Africa Is Not A Country
Breaking Stereotypes of Modern Africa
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:6th Apr '23
Should be back in stock very soon
A bright portrait of modern Africa that pushes back against harmful stereotypes to tell a more comprehensive story.
'Warm, funny, biting and essential reading.' Adam Rutherford
'An exhilarating journey through the myths, misconceptions and stereotypes of modern Africa. This book is the history lesson that we all need.' Jeffrey Boakye, Guardian
You already know these stereotypes. So often Africa is depicted simplistically as an arid red landscape of famines and safaris, uniquely plagued by poverty and strife.
In this funny and insightful book, Dipo Faloyin offers a much-needed corrective. He examines each country's colonial heritage, and explores a wide range of subjects, from chronicling urban life in Lagos and the lively West African rivalry over who makes the best Jollof rice, to the story of democracy in seven dictatorships and the dangers of stereotypes in popular culture.
By turns intimate and political, Africa Is Not A Country brings the story of the continent towards reality, celebrating the energy and fabric of its different cultures and communities in a way that has never been done before.
'Hilarious, ferocious, generous and convincing. It made me reconsider almost everything I thought I knew about Africa.' Oliver Bullough
'This book should be on the curriculum.' Nikki May, author of Wahala
An exhilarating journey through the myths, misconceptions and stereotypes of modern Africa. This book is the history lesson that we all need, to understand the damage that has been done by legacies of white supremacy affecting African nations and the whole world. -- Jeffrey Boakye * Guardian *
Warm, funny, biting and essential reading. -- Adam Rutherford, author of How To Argue With A Racist
Powerful and heartfelt... A long-overdue and compelling corrective... Faloyin has written a book inspired by love and hope for a much-abused and maligned continent, whose future, he insists, is filled with promise. * Guardian *
For curious minds... a truly revelatory read...a book that will stay with you long after you've finished - and one that opens a new chapter on the way you'll think about Africa. * Mail on Sunday *
Impossible not to relish. * New York Times *
This book should be on the curriculum. -- Nikki May, author of Wahala
A necessary book that deserves its place in the canon as essential reading. -- Sally Hayden * Irish Times *
A masterpiece in historical journalism, bristling with insights and perspective widening truths. Anyone seeking enlightenment needs to read this. -- Jeffrey Boakye, author of I Heard What You Said
Hilarious, ferocious, generous and convincing. -- Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland and Butler to the World
Incisive, thought-provoking and, above all, beautifully written - effortlessly blends memoir, political analysis and historical nonfiction to create something genuinely compelling and new -- Zing Tsjeng, author of Forgotten Women
ISBN: 9781529114829
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 26mm
Weight: 280g
400 pages