After World War II, it was not just Britain that was undergoing dramatic social change but also her Empire, and in particular Africa.  Whilst The Gold Coast was shaping itself to be the first African country to gain independence, South Africa was implementing the racial injustice of apartheid.  However, it's the events that occured in the former Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana, that tell a more gripping tale of heroism, deceit, prejudice and triumph.

Colour Bar is Susan Williams's enthralling account of Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana, and his devoted wife, Ruth.  Heir apparent to the throne of Bangwato, the largest tribe in Becuanaland, which was still a British colony, he had come to Britain after the war to study law.  A fiercely intelligent, charismatic man, he was a natural leader and after meeting a young white woman, Ruth Williams in London, they fell in love and planned to marry.  But this was 1948, and the idea of a mixed race marriage was considered shocking and unacceptable. 

After initial objections under tribal traditions, his own people took Ruth to their heart.  However, the British Government had other plans. Under pressure from the racially oppressive regimes of both neighbouring South Africa and Southern Rhodesia, diplomatic measures were brought to bear that forced Seretse and his wife into exile for six years. Constant campaigning by ministers, diplomats, religious leaders and the implacable nobililty of Seretse himself, eventually ensured his triumphal return home in 1956, guiding his country with dignity and diplomacy (and without bloodshed or civil war) to independence ten years later and giving strength by example to future leaders of other African nations, including Nelson Mandela.

Susan Williams has crafted this shameful but equally uplifting account of the fading days of colonial rule in Africa with an exquisite eye for detailed research and a spell-binding ear for storytelling.  It's a striking portrait of an extraordinary man and his equally resilient wife whose strength of purpose and devotion won the hearts of the British people and the media. Their unyielding love helped fight against an endless barrage of obstacles, objections and downright hatred to win the respect of the entire world.  Having accessed newly released documents, Williams depicts an evocative portrait of Britain in the 1940s and 50s, a country still shaken and scarred by the aftermath of war, confronting its own shifting prejudices but putting itself back together piece by piece,   She also elegantly recounts events that shame successive Labour and Tory Governments, who conspired to legitimise racially motivated actions disguising them with diplomatic reasoning or simple deceit. As a result, the whole story carries the air of a tense thriller, weaviing its way back and forth across two continents.  Seretse's eventual victory gives the book a triumphal resonance of hope.  Nearly 60 years on, the darker lessons of history seem to be overshadowing certain global events today, making Colour Bar a sobering, inspirational, essential read that remains as relevant as ever.