The Last Colony: A Tale of Exile, Justice and Britain’s Colonial Legacy
by Philippe Sands
The Last Colony by Philippe Sands is about the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, which Britain grabbed hold of in exchange for allowing the rest of Mauritius to become independent in the 1960s. The entire population of the islands was deported to make way for a US military base at Diego Garcia. Sands is a human rights lawyer and represented Mauritius at the World Court in the Hague, in a fight to allow the people of Chagos to go home. It’s a book about the importance of international law, an explanation of how it evolves and how it can be used to find justice. It’s also the story of one woman, Liseby Elyse, deported from Peros Banhos in 1973. She was 20 years old and pregnant at the time, but lost the baby. She gave powerful testimony to the ICJ in 2018.
Recommendations from our site
“I’m sure many of your readers know Philippe Sands’s books. Philippe writes with real energy about subjects that are often very complicated, nuanced, and unpleasant. I did not know enough about this saga in British history, where islanders were removed from their homes because of the geopolitical nature of the archipelago they lived on, and its importance for military manoeuvres in the area.
Just as he did with his previous books, Philippe brilliantly weaves quite complex international law and international legal history with the personal stories of the people who were removed in the middle of the night. It’s a fabulous exploration of some big topics around how to structure international law and how to use the international legal framework, through the eyes of the people who were really impacted. The British did not behave well, not at all. In thinking about our role in the world, this is a really important book.”
