Know your author: Hanlons

Born in the US to Joseph Hanlon Senior an engineer and mother Clarah in 1941, Dr Hanlon was educated in the USA before leaving for England in 1971.
Dr Hanlon, who has a PhD in High Energy Physics from Tuffs University, later moved to Mozambique and has lived there for considerable periods. He is one of the most knowledgeable people in the English-speaking world on that country’s current affairs and history over the past several decades.

Before moving to Mozambique and specialising in the problems of developing countries, he was an editor of Computerworld and technology policy editor of New Scientist magazine. To date Dr Hanlon has several publications to his name, some of which were done with the help of his wife Teresa who is a researcher and interviewer. Her ability to source interviews and gather information has complemented her husband’s writing skills and the combination has been phenomenal.

Teresa, who was born in 1948 in North England to parents Jack a bookseller and Dorothy a Librarian, says her parents used to encourage her to study and she found it easy to love books as she was born and bred “among books”. A Mathematics teacher and researcher, Teresa has taught for several years both in England and in Mozambique when he was travelling with her husband on research missions from 1980 to 1985.

“Joseph and I managed to work together on the book ‘Zimbabwe Takes Back its Land’ (2013), then ‘Beggar Your Neighbours: Apartheid Power in Southern Africa’ (1986) and ‘Do Bicycles Equal Development in Mozambique?’ (2008) and we still stayed friends. It has been an incredible experience for both of us,” Teresa said.

Some of the books Joseph wrote with the support of his wife were “Mozambique: The Revolution under Fire” (1984); “Mozambique and the Great Flood of 2000”, with Frances Christie; “Mozambique: Who Calls the Shots?” (1991) with James Currey; “Renewed Land Debate and the ‘cargo cult’ in Mozambique”, “Civil War, Civil Peace”, edited by Helen Yanacopulos; “Illegitimate Loans: Lenders, not borrowers are responsible”, “Just Give Money to the Poor: The Development Revolution from the Global South”, With Armando Barrientos and David Hulme, (2010).

Their latest book “Zimbabwe Takes Back its Lands” mirrors the violent occupation of land that took place in Zimbabwe half a century ago by white war veterans from the World War II.

Tens of thousands of indigenous Zimbabwean families lost their farms and livestock to white settlers at gunpoint without any compensation. The book also revisits the first land reform of 1980 where some indigenes gained land although the Willing-Seller-Willing-Buyer condition of the Lancaster House agreement meant that only the poorest of the land was made available.

Launched on March 21 2013, the book has been described by many as the keys to the future regarding the land issue in Africa. Professor Levi Nyagura, Vice Chancellor at the University of Zimbabwe said that the title of the book is self explanatory and simple but the book is a powerful piece of work from an outsider’s point of view.

“It is a good thing that the book was written by white people, two who come from England. Had it been written by native Zimbabwean the world would have said that they are Zimbabweans indoctrinated by the Government and the events around them,” said Professor Nyagura.

Prof Nyagura went on to say the fact that the writers are British makes one wonder why they are not biased. He also applauded the authors for giving prominence to women in their research and in writing the book.

“The book highlights a new era in Zimbabwe were citizens were being empowered through land regardless of gender or age. It is a portrayal of the time in Zimbabwe were gender ceased to be an issue. If white former farmers who lost “their” land in the year 2000 land reform were getting about $40 000 per farmer per year then I think the new farmers are doing exceptionally well.

The book shows us that it is not just about the historic farming targets set by white former farmers but it is about setting a new record as new farmers,” Professor Nyagura said. He added that the book gives society a chance to reflect on their past actions and correct past wrongs and mistakes.
l Joseph and Theresa have been married for 35 years.