Africa Books

This book is a wonderful collection of tales told by Tunisian women, translated into English. While it is folklore, it is not for children--some of the tales are quite risqué! Highly recommended--but for adults!

Fun and easy reading. Challenges stereotypes and cliches one may have about women in muslim societies. This is the tale of tales which explores the oral tradition of a society's women to pass on stories of one's culture. By the telling stories -often "dissed" as old wives tales - of women in non-traditional roles, or sometimes ordinary roles, these tales validated and placed a value on the lives of many women in a society which tended to devalue their existence. Read and see how important that part of your growing up may have been. I liked the book and challenge you to find a reason to dislike it.

The world's full of literary journals. Why read this one? If you want to know about the world, it's all on National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and CNN, isn't it? What possibly can a literary journal add?

Don't look for the answer in the Table of Contents. Look for it in the Author Bios. To take only a few of the 28 contributors: Razi Abedi is from Pakistan, Vasilis Afxentiou from Greece, Arlene Ang from Manila, Anjana Basu Calcutta, Richard Czujko South Africa, Viktor Car and Miroslav Kirin from Croatia, Raymond Ramcharitar from Trinidad. Several are from India, there's a handful are Yanks, plus assorted hangers-on from places in the world with no fixed address, apparently they just respond to "Occupant."

Some of their characters leave a track, some make a mark, some luxuriate in unearned reward, some crumple under the stubbornness of systems, some sing, some cry. Yet when the last shovel of dirt is spaded or the pyre done to embers, their little bundles of personality have vanished along with their fleeting, private histories, blips on a scale whose magnitude they or we may never know, their meaning incomplete because our comprehension is incomplete. This instant, too, is a short story.

More than mere characters are in these stories. We are, in that part of ourselves which is all humans. First we are a dream, then we are not, then we are again ("Sister Hanh" by Ly Lan), only this time vaporous angels, the angels of the keys, angels in the sense of "Mon ange te précédera"-My angel will precede you-the ignored part of our own relevance going ahead of us into the so-called future (A Feast of Crows" by KC Chase), preceding, going ahead of us, furthering us ahead of our pace ("The Long Journey" by Vasanthi Victor; "Jesus Christ Lord of Hosts Discovers Southern California" by Holly Day), while events of the hour play themselves out as if seemingly important in our monkey-brain salad-bar humanity heads ("Parking Ticket" by Norma Kitson). The carnival barker calls on ("Singing in the Wind" by Keith Smith).

In these stories.

In some tales is the taste of cultures gone rancid ("The Ngong Hills" by Rasik Shah and "London Through the Magic Eye" by Raymond Ramchartiar), scallop-shaped memories in white light ("The Lost Village"-Lang Lo in Vietnam-by Le Van Thao), the wire through which happiness flows ("The Burden of Grace" by Vasilis Afxentiou), the sense of life's undoing preordained ("Curses and Poetry" by Anjana Basu and "Diary of a Street Kid" by Fanuel Jongwe), this or that character blocked by not knowing their true worth ("Dalit Literature" by Rezi Abedi and "Spectacles" by Anjana Basu), others a tarantella of quick cuts as the burning finger of the past reaches their heels ("Snapshots of Elsewhere" by Raymond Ramchartiar). The shape of a woman created out of the galaxies ("A Betting Man" by Vallath Nandakumar). The gelatin temple of turning deeds into a brand name (Winnie Mandela portrayed in David Herman's "The Lady and the Tiger"; "The Transformation of Sleepy Hollow" by Richard Czujko).

Everything is real, their reality, even the phantasmagoric. Like the paintings of California Realist James Doolin, the "realism" in these stories is skewed in a way that what is seems always lunging forward at an angle, anything but static. A good story tells us of time; what it brings us to know within is untouched by time. These accounts are real, yes, close to the surface of here and now, but also deeper for their absence of self-interjection, the contrived just-so light and just-so exoticism of the TV Special. Nothing artificial, nothing fake, nothing held back. What you feel is not the author's work, it is your own feelings responding to the facts they set forth.

About half are fiction-or rather, reality with the clothes of character on-the rest non-fiction. Some are cryptic enough to be short-shorts. Most have a certain fabulistic air about them; all you have to do is change the humans to animals and you have Apulius' Golden Ass or Mr. Toad and friends. The usual baggage of reviewer lingo hovers uneasily near these pages. The stories are lives, not stories; circumstances, not contexts. In the lives on these pages, Levi-Strauss, F.R. Leavis, postmodernism, and semiotics are self-indulgent caricatures. When we know where fear comes from, we transect it. That's when the stairway appears before us.

This "Gowanus" anthology is an outstanding volume of third world writing. Reading many of the essays, short stories, and poetry was more than a joy, because you get the flavor of other places, a sense of the people, and new perspectives about what's happening in "real time" around the world. To be sure, a lot of these writers are unsung, but clearly enormously talented. This volume deserves nationwide exposure, and many of the writers here could make a lot of noise, if they are "discovered." I recommend this one! It's an exciting, turn-the-pages read.

This book is a wonderful description of how the Seichelles were 50 years ago. It tells the ultimate (real) adventure of a man who had the strenght to change completely his life, and decided to live remote somewhere in the Indian Ocean. This is a story which will carry You in a world apart, and that it will not be any more. It makes you think of what and how much we have lost in our day after day rat race.
Read and escape for a while. Buy as many copies as You can and make it read to your children before it is too late for them.

This book is an absolute blinder. For any body like myself who is interested in diving or travel it will enthraul, for anybody else just the mere excitement of the story and the histerical situations a bunch of half naked Sechelian men and one very confused westerner can get into will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. You may be interested to know that "Beyond The Reefs" is infact a double book, also containing my favourite of his "Sharks For Sale". Some of the things in here like being puled along side a hooked 30 foot female great white have to be read to be believed. As I said this book is fantastic and if youv'e ever read something like the beach then this is sure if only superficialy to appeal. ORDER A COPY NOW! INFACT ORDER TWO OR THREE!

First, some disclosure - Tilley was the professor to introduce me to St. Augustine's work in a seminar at the University of Dayton, for which I am eternally grateful. So, naturally, I shall be a bit biased in her favor.

Having said that, this work is excellent on many levels. First, Tilley shows a exceptional knowledge of the Donatist heresy, both in terms of facts and also for the "feel" of Donatist piety. She presents very well the style of thinking and types of discourse that the Donatists used, and why it makes sense for them to have done so. Second, Tilley approaches the Donatists in an intellectually fair manner. On the one hand, she is not joining in the (oft-times polemical) attacks in the style of the orthodox writers, and on the other hand does not present the Donatist heresy as a group that can do no wrong (and thereby avoids the adulation given by some scholars to any movement with the word "heresy" attached to it). Third, by presenting the context (in history and culture) within which the Donatists existed, one comes away with a very helpful understanding of how Donatism fit into its time and place.

All in all, an excellent work. Anyone interested in St. Augustine, patristic-era church history, or heresy should have this book on his/her shelf.

I was impressed by Tilley's careful recovery of the tenets of Donatism from the polemics of its adversaries (including great Augustine). Donatism was a fourth century church which developed in Roman North Africa around Carthage in the aftermath of the Diocletian persecutions, watered by the blood of confessors of the faith, embarrassingly simultaneous with Constantine's legitimizing the more accommodating Latin church developing in the eastern Imperium. Carefully, by analyzing the polemics which contain the remnants of Donatist thought, Tilley reveals a strong Church which had not taken the establishment turn of the "Latin" church, and indeed stood against it even through the Vandal invasions, until it disappeared with the coming of Islam.

Exceptional scholarship. The book is arranged chronologically covering the development of the scriptural canon and the theology surrounding the use of it. Good use of notes and a bibliography for supporting documentation. If you are interested in the early church this is a good place to start. If you are already knowledgeable of the early church you will still get a lot out of this scholarly book.

This collection of essays about the use of the Scriptures in the early church is valuable to any student of the early church or of the Scriptures. Something often missing from commentaries on the Scriptures is an understanding of how they were used and received by the early church. This information ought to inform our methods for reading and using the Scriptures, as well as our understanding of them.

The essays on early liturgies, Christian art (i.e. iconography) and martyrs are probably the best in the collection, but those on asceticism and the use of the Bible by the early Bishops of the Church such as Iranaeus of Lyon are quite good as well.

Despite the price, this is a "must have" for any serious student of Church History or the Bible.

My sister and I read this book in preparation for a four month trip to africa, of which two months was spent on bikes. This book was the single most useful, common-sense guide we read in all of our preparation - both for biking, and just generally getting by in Africa. Really - read this!

This is the best handy-dandy guide to tour preparation that I have ever read (and I have probably read most of them). It is written with a wealth of experience behind the pearls of wisdom and that experience comes shining through on each section.

Concentrating on Africa, Mozer has outlined all of the things that have to be considered when preparing oneself and one's bicycle for a trip to a foreign country. In addition to covering the general prep, visas, inoculations, currency, etc., the author outlines how much one can benefit from experiencing the country on its terms rather than yours. I think he sums it up perfectly, with respect to Africa, when he says "...the essential difference between western and African culture is that Africans are concerned with the form of life and westerns dwell on the content."

Mozer uses a perfect blend of sensible advice and anecdotes in this easy to read manual. Whether or not you are planning an African tour, I think this manual is worth a read.

This book is a must for those who want an account of Black History in North America and the Caribbean. It really provides a foundation for you to view the Caribbean in different light and to understand why we are now where we are today. It is both informative and disturbing. This should be part of the National Curriculum in so many countries. The account Mr Segal gives on each Island is rewarding. I has a 'sense' of what I saw when I went to Martinique and the book provides firm facts which have enabled me to reflect on my journey and forthcoming journeys. If only more people from Europe and within the Islands read a book like this!!

Ronald Segal's book "The Black Diaspora" is an excellent historical and cultural account of African descendents living outside of Africa. This book is so smoothly written that it is impossible not to enjoy and learn a great deal from its pages. The format and flow are so well put together that Segal's many topics of discussion are beautifully linked with easy transitions. I loved this book and learned a huge amount about the black diaspora despite having read many, many other books on this same topic.

This is without a doubt the most logical of undercurrents, yet the most hidden aspect of slavery, surely obscured from history, and from the view of most white women. Few stop to think about it, and fewer still want to see the evidences of this reality. Yet, it may well be the essential part of slavery that women need to see because it is consistent with the reality that forms the emotionally charged fear that led to civil rights failures - the fear of retribution by the guilt and shame of men over the centuries of domination that could be the only possible reason for such heightened resistance to economic freedom. The passion not only to protect private stock, but also the possibility that their own women would be subject to such abuses is the only logical explanation of the fear that could have driven the giving of freedom and payment of minimal wages. The economics alone are insufficient to withstand scrutiny of reasons to perpetuate slavery sufficient to sustain a civil war.

I think the title is deceptive. When one sees "Black Women/White Men," one would think of a collaboration. In fact, if black women are mentioned first, one would think that they are leading the dynamic. However, none of this could possibly be said about the legalized rape of enslaved African-descent women. The subtitle is more appropriate; this could have just been called, "The Sexual Exploitation of Female Slaves."

Then again, that assumes that the author had this as a main theme. This book barely covers that theme at all. This book was about the oppression of African slaves, period, one aspect of which is legalized rape. Because sugar cane cultivation involves heavy lifting and uses of dangerous weapons, the slave trade in the Caribbean was highly gendered, and gendered toward men. So naturally, the author talks more of the abuse against slave men, reiterating the silliness of the book's title.

I was expecting this book to talk about the Sally Hemings and Thomas Jeffersons of the Caribbean and I imagine that most readers would imagine the same. However, that history was quickly summarized in one page in the middle of this book. I really think the author gave this book its deceptive title, dare I say it, in order to appear like he's discussing a "sexy" issue.

When I think about colonialism, I usually think of it as solely a British, French, and Spanish phenomenon. So I was intrigued to be reminded that the Danish had empiric aspirations as well. However, this book stated that the Danish were never heavily involved in settling the islands discussed. The Danish West Indies became the American Virgin Islands, so this is Black American history and should be recognized as such, especially for those interested in African-American history like myself.

The book is riddled with spelling errors. I am not sure if that arose due to the author's use of English as a second language or the limited resources of the press that printed this book. The author quotes ad nauseam to limited historians and hisotrical figures. Now, to his credit, maybe little has been written about these islands and their histories. Still, after awhile, it feels like the reader is getting a skewed and strikingly incomplete examination of the topic. The author compares the Danish Caribbean situation to its French counterpart in Saint Domigue (aka Haiti). However, he barely mentions anything about the islands' Spanish-speaking neighbors. Surely this is due to a lack of understanding of Spanish on the author's part. With Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic all in this same area, it seems like a major fallacy to exclude them in a comparative analysis.

I am glad this book exists. However, it is second-rate and I predict that it will disappoint many as I was.

These are finely-wrought, wonderful stories that are not only compelling story-wise, with complex characters, etc, but also refreshingly responsible, especially compared to most of the other Peace Corp writers (as well as other Western writers writing about the "third world") that I've read. For example, instead of recycling (racist) stereotypes and/or exoticizing Africa, Eileen Drew keeps a steady and critical gaze on her Western characters' ambivalent and relatively privileged positions viz-a-viz her African characters, and as a result, manages to craft stories that honestly and compassionately grapple with the racial, social and cultural and emotional tensions that inevitable come with the territory. At a time when "multiculturalism" (ironically) is breeding anew works that reinforce cultural and racial stereotypes (mainly because there is still an enormous lack of self-awareness/critical self-reflection), Drew's book was a delight to find. I'd recommend this to anyone!

Reading this book was a breath of fresh air. I have not read such beautiful prose since finishing Gimpel the Fool by Isaac B. Singer. Within a few sentences of each story I felt myself being transported to the tropical local of each story. The protagonist/girl/young woman of each story melded into a single character trying to find her place in a crazy world. I was sad to see each story end, as I felt I wanted to know more. All young women should read this book, so they will know they are not alone in their journeys

Fikru Negash Gebrekidan is a courageous writer who did an immense service to the young generation to reassure the bond between Ethiopians and African decedents in the New World not an accidental one; rather the factual historical accounts depict a century worth of relation and integration. The book title did justice to author well-researched thesis. The author illustrated clearly the Black intellectuals rejecting the Eurocentric philosophy and religious belief and embracing Afrocentric belief.

In 1930, black people throughout the world doing worst such as Jim Crow in US, Apartheid in South Africa, most of the African Nations were colonized with the exception of Ethiopia on vicious European ill intent "Scramble for Africa." In spite of these unfortunate facts there was the single, black, east African nation Ethiopia crown Haile Selassie as King. The idea of possibility to keep nation sovereign from foreign invader or protecting individual freedom conceived and echoed from Africa to the New World. There was noticeable pride and motivation among blacks as result there were peoples resistant and aggression against the establishment and anti colonialism movement mushroomed everywhere. Such sense of pride was challenged when the Italian dictator Mussolini invaded Ethiopia 1936-1941 despite the Italians previous embarrassing defeat at the battle of Adwa in 1896 known as "An African Victory." Italian invasion in Ethiopian crated such global movements among Blacks in the New World particularly in US were united, demonstrated even registered to fight Italians' fascism beside their Ethiopian brother and sister. The Ethiopians and global sympathizers brought an end to Italian fascism despite the United Nation (UN) unwillingness to condemn the Italian government.

In the last 95-years almost a century (1896-1991) there was a significant cultural exchange and Ethiopian Orthodox Church expansion in the New World. The effort made significant changes on the psychology and thoughts of Blacks in the West. Emperor Haile Selassie I land and citizenship promise to the skillful and professional blacks in the west brought hope and light for the Black Nationalist movement in the west. However, Emperor Haile Selassie understood it would be mutual beneficial to give priority to the professionals, technicians, artisans and farmers under the condition that the new settlers need to assimilate the local culture and language as well as willingness to reside permanently. The Rastafarians keen interest to follow Marcus Garvey "Back to Africa" philosophy and strong unity also aspired. The Jamaican government sponsor unofficial Back-to-Africa mission selected peoples traveled to five African nations to find out the likeability repatriation. Finally, missionaries confirmed Ethiopia being an ideal place and the people of Ethiopian very hospitable by nature will make settlement simple and successful. Furthermore, the Rastafarian adapted the Ethiopian flag as symbol of freedom and religion. Abyssinians was the first reggae band to incorporate Amharic lyrics to be exact in 1969 single album released contained "Setta Masgana le Amlak Hul Giz." We need to give thanks and praises to God continually.

The book shed some light on Majesty's visionary effort on improving the Ethiopian education, the champion effort establishing the Organization African Unity (OAU). On the other hand, the effort granting land and citizenship also brought a few skillful blacks to settle and share knowledge. The numbers of African decedents settled in Ethiopian were not significant by any measure.

Ethiopia went backward from any measurable progress after the successful military junta led by Mengistu Hailemariam in 1974. Most Ethiopian "Elites" were tortured and killed during government special force covert operative known as "Red Terror" to destroy democratic movement and to establish tyrant leadership. On the other hand some educated, productive and young generation of Ethiopians fled out of the country and settled in North America and Europe. The number of Ethiopians settled in North America continues to grow faster at the end of 20th century due to Diverse Visa (DV) lottery issued every year. The interaction between Ethiopian and African-Americans become first hand. The relationship has not been fruitful consider the century history of relation and integration. The irony is some Ethiopians are disassociating with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and embraced Pentecostal western religion sect. On the positive side the number of western educated Ethiopians rocketed sky-high compare to 1930's and 1940's; however, none of them are returning to Ethiopia any time soon. I believe there must be more effort to rekindle the century relation and integration. Ethiopians must participate on the African-Americans' core effort and principle of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); furthermore, the African-Americans need to support the Ethiopians effort to bring democracy and fair election in their homeland Ethiopia. There is lack of knowledge on both community at large as well as not having visionary leaders halt the relation and integration of the two communities achieved in the 20th century. The young generation has the task of completing unfinished journey and envisions the new chapter for new generation to harness the relation, integration and unity that enable Africans and African-Americans to live in United States of Africa!!!
Bond without Blood: A History of Ethiopian and New World Black Relations, 1896-1991

This is a seminal work on Ethio-Black Diasporan relations that is groundbreaking and perhaps even revolutionary in casting new light on Ethiopian historiography and on Ethiopia in a rather rejuvenating African context. Far away from the long entertained view of "semitic" origins to the Ethiopian Civilization, which supposedly spurred "paternalistic, derogatory and even racist" attitude and view of other fellow Africans on the part of the Ethiopians, this original work has attempted to tackle rather successfully with these misconceptions and misrepresentations of Ethiopia, Ethiopian history and Ethiopians from differet socio-economic strata. It argues for the integrally African nature and origins of the Ethiopian Civilization and for the deep convictions and affinities entertained both by Ethiopian aristocrats and the working class with Africanness and fellow Africans/Blacks both in Africa and in the Diaspora.
This is a very important work since it offers a clear departure from ideological and ethnic narrowmindness entertained by African elites towards a pan-africanist and Ethiopianist world view in which political and economic integration and interdependence is invoked between African countries and diasporic communities due to long lasting historic affinities between Africans both at home and in the Diaspora.
Finally, in adopting Afrocentrist thought as a legitimate school of thought, it opens the way and affirms the necessity for the reconsideration and rewriting of African history in general and Ethiopian history in particular.