Africa Books

Professor Lewis R. Gordon (Temple University) has outdone himself in this groundbreaking introduction to Africana existential thought! In addition to a breakthrough in Africana studies, Fanonian and DuBoisian students and scholars alike will appreciate the fruit of Gordon's labor. I would highly recommend anything written by Gordon; his style and method are very endearing to the reader.

If you are at the least familiar with Prof. Gordon's work, then you should need no prompting in purchasing this text. If not, then I wholeheartedly recommened "Existentia Africana" for anyone with an interest in race theorizing along existential lines. Gordon draws influences from such existential theorists as Frantz Fanon, W.E.B. DuBois, Jean-Paul Sartre, and bell hooks to paint a very coherent and useful picture of modern Africana existential thought. Buy it, and read it, you won't be dissappointed.

Sylvia Wynter has said that it is the challenge of the writer to create new "forms of life." Lewis R. Gordon has done just that with "Existentia Africana." With chapters such as "Can Men Worship?", "'What Does It Mean to be a Problem'?", and one of the most moving sections, "Writing: Words and Incantation", Gordon pours out his soul in trying to explain to the reader why in the year 2000 black people in Africa and the African Diaspora are still regarded as problem people. The author is a writer, philosopher par excellance, a jazz musician, a product of both Jamaica and black America, the academy and the realm of grassroots political activity. Discussing persons such as Frantz Fanon to Angela Davis to Jean-Paul Sartre to W.E.B.Du Bois to Naomi Zack to Josiah Young to Abbey Lincoln and to others, Gordon's words and incantation force the reader to confront the meaning of black existence from Jamaica to the United States to the UK to Africa to aboriginal Australia. Gordon differentiates between the European movement of thought "Existentialism", versus what he terms a "Philosophy of Existence/Existential Philosophy." A Philosophy of Existence addresses issues of freedom, anguish, dread, and responsibility in a way that does not limit discourse to European thought and thikers such as Sartre, Heidegger, Jaspers, and Simone de Beauvoir. Dear reader, please read on if you are willing to confront these serious and pressing issues of our times.

I find this book useful for numerous reasons but due to limited space, I will enumerate a few.

Africa and the developing world have been ignored by researchers and scholars, despite their wealth of resources. Exporting Communication Technology provides a detailed and well-thought out account of how social, cultural, economic, and educational factors account for the well being of communication activity in Africa.

The book also describes with clarity market dynamics and the expectations of policymakers, foreign aid donors and local entrepreneurs in managing social, cultural, and economic forces and in promoting development on the continent.

I like the author's ability to blend market/basic economic theories with his own ecclectic representation of communication theories.

I would recommend the book to a friend, book committee in a university, task managers in non-profit organizations, and especially, a policymakers in local and foreign governmental agencies that assist developing countries in realizing their long term needs

There is a resurgence of research on Africa, following a number of global events. As the author of this book rightly suggests, the "release of Nelson Mandela from prison and his eventual rise to power and the scramble for new markets in Third World countries" (pp. 1-2)are responsible for the global new interest.

Nothing has been more timely to Africa's economic emancipation than the bunch of constructive ideas propounded by Dr. Ngwainmbi.

That he uses communication, specifically information technology, as a model to describe Africa's educational-political-economic futures is rife, since effective communication itself has been lacking among African policy makers and even the fast-growing middle-class.

Among numerous logically sound prognostics, he stipulates that "parastatal agencies and regional services operating beyond national boundaries will increase business opportunities for the private sector with national and international shareholders competing to provide efficient services" (p.3)

Already, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and a number of international telecommunication agencies have been cooperating with many newly privatised national telecommunication cooperations to provide cyber information access and other services to the African population.

The timeliness of Dr. Ngwainmbi's book is infact a blessing to Africa's economy in general and to young entrepreneurs and telecommunication policymakers in particular.

As a Canadian interested in the development of Third World economies, I have found this book very useful. I think internet service providers, telephone equipment companies, and other providers of information electronics in the Western Hemisphere have to read this book, if they want to secure Third World markets for their products and services.

I find this book useful for numerous reasons but due to limited space, I will enumerate a few.

Africa and the developing world have been ignored by researchers and scholars, despite their wealth of resources. Exporting Communication Technology provides a detailed and well-thought out account of how social, cultural, economic, and educational factors account for the well being of communication activity in Africa.

The book also describes with clarity market dynamics and the expectations of policymakers, foreign aid donors and local entrepreneurs in managing social, cultural, and economic forces and in promoting development on the continent.

I like the author's ability to blend market/basic economic theories with his own ecclectic representation of communication theories.

I would recommend the book to a friend, book committee in a university, task managers in non-profit organizations, and especially, a policymakers in local and foreign governmental agencies that assist developing countries in realizing their long term needs

Eye of the Wolf is a very interesting book. It told lots of different stories which ended up coming together in the end. I liked how the boy closed one of his eyes to make the wolf not feel sad. I also like how the boy could talk to animals and had relationships with all different kinds of animals from camels to wolves and cheetahs. The wolf's story was sad but ended up happy at the end. He lost his family in the wild and then lost his zoo family, too. But the boy became his friend and helped the wolf feel better. I recommend this book for everyone!! (The illustrations in the book are terrific and capture what is going on in the story!)

I read the book in other language, i.e. Korean, and with other
illustration. However, this is a really beautiful story whatever language it is written in. There is an wolf who has been captured by men and put into a zoo. When he was caught, his one eye was injured, but he didn't mind because he decided that one eye is sufficient to see the sad, miserable world of men-to his eye, men are as sad and miserable as the captured animals in the zoo. There is a boy from Africa who stands in front of the wolf and look at him directly in his one remaining eye. He himself has been through a lat of sad incidents all over the Africa - in yellow, grey, and green ones. What do they see each other's eyes ? How does the wolf change his mind and accept there are something even in this miserable world worth watching with two eyes ? It's a so beautiful and poignant story (and I don't want to spoil your chance to find it^^), worth reading over and over again.

Africa has a story to tell, and so does the wolf he visits every day at the zoo. At first, the wolf is annoyed by Africa's constant visits to his cage. He wonders why he is there and what he is looking for, so he stares back at Africa, challenging him to leave and let the wolf return to his loneliness.

But by looking into each other's eyes, the two are able to understand each other's stories and recognize how their lives relate to one another.

The wolf's story is about the family that he lost-his mother, sisters, and brothers-and how he came to live behind the cage at the zoo as a sacrifice to his sister. Africa's story is about the loss of his family and his life as an orphan, a shepherd, and now finally an adopted boy with a last name. But when told simultaneously, the stories suddenly become about looking for home, about being needed, and about being important and meaningful, no matter where you are.

What a unique storytelling adventure! The meeting between Africa and Blue Wolf is an unfamiliar way to open a story, and the reader is almost tempted to set down the book. But soon enough, Pennac creates an interaction between the two that is magical and enchanting and that leads the reader into two dynamic worlds.

There is an unexpected depth to Africa's existance, and his mystical ways with animals is a brilliant contrast to the very human emotions of Blue Wolf. As Blue Wolf tells his story of daring rescue and escape, he becomes a powerful reminder of all that is beautiful in nature. There was no way to anticipate the manner in which all the characters come together in the end or the final power that Africa and Blue Wolf have upon each other, but it is fascinating, indeed. The language is specific and flows beautifully together as an extension of Africa's famous storytelling abilities.

It must be really strange for a child of immigrants to understand what their parents are feeling about their other country and culture. Some may or may not understand their parents first language. I am eager to share this book with my students and see what they think.

Faraway Home is the story of a young girl whose father must go away to his home land to see his mother. The girl (Desta) isn't very happy about this. The illustrations (by E. B. Lewis) are simply stunning. This is a truly spectacular book

In this beautifully illustrated story, a young girl comes to terms with her immigrant father's plans to visit his country of birth, Ethiopia. In the process, she learns about the differences and similarities between his childhood and hers and, more importantly, about the enduring strength of the love between parent and child. This wonderful book is perfect to share with the child facing similar fears about whether a parent will return from a journey to a distant place or the child perturbed by immigrant parents' longings for an unknown and strange land. For every parent and child, it is a great introduction to a family discussion of "when I was your age, we ..." Highly recommended.

we just came back from our south africa tour using the footprint handbook to zig zag more than 10 000 kilometres through the country. this book is a five star travel companion: very much up to date in sections like accommodation addresses, price categories, timetables - and the footprint kept us entertained as well. With little personality stories and well researched history background. the best thing for us: footprint calls it a handbook and not a guide book and that is what you need if you are self sufficient travellers like us in our vw kombi. look up the little sleepy karoo towns you are passing through on your way to major tourist destinations and even there you will find interesting details about the country. also well researched are the route descriptions if you are tending to go off the beaten track and for instance go off exploring some of the winding roads, that thomas baines designed more than 100 years ago along the garden route. if you use this book as a reference book while having your own ideas what to see and where to go, you won't get lost. instead you will get an idea what living in the rainbow nation is all about. one regret: a pity that the cool story about johnnie, the cave man, who explored big parts of the oudshoorn cango caves, got shortened in the new edition.

It is rare to find such a well written, comprehensive and detailed guide. The maps are excellent and cover more than just the essential. Information is as up to date as you can get it - this guide gets reprinted yearly. I also understand that from the time editing is finished it appears on the shelves within 3 months. The print is smallish and the paper is thin. However, the information is absolutely incredible - about 8 times more comprehensive than its nearest rival! From hiking trails to detail on less frequented places. This is deservedly the no. 1 selling book for South Africa - probably as timetables of trains, busses and Baz Bus is published and it makes trip planning really easy. It is also not written only for budget travellers - it is a book for everyone. Highly recommended.

This is by far the best guide to South Africa. The information is very comprehensive, accurate and informative. The format is a sturdy hardback that's small enough to be easy to pop into your bag but won't get battered easily.

My grandfather "Cliff" and Gale "Dusty" spent years in the mountains seeking the old mine. I have a copy of the book signed by Gale and addressed to my grandfather. Thanks to this book and the luck of a good friend of mine who was lost in the area, some new things have come to light after years of being lost. It is exciting to see how all the history comes together.

After reading this book I love going into Eastern Utah. I always drive slowly along the road and look to the mountains trying to find the clues to the Lost Rhodes Mine. Have been searching for a copy and the new followup The Gold of Carre Shinob.

As a partner of Gale R. Rhoades, I found that by using the information that he had gleaned from years of research we was able to make several very profitable discoveries. Together we walked the Uinta Mountains in search of his Great Grandfathers gold. We had fun. I miss him greatly.

In our time of displeasure at government bureacracies, in a climate of cynicism and lost hopes, this story stands out and provides a light for us to follow. Although the suffering of the people of Burundi is brutal and truly sickening to the soul, the story of their plight and rise to move forward is heartening. Senator Krueger and his family displayed admiral courage in a theatre of true terror and life-threatening dramas. How many of us would have stood up to speak for the downtrodden when it meant our own lives were at risk...and those of our family?

This is more than an adventure story. It is a tale of the moral standards that can matter in the world, when the structure of civilized peoples is crumbling. We must learn from this and heed the wisdom of one of the last clear voices from the political estate left in the United States. Senator Krueger's appeal for peace and reconciliation is the call for action we must all heed or find ourselves caught in the disruption of our own alienated society.


Rick Tobin
Host of "The Road to Ready"
President/CEO
TAO Emergency Mangement Consulting

This book is well written and is very thorough. A must read for those interested in the realpolitik and history of Burundi and the internal conflict between Tutsi's and Hutus in the central African country. This book also provides great detail about the role and responsibilities of an Ambassador working on behalf of the United States and the ideological differences held within the State Department about the proper role the United States should play in Burundi.

This book is both harrowing and inspiring. Ambassador Krueger details how a dictator with an army used violence on his own countrymen to subvert a nascent democracy. Krueger's struggle to gain international attention for the genocide-in-progress reveals flaws in various national & international institutions -- flaws that still require scrutiny and improvement today. Mrs. Krueger's chapters vividly make the point that foreign service a family matter. Both authors provide moving portraits of individuals who worked in their own quiet or overt ways to stop the genocide; the ordinary-extraordinary courage of these people reminds one of Paul Rusesabagina's story. The Kruegers' conclusions about how a nation can move forward after genocide and autocracy offer hope for Burundi and much matter for thought for other areas of the world.

Having been to Africa, I can attest that this volume of photographs (the result of a collaboration between six photographers) accurately illustrates daily life. The introduction makes informative reading, and the historical time chart is useful. There are some great urban shots, as well as those of fishermen, a textile craftswoman and other artisans, market scenes, colorful signage, religious iconography and services, health clinics, wildlife, and even a coffeemaker. The color (of the more than 150 images) is excellent. This would be a great gift for someone with an interest in West Africa, and it will be cherished by those with connections to Ghana (or just by those who appreciate good photography).

This striking collection of photographs documenting contemporary Ghana reflects a strong sense of place. Starting with the brilliant emblematic cover portrait, the viewer is welcomed into the distinctive world of everyday Ghanaians whose lives are revealed in all their diversity from fishermen and artists to port workers and women in prayer. How often do you see pictures of a man making rope, a worker carving a pirogue with an adze, a woman transporting a tub of bread on her head while she talks on a cellphone, a casket in the shape of a fish, and the ethereal beauty of dried fishing nets? The bold colors of Ghana resonate in beads and batiks, and businesses engage you with snappy names like the "God is Good Cold Store" and "Hello Furniture Work."
Caveat: the compelling images in this book may transform you from an armchair traveler to an actual explorer of this picturesque west African country.

It is rare that such a sensitive portrait of a nation can be achieved in the short period of time that these six talented photographers had to shoot but the word "talented" is what made it all possible.

Each sees the country from a different point of view and the synergy produced is simply awesome. I enjoyed turning each page for the surprise that ensued and I realized that Ghana was not just another African hellhole but a place that I would ike to learn more about and visit someday.

The warm personalities of the people just jump from the pages and I immediately suggested to the principal of the predominately African-American school where I substitute teach that it be acquired for the school library.

Don't miss this one. It's got great layout, a marvelous preface by the director of the project as to how it evolved, and a great introductory essay by a woman born in Ghana who is now a U.S. scholar who discusses in folksy terms the fascinating history of the country and also refers to individual images in the book. There's also a timeline that brings you up to speed on this fascinating country's history.

When I finshed the book, it went on a special shelf in my library reserved for A-Plus photo books so I can have quick access to page through them over and over again.

You'll love this book!

I have relatives in South Africa so I have bought several "South African" children's books for my son over the years (he is now almost five), but this is definitely our favorite. The folk-art-style illustrations are beautiful -- every page is a gem. They are realistic, too, in the way that they depict the characters, their house, and possessions -- accurately capturing the simple poverty.
The wording of the story is poetic and engaging.
My son really likes this story and will read it with me night after night.
It is just a very appealing book overall and a nice way of introducing little ones to Africa. (Too bad it is no longer widely available.)

In South Africa, Thulani is tired of milking his cow every dayso he exchanges it at the store for a goat. That doesn't work - toomuch trouble so he makes some more exchanges ending up with a pocketful of seeds. As his wife Dora tends the fields of growing sunflowers, Thulani goes back to dozing beneath the hot sun. When the sunflowers drop their seeds & he feeds them to his chickens - ah! amazing things begin to happen & Dora is happy! Lively story & lovely pictures with some good ideas about work & play, labor & results. A treasure! Great gift material...

I read the Swedish translation of the book in the fall of 1997. This was one of the best childrens books I have read for my 7 year old daughter Kimia. We both liked it. I must admit though that I liked the book more than she did. I had no choice but to start translating it to Persian. I just visited www.amazon.com to purchase the English version of the book.

The message in the book in my opinion is that Thulani is not really lazy. It just appears so. The story shows how an apparently lazy person who aimlessly sits in the sun is a wonderful loving individual full of life, energy and ideas. I'd like to see the story as applicable to most of us humans. We are all full of life, energy and ideas. We just have to try. Hopefully, our love, for someone like Dora, will lead us to the right place and time.

In GIRL SOLDIER, an interesting collaboration, Grace Akallo and Faith J. H. McDonnell tell the story, which we almost never hear about, of the children of Northern Uganda. Faith gives the political and historical background and the `reasons' for the madness, while Grace gives her first-hand account of being one of those stolen children. She tells how they are forced into the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) where girls are made to be soldiers and/or given to commanders as `wives'. Along with other girls who were kidnapped from her high school, she is forced to march without food or water. Any attempt to escape means instant death, usually at the hands of the other children. The youngsters are forced to bite the escapee to death, beat with them sticks, or stab them with bayonets and many other horrendous acts. Grace, during her tenure with the LRA, was once buried alive because they thought she was dead. Fortunately, she clawed her way to the surface and survived.

GIRL SOLDIER is a heartrending story of atrocities that rarely make the US newspapers or other mass media. It is the hidden shame that is frequently ignored. I found Grace to be a very strong young woman with an unbelievable will to not only survive, but to bring the world's attention to these abused young people of Uganda. The book is well written and frightening. In addition to the political background, Faith also lists several things any ordinary American citizen can do to help ease the torture of these children. It is a must read book, even though it is extremely painful. Everyone needs to know of the horrors some children must survive every day of their lives.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

What a fascinating collaboration. Grace Akallo, kidnapped as a child by Ugandan soldiers, teams with Faith J. H. McDonnell, one of the foremost advocates of justice for Ugandans. Together they tell not only Grace's story but a story of grace--God's grace in the midst of human atrocities.

For years rebel armies have been raiding Ugandan villages to kidnap children and force them into lives as soldiers or wives. More than 30,000 have been enslaved. This historically faithful account also is meant to inspire and inform: what can we do to stop such injustice?

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction , Spiritual Friends, and Soul Physicians.

An astounding book that alternates between the girl soldier's story (in her understatement that paints a picture beyond belief) and background information from a Washington, D.C., advocate, including what we can do. Moving beyond words.