Geweldig boek over de persoonlijke ervaringen van een "artsen zonder grenzen" arts op zijn eerste uitzending naar D.R. Congo ten tijde van de eerste vGeweldig boek over de persoonlijke ervaringen van een "artsen zonder grenzen" arts op zijn eerste uitzending naar D.R. Congo ten tijde van de eerste verkiezing van President Kabila (2006). De auteur's bevlogenheid en betrokkenheid spat van de pagina's af, zonder ten koste te gaan van zijn nuchtere kijk op de toestanden die hij aantreft en meemaakt.
De schrijfstijl is uitstekend, zuigt de lezer echt mee in het verhaal. Het boek is moeilijk neer te leggen. Ik ga zeker kijken of Steven van de Vijver nog meer geschreven heeft en of hij nog vaker naar Afrika gegaan is.
Ik heb zelf een aantal jaar in Afrika gewoond & gereisd en herken wel wat van de situaties die de auteur zo levendig beschrijft. Ik heb ook gezien dat westerlingen die in een Afrikaans land komen wonen in het algemeen twee mogelijke reacties vertonen, met weinig er tussen in: òf ze voelen zich vreselijk ongemakkelijk en willen liefst zo snel weg, òf ze worden gebeten door 'the Africa bug' en ontwikkelen een bijna irrationele voorliefde voor het continent. Het heeft geen twijfel dat Steven stevig te pakken is genomen door 'the Africa bug' en het zou mij verbazen als hij niet terug is gegaan inmiddels....more
Where to start with this novella? Through the narrator we are introduced to a magical world where juju can turn you into a canoe or a pebble or a woodWhere to start with this novella? Through the narrator we are introduced to a magical world where juju can turn you into a canoe or a pebble or a wooden doll, where you can sell your death and henceforth be immortal, where terrifying being do terrifying things - you feel terror still, because you could not sell your fear. The story is a collage of Nigerian folktales, from the Yoruba storytelling tradition (so I am told) and it definitely reads as something that should be listened to in a deep bush around the campfire at night. The idiosyncratic syntax also lends the tale a lot of character and color.
It is clear that the scenes and personas and plot twists are lifted from a rich traditional context, and probably very enjoyable for those familiar with it. For someone (me) without this context however, the story's unending unlikely twists and turns become a bit fatiguing about halfway through: the novella is a long series of episodes that are not really connected - what happens in one episode does not (or rarely) influence what happens in another. There is an overarching plot line, the palm-wine drinkard looking for his palm-wine tapster, but any number of the loosely connected episodes could have been removed from the story without doing it much harm.
I think I would have enjoyed this novella a lot more seated around a campfire in a dark bush listening to a master story teller's rasping voice while we empty many a keg of freshly tapped palm-wine. We all long for this our tapster of unquenchable streams of the imagination....more
I read the Dutch translation of this work, which also included some of Marechera’s shorter stories. I found the work near-unreadable. The main charactI read the Dutch translation of this work, which also included some of Marechera’s shorter stories. I found the work near-unreadable. The main characters seem to drift in and out of barely explained situations, much characterized by mental instability, incoherence, and violence. I’m sure that is part of the point, but it just does not work for me.
I am probably not doing justice to this widely acclaimed author or his work, but hey, this is my personal reader’s perspective - uninformed as it may be. ...more
A walk on the wild side of the derailing chaos that was Uganda under Idi Amin. Isegawa mixes fiction with occasional historical fact, and since I don'A walk on the wild side of the derailing chaos that was Uganda under Idi Amin. Isegawa mixes fiction with occasional historical fact, and since I don't know enough about the historical events to separate the two, I decided to assume that all of it was fictional - with the caveat that the general events and atrocities depicted in the book did actually occur on some shape or form.
Brutal though some scenes are, the focus of the story is by no means on the atrocities; instead we see how certain individuals experience the worsening situation and work hard to achieve their goals. Many characters, though often "larger than life", seem realistic thanks to the balance of the outrageous and the kind in their actions.
I had a pretty good time reading this, and will look to read some more of this writer....more
This book made me weep quietly during many of its early passages, as little Mabinty in Sierra Leone is first cruelly orphaned and then dumped by a tyrThis book made me weep quietly during many of its early passages, as little Mabinty in Sierra Leone is first cruelly orphaned and then dumped by a tyrant of an uncle in an orphanage that is later overrun by the murderous rabble of the RUF - one of the fighting parties in the bloody civil war there.
Through a string of miracles she survives a number of terrible adventures and is then adopted by a very kind American family. Once in America, her passion and talent for ballet is nurtured and within a decade of hard work, she starts a successful international career as a professional ballerina.
Unflinching account of the last “great” voyage of discovery into Africa based on all available contemporary written sources (book, diaries, letters). Unflinching account of the last “great” voyage of discovery into Africa based on all available contemporary written sources (book, diaries, letters). The authors largely keep to stating the facts and leave it to the reader to form their own judgement re. the deeds and misdeeds of the expedition and those whom they journeyed among.
Hardly anybody involved in this debacle came out a winner. Thousands perished or were killed and the survivors had their constitutions broken due to malnourishment and tropical diseases and their reputations sullied or destroyed.
People who wax nostalgically about “the good old days of old-fashioned Victorian high adventure complete with palatial tents, bath tubs, and champagne on ice carried by throngs of singing natives” should read this and have their romantic notions thoroughly corrected.
The book was well-written and hard to put down; I finished it only in the small hours....more
Avoid! Discredited (a.k.a. fake) document regarding slavery still causing a stir despite the availability of many true historic sources that paint a mAvoid! Discredited (a.k.a. fake) document regarding slavery still causing a stir despite the availability of many true historic sources that paint a much more complete (and terrible) picture.
I read a copy of the “Willie Lynch Letter” after I saw references to it online. It is a 4-page document that purports to be a transcript of a speech given in 1712 by a British plantation owner from the West Indies to plantation owners in the USA. The speech concerns itself with how to “create reliable slaves” by following a process analogous to the process of breaking horses. Taken at face value, this is a horribly cruel and inhumane document - even by the standards of the early 1700s.
Since the text puzzled me, I turned to wikipedia and found that this document is widely considered to be a forgery by historians. Anachronisms abound in the text. Provenance can not be traced back to before the 1970s when it first appeared in print. The historical figure ‘William Lynch’ was born over 4o years after this speech.
When it comes to historic documents, provenance is key - as various forgeries of new “Dead Sea Scrolls” have proven. This wouldn’t be the first time that a made-up document is used to inflame public opinion; just think about “the donation of Constantine” and “the protocols of the Elders of Zion” which have been at the root of major upheavals in history.
It is a shame that a publishing house continues to produce books like this without a “health warning” on the cover or in the introduction. I was taken aback to learn that some educators use this fake inflammatory tract in classroom and home school settings. When it comes to education, there are many authentic historic sources available that bear ample witness to the horrible injustices and inhumane behaviors connected with the practice of slavery. Teach history, not opinions....more
In the middle of her episodic life, a 40ish Swiss woman accepts an offer to come work for a Saudi Princess to educate her 6 year-old son in the FrenchIn the middle of her episodic life, a 40ish Swiss woman accepts an offer to come work for a Saudi Princess to educate her 6 year-old son in the French language. Follows an account of 2 years spent in voluntary captivity in one of the most gilded of cages, a harem (a women-only living area) in a Saudi Prince's residence in Riyad. Through our narrator's eyes we see and experience a bit of the life behind these closed and barred doors.
For Denise, our narrator, life in the princely household is one of great luxury and leisure. She has to work for about 45 minutes per weekday and she has been given 3 personal servants to cater for her every need. She loses track of time, at first in a pleasant way - but as the months stretch into her second year she is losing more than just time, she is losing touch with who she is and what makes her happy.
In her first year, Denise, befriends 27 year-old Carolyn, an American beautician also working for the the Princess, also living by herself in a free-standing house in the walled garden of the Harem. Carolyn at that time is in her second or third year and is going nuts because of the restrictions that hem her in. She responds to these pressures by exercising vigorously and keeping her figure trim and fit. Chapter after chapter we see how Carolyn first chafes, then buckles under the pressures of the regime of forced leisure, and finally slowly but surely loses it. She has to leave, for her sanity's sake.
Our narrator follows the same trajectory, albeit with some differences. Where Carolyn is restless and exercises vigorously to keep herself fit and in shape, Denise allows herself to slip and slide into an increasingly lethargic lifestyle, consisting first of meditative silences of several hours, slowly degenerating into 12-hour binge watching sessions of American soap series on her sofa. She eats sweet confections constantly and gains well over 20 kilos in her first year, bursting out of several clothing sizes. Her ballooning weight causes her to have health problems and by her second year she needs someone to support her on longer walks. Something has to give, and when a natural break in the education process arises, she musters the will to leave her employment.
It can be said that this book is about offering an inside look into the customs of this secluded world, this life inside a women's enclosure in a Saudi princely household. To me though, this book is more a study of how people respond to (and in this case twice lose the fight against) life in an unaccustomed gilded cage.
The good: - Very friendly employers. - Ample remuneration and fantastic fringe benefits (free-standing villa with three servants, free food and healthcare); - Work is easy and takes little time. Very little time pressure.
The bad: - Have to be at the disposal of the Princess at all times. - Cannot dress as you please, except in your own house. - Cannot speak to privately to men, let alone have sexual relationships with them. - Very limited freedom of movement outside the Harem. - Very few other Western ladies around to interact with; the Eastern ladies are very friendly but are and remain very alien with very different mind sets and life expectations. - 22 empty hours every day.
Anyone can deal with "the bad" for a while, certainly for a handsome reward. But "the bad" gets to you, corrodes you. When luxury and comfort become the norm, they become invisible. What remains is your personal human condition, the workings of your own internal "happiness factory" that distills enjoyment, delight, exhilaration, optimism, and peace of mind out of the everyday materials that surround you. If your "happiness factory" cannot convert the materials it finds, you dry out, your wellbeing diminishes, your mental state corrodes. We do not get to choose how well our "happiness factory" works, how efficiently it cranks out that glee, or what everyday materials it needs to work with - but we can try to understand ourselves better and try to change what needs changing to get that glee. Perhaps it needs a different perspective on the normal day-to-day, perhaps it needs some new ingredients, or a change of scenery. It certainly needs meaningful connects with other human beings, because we are all intensely social animals.
The book has some wonderful scenes, I will translate one here. Denise has been invited to a female-only party in honor of a Princely wedding. In this scene she describes the arrival of the Princesses of the various houses:
"One by one, the Princesses slowly walk up the broad white marble stairs, dressed in their black abayas. Seen like this, they are just vaguely outlined ciphers. When they arrive at the top of the stairs and enter the reception hall, however, they let slip the edges of their abaya and the black silken cloak slides down from their shoulders and reveals in a flash their beautiful faces and figures, their gorgeous designer dresses, and their flaming sets of jewels. The Princesses move into the hall without the slightest pause while their personal servant girls who have waited for this moment for hours, catch the abaya before it floats to the white marble floor. It is a magnificent moment and does not lose its magic as it repeats a hundred, two hundred, a thousand times."
This book is very charming in places, just as life in the gilded cage is. Happiness is a precious and precarious balance to maintain while in a gilded cage, or indeed, in our everyday life. Self-knowledge and self-management appear to be the keys. Thank you Denise for sharing your story....more
A remarkable journey by a remarkable woman. Her life story takes you from the plains of Somalia where she was herding goats as a small child and whereA remarkable journey by a remarkable woman. Her life story takes you from the plains of Somalia where she was herding goats as a small child and where she was circumcised, to Mogadishu after she ran away from an arranged marriage at age 12ish, to London where she worked as a servant girl to her uncle the Ambassador, to the world stage - first as a photo model, then as the UN Special Ambassador speaking out against female genital mutilation. At all stages she was preyed on by ruthless men, narrowly escaping several attempted rapes. For her one story that reached us, there are untold millions upon millions of similar beginnings but with much less happy outcomes. I grieve for her and her sisters....more
A first hand account of some of the atrocities that were perpetrated in Dafur, Sudan. And in all conflict areas in all ages. Some pages really grabbedA first hand account of some of the atrocities that were perpetrated in Dafur, Sudan. And in all conflict areas in all ages. Some pages really grabbed me by the throat and made me weep. Antidote to idealism, if that ever needed such. :(...more
The narrator (author) arrives back from Africa with her daughter, running away from her madly jealous Masai husband, severe health issues, and financiThe narrator (author) arrives back from Africa with her daughter, running away from her madly jealous Masai husband, severe health issues, and financial ruin. Somehow she reinvents herself and then becomes a hugely successful author due to her first book. As always, a gripping read. Not so much because I like the author (I don’t particularly) but because of her very direct and open style that sucks you in and keeps engaging you. Good description of what runaway literary success looks like..!...more
History of a life of a Somali girl. Direct narrative of a difficult life with many very difficult experiences. She has a lot of heart to keep pushing History of a life of a Somali girl. Direct narrative of a difficult life with many very difficult experiences. She has a lot of heart to keep pushing forward. ...more
Terrible book. Shameless cash grab. Couldn’t bring myself to finishing it. This book about a murder cum scandal in colonial Kenya in the 1940s is diviTerrible book. Shameless cash grab. Couldn’t bring myself to finishing it. This book about a murder cum scandal in colonial Kenya in the 1940s is divided into two parts, the first an introduction of the major figures and a quasi reconstruction of the moving pieces mostly based on the actual murder trial; and the second the findings of a further “research” done 20-30 years after.
The first part is fairly ok and reads as a digest of juicy rumours regarding the white titled scum that hung around “happy valley” and provides some extracts from the court case. The second part is just a mish-mash of barely correlated interviews, scraps from letters, unfinished lines of inquiry, and authorial opinion and self-indulgence. This part is utterly unreadable, because unlike the saucy first bit (what with all the swinger parties and the rampant drug abuse), the second part is a dry as a bone and it becomes clear quickly that the reader will not be rewarded with a carefully considered and possibly valid conclusion beyond anything already discussed in the first part.
I threw this rag down about halfway the second part....more
A memoir of Africa. During the 70s, in the footsteps of Lord Delamere a century before, Kuki and her husband and son moved to Kenya and settled in a lA memoir of Africa. During the 70s, in the footsteps of Lord Delamere a century before, Kuki and her husband and son moved to Kenya and settled in a large estate, a 400 sq km cattle ranch with 6,000 head of mainly sheep. She describes her love for the land and animals and people of Africa very well. Also her love and admiration for her friends and acquaintances. I actually don’t think I have seen a single description of anyone that isn’t overwhelmingly positive and noble. And she never discussed money, although it is clear there was plenty off that all around her elevated set.
But all is not well in Paradise, and due to accidents Kuki loses both her husband and son in quick succession. I cried in the chapter where she loses her son.
Despite these intense personal tragedies, Kuki kept living on the ranch, starting a foundation supporting wildlife conservation and finally turning the working ranch into a wildlife sanctuary.
I found the memoir very moving and wish her well in her ongoing work. ...more
Amazing story of ingenuity and steadfastness. A village boy in Malawi undergoes the 2002 famine and drops out of secondary school. Finds a library andAmazing story of ingenuity and steadfastness. A village boy in Malawi undergoes the 2002 famine and drops out of secondary school. Finds a library and self-teaches enough basic engineering and physics to improvise a working windmill that produces enough electricity for his family home. Then is discovered, speaks at TED, and the world opens. Simply and directly written, his account touched me deeply in several places. This is why I work to invest in Africa. A must-read for my friends and children (when they will have reached the age of understanding). ...more
I was skeptical about this book, but the very open and direct writing style won me over. Whatever my own thoughts about Corinne and her actions, she wI was skeptical about this book, but the very open and direct writing style won me over. Whatever my own thoughts about Corinne and her actions, she writes directly and urgently from lived experience. No window dressing here, I do believe that this is how she felt during those 2+ turbulent years of her runaway marriage, near death experiences, and business failures. I finished her book in two sittings, and that is a rare thing these days. ...more
A reasonable overview of the nation state formation process in Africa and its issues; further illustration of the fact that “the balance of power” is A reasonable overview of the nation state formation process in Africa and its issues; further illustration of the fact that “the balance of power” is something that evolves between institutions and individuals over time and can’t be simply imposed upon a society.
I approach history books with practical purposes in mind - that said, I award two stars, because I didn’t feel that I gained many valuable insights or learning from reading this work. ...more
A very interesting read about the colonial history of Kenya and surrounding countries. To be read with the date of writing (1935) and the colonial minA very interesting read about the colonial history of Kenya and surrounding countries. To be read with the date of writing (1935) and the colonial mindset in mind. Key insights for me sprang from the chapters describing in considerable detail the great difficulties of successfully replicating European farming practices and plant / animal species in the rich native soil (diseases, pests, and drought/flood) and from the evidence of great albeit very paternalistic concern regarding the rights and treatment of the natives by the settlers. By keeping the narrative focus on Lord Delamere, Kenya’s most active settler, the author keeps the facts of history lively through the well over 600 pages of the books. Funny anecdotes pop up here and there to give us some insight in the more light side of life at the time. Overall, a satisfying read....more
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