Comments on: Memoirs from Africa: Paring Down a List

By: SFuchs

SFuchs — Thu, 12 May 2011 08:28:04 +0000

Ngugi’s ‘Dreams in A Time of War’ and extracts from ‘Decolonizing the Mind’ make for a useful anectdote to the romanticized colonial representations in ‘Mukiwa’ (which I enjoyed) and others.
The frankness of Fuller’s ‘Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs’, which was so refreshing and daring, is completely lost in ‘Scribbling the Cat’; a comparison would make for an interesting discussion. Ironically, I asked Fuller at a reading about various Black African writers’ responses to her memoir and ‘Scribbling the Cat’, which is essentially about the effects of a race war on a white settler soldier, and she was extremely snippy, claiming that writers were beyond race and the question irrelevant. When she shared her next reading venue with the audience, she closed with ‘No repeat offenders, please’. I found that response so contradictory to the honesty of ‘Don’t Let’s…’ that I still think of it.

By: SB

SB — Thu, 12 May 2011 06:09:52 +0000

would Owen Sheer’s Dust Diaries count as a missionary memoir (of his grandfather)?

By: Stephen Frug

Stephen Frug — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:19:44 +0000

I'm not recommending it, because I haven't read it, but I'm curious what you think of Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa. (I ask because while I haven't read OofA, her short stories are astonishing -- Seven Gothic Tales is one of the best books I've ever read.)

By: S Phillips

S Phillips — Wed, 11 May 2011 12:44:28 +0000

Mungo Park’s book is available on Kindle for next to nothing, if that helps. I’m about to start in on it.
As a Swarthmore grad living in Nigeria (after 4 years in Kenya) I was happy to come across this post via the blog Africa is a Country. I push “A Primate’s Memoir” on everyone who shows the slightest interest in either Africa, baboons, or human nature. Or even if they don’t. Tick Bite Fever is funny, but a bit lightweight….And yes, Paul Theroux is an ass! I was so thrilled at the end of Dark Star Safari when all his stuff got stolen.
There’s sort of a gaping hole in what is available — memoirs that really get at contemporary modernizing African places, stories of the African middle class…I have only found that in short story form or in fiction.

By: Timothy Burke

Timothy Burke — Tue, 10 May 2011 12:18:38 +0000

Yeah, I’m tempted to mix in older material. But it’s a book club, and I want to concentrate on work that’s readable, exciting, and in-print for a reasonable price. If I were doing this with students and had access to a sizeable library, I’d probably start with something like ibn Battuta and go forward from there.

By: devinfinbarr

devinfinbarr — Tue, 10 May 2011 03:14:02 +0000

The reading list is very focused on the present. I would love to see a primary source/memoirs reading list with equal treatment given to pre-colonial, colonial, independence/post-inpendence, and the present eras.

By: Timothy Burke

Timothy Burke — Fri, 06 May 2011 13:46:42 +0000

Yeah, some of the white boys are going out as I winnow down.

I feel guilty for saying this, but I found Maathai’s Unbowed pretty boring for a long stretch.

Love Michaela Wrong but maybe that does shade me into another category of writing.

Forna is a very good suggestion.

I haven’t re-read Laye in about six years. Maybe I need to check and see how I feel about it after a re-look.

By: ca

ca — Fri, 06 May 2011 01:45:51 +0000

Mukiwa’s good– I also like his more recent crocadile book.
But you’re awfully heavy on white boys in Africa.
How about Wangari Maathai’s _Unbowed_? It’s accessible. Miria Matembe’s autobio’s even more vivid, though that’s hard to get ahold of. I’d think something on contemporary women’s vision of political comitment (with both the platitudes and the problems) would be good.
More controversially, how about something from Rwanda/Congo–either a book based on life histories collectively like _The Antelope’s Strategy_ (yes, genre problem) or more conventionally Umutesi’s _Surviving the Slaughter_, which may also have authorship issues, and can sometimes be clunky, but might provide plenty to discuss.
Michaela Wrong is more in the reportage category, but both her stuff on Zaire and on Eritrea is more readable to me than Zanzibar Chest.
And on growing up, I was happier with Aminatta Forna’s memoire than with Cooper.
I just re-read Laye, and couldn’t stand it. But Soyinka holds up awesomely well.

By: Timothy Burke

Timothy Burke — Thu, 05 May 2011 20:28:19 +0000

Mukiwa is always an interesting pairing with Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs. Tick Bite Fever is something I’ve been meaning to read and embarassed that I haven’t, so there’s a job for me in the next few weeks.

By: CMarko

CMarko — Thu, 05 May 2011 19:30:33 +0000

Nothing to add except that I vote for What is the What. The questions about authorial voice could make for interesting discussions, and it’s a stunning book.