Africa Is Not a Country

There is quite a lot of personal stuff in here, and quite a bit of (contemporary) history. Personally I was here mostly for the contemporary history, but I didn't quite feel I got enough of that. Pockets of information about a few African states. I thought we would get to know all of the African states, the current status they have, the outlook for their future, perhaps a bit about how they came to be a country etc. The general point is taken, that Africa has many countries and there are significant differences between those countries.

Dismantles the many myths & prejudices outsiders hold about monolithic "Africa", along with a startling reminder of its colonial history and an overview of its many forms of dictatorship. Lively, enlightening & optimistic without being overly simplistic.

Reading time 6 days, 59 pages/day

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #BookWyrm

At times l, this book burns with a righteous anger, at others it shines with joy and humour, in still others it frustrates with a scattergun lack of focus. In those bright and angry moments, though, it's something to learn from. Great discussions of how 'Africa' has been created in Western media, and how the cultural treasures of the real Africa have been looted to museums in the rest of the world.