Africa Books

The African (usually Nigerian) scammer letter has become iconic in western culture over the past 20 years. In the 80's I got letters in the mail, in the 90's it was faxes, and these days e-mails of course. There has been plenty of coverage about horror stories connected with these letters, that it's amazing that there are still people stupid and greedy enough to fall for them. As someone who has read so many of these for the comedy value, I find it only fitting that someone should turn these into works of art. This book is a collection of 36 of the author's favorite letters, wonderfully illustrated to depict the sob stories, promises of vast riches, etc.

Makes a fun quirky gift to anyone who is familiar with these letters.

German illustrator, Henning Wagenbreth, illustrates 36 scam emails from Africa .. not only are the illustrations amazing .. the emails are hilarious. I highly recommend this book!

This speech records a great moment in history the prosecution of Cuba's rectification process a struggle against the type of bureaucratism and corruption that led to Stalin's victory in the Soviet Union. Castro explains this is Cuba's part in the world struggle to build socialism. It also records another great result of Cuba's struggle" the victory of Cuban-Angolan-SWAPO forces against the South African army in southern Angola in early 1988 that led to the downfall of the Apartheid Regime in South Africa and independence for Angola and Namibia.

Fidel emphasizes all of this has been a result of the struggle against the narrow selfish outlook that Capitalism breeds. Fidel's message is really aimed at the discussions that led to the breakup of official Stalinism in the USSR and Eastern Europe. While some use this great opening for free political discussion and mass involvement to fall back to capitalism, Cuba's example and this speech by Castro shows the way forward is to socialism!

Some lump Cuba's government in with the wide assortment of progressive or populist regimes that have come and gone over the years. What makes Cuba different? Why has it been able to stand up to the U.S. so successfully? How has it been able to provide such an unmatched record of solidarity and service in behalf of oppressed peoples? The answer is to be found in this speech by Fidel Castro. Cuba had a socialist revolution and does not rely on capitalist methods.It does not rely on wealth, greed, corruption or cronyism to get things done. Cuba relies on the understanding and dedication of its workers and farmers. To take a current example, in Cuba, the government is able to mobilize its population and make sure that no one suffers or dies in a hurricane. Contrast this with the U.S. where capitalist methods are followed, leaving workers in New Orleans or Miami in the midst of an unending social disaster. In this speech, Castro outlines that it will not rest on its laurels or allow any of the corruption that marked the Stalinist regimes of the USSR. In the last part of this speech, Fidel provides a wonderful explanation of the Cuba-Angola victory over South African apartheid in 1988. Once again, Cuba mobilized its workers and farmers, sending tens of thousands of troops, saving Angola from conques,t and proving that apartheid was not invincible. This inspiring little book truly explains what makes Cuba different.

Even if you do not have much of an interest in Ancient Egypt this book is filled with information and explanations that will make you wonder why you haven't given much thought to the Ancient Egyptians before. The art, literature (first love poems!!), and architecture are enough to make you marvel. But the creation of a 365 day calander a by the ancient Egyptians a few thousand years ago is enough to give you pause; then you discover how really remarkable their skill and knowledge of medicine was and you sit back in awe, at least I did. Though there are illustrations, I wish there were more. And for some reason (though this may be unique to my eyes) the font that the Greenwood Press uses in this book, seems to require more focused reading. But these are very small concerns regarding a book that really gives you more than just information. It gives you a sense of the whole culture, and, if you're like me, you'll want to find out even more, which is a clear sign that the authors have done an excellent job.

dr. bob brier is great! this book is very informitive and fun. all of dr. bob's books are wonderful! egypt comes alive.

Enjoyed reading my friend John's (and fellow writer),book on his African Experiences.

His wife Adeline did a great job too.

Dr. Hult has written a truly remarkable story of life as a missionary pediatrician in East Africa. His writing is at all times clear and concise. He brings to life an era in this former British colony then called Tanganyika. For those of us who were there, and who recall the people and places he writes about, it's a nostalgic trip into the past. But for those who weren't there, this book paints pictures that portray humor and pathos, successes and failures, adventure and routine, life and death in a primitive African culture. A must-read for everyone interest in missions, African culture, or just the people themselves.

This is a stunning, beautiful and informative book. Done for the right reasons by people that cares. Five stars is not enough.

Beautiful. These photographs are absolutely breathtaking. Not only do these 8 photojournalists capture the tragic atrocities that are occuring in the region of Darfur, Sudan -- they capture the soul of the people that are being ravaged.

I appauld the courage of these people and others who travel to this region of the world and other places of genocide and mass atrocities and begin to open the eyes of the rest of the world. We can change the course of this world, and it begins with amazing photographs like this book gives to raise awareness.

Thank you for making this book. It is a good way to explain my career choice to my family and friends when they don't understand why I'd put myself in harms way for a bunch of people in a town hundreds of thousands of miles away for no reason.

There is a reason, and this book illistrates that very clearly. We are humanity, we are all human.

In the last chapter Daly describes the killing in Darfur every bit as bloody and destructive as anything you may have read in daily paper or magazine. The author makes it clear the national government of the Sudan has every intention to murder and drive the Fur people out of Darfur and take over their land. To carry out this ethnic cleansing, the Sudan Government encourages the pastoral livestock herders to act as marauders (the janjawid). In their extermination campaign they are supported by the Sudanese national army and air force. To avoid international or UN sanctions this government has repeatedly procrastinated, lied, and broken duly signed agreements and promises.

That is in the last chapter. Most of the book provides the historic background, how Darfur became what it is. History begins sometime in the 15th or 16th century with various independent principalities. Throughout history, during the Mahdyya, during the Egyptian and British colonial period, and even after independence Darfur was treated a special region. Generally neglected, it rarely played a role in the wider nation. Yet, at independence in 1956 some 55 percent of people in Darfur used Arabic at home, and only 42 percent spoke Fur. Thus the "racial" divide between "Arabs" and others is bogus. Daly has written an excellent readable history of the region.

It isn't that books such as these are of no interest to me;it's often just a case of dealing with difficult names and places which are overwhelming in English to the general, unsophisticated reader. For years now, we've read about terrible atrocities taking place in a faraway land; an area both remote and virtually unknown to the Western reader. At last,M.W.Daly has produced a book that is both informative and intelligible. First of all, it is a work of the history of this forbidding region, not a "blow by blow" description of a 21st century inquisition scene. Secondly,if the reader is able to subordinate relatively unimportant names to the general whole, the book reads very lucidly,a welcome relief to the non-expert,I suspect. Finally,albeit ominously,this problem area is not about to go away.Readers on all levels would be well advised to read this important book and to keep apace with Daly's future research.

This book examines the background of the genocide in the Sudan by examining the history of Chad's relations with Libya. Libya inserted itself in African politics in the 1980s and began a major degree of meddling in Sub-Saharan Africa, training revolutionaries and rebels such as Charles Taylor. Increasingly it involved itself in Chad and Chad became a brooding ground and testing ground for Arab Islamist militias persecuting indigenous Africans and Christians. This was a viscious recipe and it eventually led to the problems across the border in Darfur where similar rivalries based on race, religion and tribe ignited a genocide, backed by Khartoum.

A fascinating history and a new perspective.

Seth J. Frantzman

Images of the genocide in Darfur have shocked the Western world: Upwards of 300,000 of its inhabitants have died, and another 2.5 million have become refugees. Those affected by the violence are estimated at almost 4 million, 700,000 of whom are now beyond the reach of humanitarian assistance. These are staggering numbers, and the fractious insurgent groups involved-- Islamist Arab tribal militias against Christian black Africans and other militias made up of deserters of the Chad Army--were and still are supported to kill, rob, and terrorize by the governments of the neighboring states of the Sudan, Chad, and Libya.
These are the consequences of a decades-long war, as J. Millard Burr and Robert O. Collins explained in their earlier book, Africa's Thirty Years War: Libya, Chad, and the Sudan, 1963-1993. The Long Road to Disaster in Darfur updates this study and covers the events of the last thirteen years.

Reviews of Africa's Thirty Years War
"A lively detailed and informative study...The authors consider ethnic, religious, cultural, technological,geographic, and meteorological variables and present brief enlightening political portraits of the stories' protagonists. Historically situating the war within the struggle for supremacy along the borders of the Islamic world, the book seeks to explain why so many governments invested so much for so long in the control of such seemingly worthless expanses of sand and rock."
--Foreign Affairs

"This is a fine work, well documented and well argued, and convincing."--Journal of Military History

"This fascinating study combines analytical depth with accessible lucidity. It should be essential reading for any student of African history and politics." --African Studies Review

"...a timely, useful contribution. ... The volume is replete with meticulous detail. ...well documented and lucidly written...useful for years to come." --International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies

> Andrew Ross' study of the life and work of David Livingstone is a worthy
> contribution to the literary corpus of this great man. Ross makes
> accessible the revealing nuances and context of this giant of the 19th
> century. There is special sensitivity to Livingstone because, like
> Livingstone, Ross is also a Scot and served as a missionary in Africa.
> His impressive knowledge of Africa and its history serve the reader
> well in grappling with both the facts and implications of what
> Livingstone did. His research is thorough and objective, while his
> portrayal is winsome and inspiring. This book is necessary for an
> accurate understanding of Livingstone. Reading it is a delightful
> experience!

This work, featuring many new and nuanced insights, is a wonderfully written story of a very determined missionary and explorer. As the author so ably describes, our modern knowledge of David Livingstone is heavily influenced by the fact that, in death, he has been made the icon for many causes. His legacy has been put to the service of, for instance, British imperial aspirations. But as the author recounts, Livingstone's complexity defies any neat categorization.

Livingstone was possessed of a ferocious curiosity. He was born into a life of poverty, but became both a medical doctor and an ordained minister. He fathered a large family from whom, due to his travels, he was often away. Both his physical endurance, and his capacity to withstand pain were prodigious. His respect and admiration for African cultures was incomprehensible to his contemporaries. Witnessing firsthand the depredations of the slave trade, he devised strategies for development that, had they been heeded, provided a chance for leaving African cultures intact.

Livingstone mapped the unknown interior of Africa. His expeditions were remarkable both in the beauty of the places "discovered", and the grueling physical and consequent emotional demands on the explorers. During Livingstone's final expedition, the American journalist H.M. Stanley so famously "found" Livingstone. The meeting is replete with irony, and the context and effect of this meeting are very movingly described. Very moving, as well, is the story of Livingstone's death in Africa, and the transport, by loyal friends, of his body fifteen hundred miles to the coast.

Read the book, see the film, but if you can go and visit the battlefields in the company of David Rattray and his team.

The guidebook is a well written, easily digested and comprehensive guide to this corner of South Africa, by the author, who is extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the subject, having lived so close to two of the sites of major engagements, Isandlwana and Rorkes Drift, and who also owns and runs the Fugitives Drift Lodge. For those with only a short time to devote to seeing some of the sites the book is essential reading, the descriptions and directions to the sites being particularly useful. The illustrations and photographs are also useful especially in knowing exactly what one should be looking for at particular sites, in view of the sometimes overgrown and obscure nature of the locations.

The historical facts are well explained, giving the reader a good introduction as to why this conflict came about and on the major players in the campaign. A gripping narrative as to the conduct of each battle makes the book difficult to put down and readers would be advised to start the book earlier in the day rather than later!

Together with the guidebook a battlefield tour in David's company is guaranteed to make the visit come alive, his passion for the land and the Zulu people is obvious, the talks making it feel as if you were there on the day, especially on this 125th anniversary of the battles of Isandlwana and Rorkes Drift.

It is highly recommended from one who only recently purchased a copy, and was then lucky enough to visit South Africa, all within three weeks.

David Fuller
22 January 2004

I actually brought the book for modern photos and illstrations since I figured that I would never get to see these places in person. However, the book proves to be an excellent reference material as well. Its pretty clear that David Rattray knows his material and how to present them. Combination of great photos (b/w and color), excellent illstrations, maps and well written narrative, this book actually covered all aspects of the Zulu War. There are tons of information packed in this short book. This book appears to be a history book in disguised as a tour guide book. Can't get any closer to South Africa unless you were there already.

This book is very educational! I would say kids of all ages should read this book. This book is about a girl named Thembi who lives with her great-grandmother and parents. Well one day Thembi's mom comes home crying because black South Africans are finally going to get to vote and it it very special because it will be Thembis great-grandmothers first time to vote. At first Thembis parents say her great-grandmother cant go vote because they will have to be at work when she votes so she will have no way of getting there. Also that there will be very long lines and they dont think she can stand for that long. This book has very nice pictures that you should look at even if you havnt read the book! It teaches kids that in some places in our world people are not so lucky like we are, they dont have very much freedom. Also that children should'nt take things for granted and should respect what they have because other kids arent so lucky!

Contemporary authors tackle issues that would've been unheard of, fifty, even thirty years ago. "The Day Gogo Went to Vote" addresses South Africa's emergence from its apartheid past to the present politically-balanced form of government. Taking place in the days prior to the election of Nelson Mandela as its first black president, the book shows how important it is for open and free representation at the polling places.

The wonderful illustrations, coupled with the inspiring characters, make this a fascinating and insightful read. The love shared between the old lady and her grandchild, as well as the respect the community has for the elderly, helps to promote citizenship and family values.

"The Day Gogo Went to Vote" belongs in every library, every school, and, if things were perfect, every home.