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Books on Africa
and Africans
The World and Africa
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Things Fall Apart /
Mandela’s Way /
Leadership without a Moral Purpose
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Who Fears Death
Hottentot Venus: A Novel
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Incognegro: A Memoir of
Exile and Apartheid
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Dreams of Africa in Alabama /
Diary
of a Lost Girl
Exporting American Dreams: Thurgood Marshall's African Journey
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Darfur: a short history of a long war /
The Land Question in South
Africa
The Autobiography of an Unknown
South African /
Chinua Achebe: The Man and His Works /
Becoming Ebony
The Osu Caste
Discrimination in Igboland /
Lumumba Speaks: Speeches and Writings, 1958-1961 /
Before the Palm Could Bloom
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
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Amy Ashwood Garvey: Pan Africanist
Feminist /
The Prophet of Zongo Street
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Time for Africans to Explore Africa
By Kate Nkansa
A few weeks ago, I
had a conversation with a Senegalese friend about
tourism in Africa. He made some interesting statements
that I found to be insightful. He said that Africans
were more likely to know more about France, the United
States, United Kingdom, and a host of other western
countries, than they were to know about, Mali, Ghana,
Tanzania, Angola or Senegal. Furthermore, Africans were
more likely to visit Western countries than countries on
the African continent.
I often listen to
Africans speaking and boasting about how many European
countries they have been to, they however fail to
mention one African country they have visited. Have you
ever heard of anyone mentioning that they have been
saving for a trip to visit Timbuktu in Mali, which was a
centre of Islamic learning from the 13th to the 17th
century; or Ghana which has some of the finest untouched
beaches in the world; how about the Great Zimbabwean
Ruins which is a world heritage site? Many of the places
to visit in Africa do not cost you an arm and a leg to
tour. It is possible to visit African countries on a
small budget and get the most out of the holiday. Here
is a list of places to visit in Africa (go to the
links). Westeners know more about our beautiful
continent than Africans. Whether it is
North,
Southern,
East
and
West Africa. There are some great places to visit in
Africa, something to suit peoples unique preferences.
Africa has many
wonderful countries to visit where we can enjoy the rich
history, cuisine and culture. It is time we take
advantage of what this continent has to offer in travel
and tourism. Let Africans support travel and tourism
within Africa. Many of the places we wish to visit in
the outside world are just at our doorstep.
We travel to France
to get a taste of French bread and wine; Italy to
experience their pasta and pizza; and Switzerland for
their cheese and chocolate. What cuisine are African
countries celebrated for having? Do we as Africans know?
Here are a few African dishes I came across that I am
certain would tickle anybody’s taste buds. Ghana is
famous for its shitor, which is a spicy hot chilli
pepper condiment that tastes like ketchup in the United
States and salsa in Mexico. Shitor
is served with any meal. It is delicious!
West African Cuisine and
East African Cuisine are delicious. Why not try
cooking a new dish from these regions? Kenyan and
Ethiopian coffees are some of the best in the world. I
am sure there are plenty other dishes and cuisines I
have failed to mention.
Let us be more adventurous, in
learning about different African music, cultural
history, cuisines and tourist spots. It is a shame that
we let our beautiful continent go unexplored by
Africans.
Kate Nkansa
is a risk-taker. She constantly challenges herself to
step out of her comfort zone. She is a social
entrepreneur, which is defined as a person who is
ambitious and persistent, who tackles major social
issues and offers new ideas for wide-scale change. Her
goal is to become part of a growing voice among Africa's
youth demanding change on the continent. She was born in
Ghana but spent her youth in South Africa. She's
currently living in South Korea, but will soon be back
on African soil.
www.africansolutionz.com
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Responses
Thank you for the
article. Interesting indeed. I would be among the first
to agree with you on the matter of getting to know one's
backyard before looking around the neighbourhood. That
said, there are a few things that I would like to bring
to your attention about the things that we would all
like to happen on this continent.
A couple of years
ago I tried to organise a trip around Southern Africa,
and up to the East Coast, ending on the beaches on Kenya
where we were to enjoy our New Year's eve amongst
Kenya's most beautiful. There were a number of
challenges that resulted in the trip being cancelled.
These challenges are the very things that I would like
to bring to your attention.
The first challenge
about travelling in Africa is that one always has to
travel with companions, preferably people who are
familiar with the country you choose to visit. The basic
story there, and this is one I experienced first hand
while travelling in Botswana just last year, is that the
road infrastructure (including and especially road
signs) is nowhere to be found and as a result getting
lost is VERY easy. I spent about an hour trying to find
my way from Gaborone to the border – a 15 minute trip,
even after having asked people for directions. The story
there, if you wana travel in Africa, find a
knowledgeable companion. What this means is that Africa
is not friendly to first-time visitors—something that
cannot be said for any of the developed nations.
The second
challenge came around the question of how to get to
where we wanted to get to. Would we travel by bus, car
or plane, maybe even a combination of all three? The
answer to that question is not as simple as it might be
in some parts of the world.
We could go by bus, but the experience would be of such
a nature that we could not even consider packing much
more than we could carry in one backpack, lest we get
tired along the way. Not exactly ideal for leisure
travel. We could possibly go by car. The challenge with
this mode of transport was the fact that we would need a
four-wheel drive in order for our journey to be remotely
possible. This could not happen because we just did not
have cars to begin with, never mind big ones.
Plus there would be
petrol consumption issues involved. At the time we
wanted to do the trip, Zimbabwe was still prone to
having no petrol at its gas stations so we had to factor
that into the trip as well. The last option was to fly.
That was a none-starter because trying to fly from South
Africa, through Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Uganda,
spending some time in Zanzibar, and ending up in
Kenya—and then back to South Africa—would probably cause
a dent even in Bill Gates' wallet. The combination of
these modes of transport as you can imagine was not
really an option either. Anyway, we managed to hash out
some plan that could allow us to make the trip and cost
us what could be viewed by only a few Africans as
reasonable.
Now, I am not one
to simply press on the problems that we have on the
continent because I believe in the potential that this
continent has, as you so rightfully point out in the
article. The reason I have painted the picture that I
have painted is to draw your attention to some of the
things that need to be corrected if African tourism is
to be a reality. The first is that we need to ensure
that the infrastructure in African nations is of such a
state that it becomes unbelievably easy for first-time
travellers to make their way through this continent
without having to worry about being lost.
The second is one
of affordability, and it leads on from the
infrastructure issue. We ought to ensure that there is
good enough infrastructure to make the travel between
African cities easy to accomplish and therefore cheaper
to provide. The third, and last that I will point out
today, is that of stability. Only stable regions can
enjoy great booms in tourism, even from their own
brothers and sisters. In neighbourhoods where there is a
lot of gang violence, parents tend to tell their
children to stay indoors and don't allow then to see
their neighbourhood.
In our own little
way, no matter where in Africa you might be from, let's
each play a role in getting these things in place. Let's
put each of our nations in a position to say to the rest
of Africa that they have no excuse for not visiting our
nations because everything is in place that would make
it possible for them to visit. Infrastructure,
affordable travel, safe streets and a stable supply of
all the goods and services needed to make a holiday what
it is meant to be, a restful time of fun and laughter.
One thing I cannot disagree with you about, is the
wonderful and colourful cuisine that Africa has to
offer, including Nigeria's peanut chicken.—Thulani
Madinginye 5 Oct 2010
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Chief (Thulani)
As usual you are
very thorough and thoughtful in your response. A very
impressive quality indeed. As someone who has had the
privilege of backpacking through Southern Africa I have
to say that some of the challenges that you highlighted
are indeed real, but not insurmountable. I travelled
with a mate of mine through Southern Africa without
knowing any locals; all we had was a map and some very
helpful, friendly locals so you don't necessarily need
to know any locals to travel through the continent. You
can easily navigate your way with just a decent sense of
direction, a good map and the help of the locals.
Secondly Africa is
actually quite friendly and welcoming to first-time
visitors even in its current state. What struck me and
my mate as we backpacked through Southern Africa and had
the most incredible experiences, was that we were the
only Africans who were travelling. In every place we
went there where lots of North Americans, Europeans,
Australians, etc. travelling through the continent and
totally loving it in spite of all its challenges. In
fact for most of them Africa's rawness actually
presented its greatest appeal. So the current state of
affairs need not be an impediment to young Africans
wanting to see and experience this great continent.
If people from outside can travel
the continent so freely, despite all its pitfalls, the
question needs to be asked: What is stopping us Africans
from exploiting our own continent?—Mugabe
Ratshikuni 7 Oct 2010
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I do not disagree
with the fact that we should be travelling. I do not
disagree with the fact that we should be trying to get
more Africans to see their continent and appreciate its
beauty. I am of the view that, as stated before, one
should get to know their own backyard before exploring
their neighbourhood. What I am simply trying to bring to
light is the fact that there are real challenges to
travelling in Africa that cannot simply be ignored.
There are challenges that present themselves that we
ought to get rid of.
Of all the things
that I stated, you have only stated one that can be
overcome. The matter of cost is real, and we know that
the majority of Africans live in poverty. The matter of
instability is yet another. Who would dare travel
through the Congo even today, in what is considered a
relatively stable political environment. Even countries
like Uganda still have parts that one cannot move
through because of political instability and warfare.
Believe you me, if
I could have things my way, every South African child
would travel to every town in every province of this
country by the time they turned 18, after which point
they would go on to explore Southern African countries
by the age of 22, and the rest of the continent before
they turned 30 years of age. Unfortunately that is
something that cannot happen, and my real point in
writing is that we ought to deal with those challenges
so that the next generation of Africans can have no
reason to remain within their artificial borders.
From a practical
point, we also ought to make it possible for Africans to
cross African borders for holiday making without any
need for a visa for at reasonable amount of time—about a
month. That way one does not even need to think about
whether they should travel or not. Then there is the
issue of healthcare Mr. Ratshikuni.
If you were to
catch Malaria or any other disease on your travels
through Africa, it will prove quite difficult to find
decent health care that would be able to save your life.
This is real, and most people worry about that. Every
time I tell my family I am going to any other African
country, one of the first questions I get asked is about
Malaria prevention, not out of ignorance, but because
it's a real concern. Once again I ask. What can we do,
as a generation, to rid this continent of these
obstacles to travelling across the Motherland?
How can we make it
possible for those who come after us to live and love
Africa by experiencing it? In every great nation, it is
incumbent on the current generation to see it as a duty
to leave the country better than they found it for the
next generation. Let us make that our pledge.—Thulani
Madinginye 7 Oct 2010
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* * *
Hi Thulani,
not a worry at all.
In response to your comments about the challenges that
potential african tourist may have… I'd say that you've
raised some very valid points. With regards to the
financial aspect of it, I know many people who save for
a year to go on holiday. Perhaps you and your friends
could have opened a bank account and put aside money
each month towards the trip.
Also hiring a 4×4
and driving it through Southern Africa could have been
another options. So you would not have had to have
anyone own a vehicle to make such a journey. [Here] are
some websites that can provide you with a quotation for
vehicle hire:
Off Road Africa and
Drive South Africa. From what I can tell with the
research I did it costs about R1000-R1200 per day to
hire a 4×4; the 4×4 can accomodate 5-7 people and
includes tents etc. There are always ways around these
challenges, we just need to be creative and little more
adventurous as Africans.—Kate
Nkansa
13 October 2010
Source:
FeintandMargin
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Runoko Rashidi Speaks in Nigeria
Interviewed by Lola Balola
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Nigeria
50-Year
Anniversary—BBC
My Country
Documentary—Lagos
Stories
Lagos Story
1 of 3 /
Lagos Story
2 of 3 /
Lagos Story
3 of 3
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Escape from Slavery: The True Story
of My Ten Years in Captivity and My
Journey to Freedom in America
By
Francis Bok
Slave: My True Story
By
Mende Nazer
Alek: My Life from Sudanese Refugee to
International Supermodel
By
Alek Wek
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Word, Image, and the New Negro
By
Anne Carroll
The
author's analysis of how the illustrations
amplify and create tension with the writing
and how they empower and sometimes
disempower their subjects is the first
critical work in this important area.
Generously illustrated. Highly recommended.—
Choice
In
tracing the formation of the idea of the New
Negro through the vital interplay of
literature, art, and social criticism,
Word, Image, and the New Negro
makes a superb contribution to scholarship
on the Harlem Renaissance, the history of
African American publishing, and modern
American culture.—Eric
J. Sundquist, author of
To Wake the Nations: Race in the Making of
American Literature |
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The first detailed comparative analysis of the mix
of text and illustration in the major African
American magazines and anthologies of the 1910s and
1920s. It is a major advance in our understanding of
what amounted to innovative collage forms
articulated to race and politics. Carefully
theorized and rich with persuasive readings, the
book should appeal not only to literary scholars but
also to anyone interested in modernity and the
little magazine.—Cary
Nelson, author of
Revolutionary Memory
A very welcome contribution to the contemporary
rethinking of the period. By calling our attention
to the images that consistently and significantly
appeared alongside some of the well-remembered texts
of the Harlem Renaissance, Carroll foregrounds the
very modernity that the New Negro Movement sought
self-consciously to embrace.... Carroll's eye for
the particular will have both a helpful and
inspiring effect on readers who want to continue
building on the work she has done here.—Net
Reviews
This book focuses on the collaborative illustrated
volumes published during the Harlem Renaissance, in
which African Americans used written and visual
texts to shape ideas about themselves and to
redefine African American identity. Anne Elizabeth
Carroll argues that these volumes show how
participants in the movement engaged in the
processes of representation and identity formation
in sophisticated and largely successful ways. Though
they have received little scholarly attention, these
volumes constitute an important aspect of the
cultural production of the Harlem Renaissance.
Word, Image, and the New Negro marks the
beginning of a long-overdue recovery of this legacy
and points the way to a greater understanding of the
potential of texts to influence social change.—amazon.com
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Spectres of 1919: Class and Nation in the
Making of the New Negro
By
Barbara Foley
A carefully argued,
nuanced presentation of the genesis of the
Harlem Renaissance. Foley's breadth of
knowledge in American radical history is
impressive.—American
Literature
Foley's book is a lucid
and useful one... A heavyweight
intervention, it prompts significant
rethinking of the ideological and
representational strategies structuring the
era.—Journal
of American Studies
Foley
does a masterful job of analyzing the racial
and political theories of a wide range of
black and white figures, from the radical
Left to the racist Right... Students of
African American political and cultural
history in the early twentieth century
cannot ignore this book. Essential.—Choice
In our
current time of crisis, when ruling classes
busily promote nationalism and racism to
conceal the class nature of their
inter-imperialist rivalries, one can only
hope that readers will not be daunted by
Foley's dedication to analyzing the
ideological milieu of the 1920s that
contributed to the eclipse of New Negro
radicalism by New Negro nationalism.—Science
& Society |
With the New
Negro movement and the Harlem Renaissance, the 1920s
was a landmark decade in African American political
and cultural history, characterized by an upsurge in
racial awareness and artistic creativity. In
Spectres of 1919 Barbara Foley traces the
origins of this revolutionary era to the turbulent
year 1919, identifying the events and trends in
American society that spurred the black community to
action and examining the forms that action took as
it evolved.
Unlike prior
studies of the Harlem Renaissance, which see 1919 as
significant mostly because of the geographic migrations
of blacks to the North, Spectres of 1919 looks at
that year as the political crucible from which the
radicalism of the 1920s emerged. Foley draws from a
wealth of primary sources, taking a bold new approach to
the origins of African American radicalism and adding
nuance and complexity to the understanding of a
fascinating and vibrant era.— amazon.com
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Sex at the Margins
Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry
By Laura María Agustín
This book explodes several myths: that selling sex is completely different from any other kind of work, that migrants who sell sex are passive victims and that the multitude of people out to save them are without self-interest. Laura Agustín makes a passionate case against these stereotypes, arguing that the label 'trafficked' does not accurately describe migrants' lives and that the 'rescue industry' serves to disempower them. Based on extensive research amongst both migrants who sell sex and social helpers, Sex at the Margins provides a radically different analysis. Frequently, says Agustin, migrants make rational choices to travel and work in the sex industry, and although they are treated like a marginalised group they form part of the dynamic global economy. Both powerful and controversial, this book is essential reading for all those who want to understand the increasingly important relationship between sex markets, migration and the desire for social justice. "Sex at the Margins rips apart distinctions between migrants, service work and sexual labour and reveals the utter complexity of the contemporary sex industry. This book is set to be a trailblazer in the study of sexuality."—Lisa Adkins, University of London |
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Salvage the Bones
A Novel by Jesmyn Ward
On one level, Salvage the Bones is a simple story about a poor black family that’s about to be trashed by one of the most deadly hurricanes in U.S. history. What makes the novel so powerful, though, is the way Ward winds private passions with that menace gathering force out in the Gulf of Mexico. Without a hint of pretension, in the simple lives of these poor people living among chickens and abandoned cars, she evokes the tenacious love and desperation of classical tragedy. The force that pushes back against Katrina’s inexorable winds is the voice of Ward’s narrator, a 14-year-old girl named Esch, the only daughter among four siblings. Precocious, passionate and sensitive, she speaks almost entirely in phrases soaked in her family’s raw land. Everything here is gritty, loamy and alive, as though the very soil were animated. Her brother’s “blood smells like wet hot earth after summer rain. . . . His scalp looks like fresh turned dirt.” Her father’s hands “are like gravel,” while her own hand “slides through his grip like a wet fish,” and a handsome boy’s “muscles jabbered like chickens.” Admittedly, Ward can push so hard on this simile-obsessed style that her paragraphs risk sounding like a compost heap, but this isn’t usually just metaphor for metaphor’s sake. She conveys something fundamental about Esch’s fluid state of mind: her figurative sense of the world in which all things correspond and connect. She and her brothers live in a ramshackle house steeped in grief since their mother died giving birth to her last child. . . . What remains, what’s salvaged, is something indomitable in these tough siblings, the strength of their love, the permanence of their devotion.—WashingtonPost |
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The White Masters of the
World
From
The World and Africa, 1965
By W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois’
Arraignment and Indictment of White Civilization
(Fletcher)
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Ancient African Nations
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If you like this page consider making a donation
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Negro Digest /
Black World
Browse all issues
1950
1960
1965
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1980
1985
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2000
____ 2005
Enjoy!
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The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
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The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
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Only a Pawn in Their Game
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for
Slavery /
George Jackson /
Hurricane Carter
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The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg
The
Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804
/
January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of
Haiti
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ChickenBones Store
(Books, DVDs, Music, and more)
posted 29 October 2010 /
update 1 January 2012
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