Book excerpt: First published in 1999, this volume is an attempt to make the facts of the tremendous physical, social and psychological problems for the uprooted due to the numerous conflicts known to all and to stress the need for a concerted effort by all to achieve lasting peace on the continent. Ebenezer Q. Blavo had substantial opportunity to observe first hand and be in close contact with refugees of almost all African nationalities. He explores concepts and experiences of being refugees as well as current and potential refugee policies for African countries. This book forms part of a series on voices in development management, in which grass roots organisations and development practitioners can voice their views and present their perspectives along with the conventional development experts. Many of the volumes in the series will contain explicit debates between the various voices in development and permit the suite of neglected development issues such as gender and transport or the microcredit needs of low income communities to receive appropriate public and professional attention.