces the wide range of oral histories explored in the book, including interviews with female farm workers in South Africa, tea makers in South Sudan, and a prominent trade union leader in Zimbabwe. The foreword highlights the diverse ways oral history sheds light on the economic hardships, inequalities, and the profound socio-political and cultural changes neoliberalism has imposed on millions of ordinary working people.

Over the next two weeks, we will be posting three pieces to mark the publication of Working People Speak - Oral Histories of Neoliberal Africa. Here, the book's editors introduce the volume, which draws on worker testimonies from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and South Sudan. They argue the value of oral histories in helping document and understand significant change in the everyday working lives of people on the continent, and review the wide range of material covered by the book. Commentaries by Alexander Freund and Kalundi Serumaga will follow next week.