By examining the history of the Potts-Johnsons, an immigrant Saro family from Sierra Leone living in the Port Harcourt region of Nigeria from roughly 1912-1984, this study reviews the migration history of the Saro in the Niger River delta. The work also touches on many important issues to consider when researching African history: intra-African migration, status of and dominance by elites (both indigenous and immigrant), women's roles in social relationships, and the preservation of family and cultural values under extreme socio-economic stress.
Mac Dixon-Fyle is associate professor of History at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.
Reviews
Mac Dixon-Fyle's rich and original study explores Saro history through close examination of the career of a single individual and his family in the small settlement of Sierra Leonians in the easter Nigerian city of Port Harcourt...He demonstrates a clear understanding of the relevent literatures. --THE HISTORIAN, Vol. 65, No. 3
