mayajb02's review against another edition
4.0
Read the "How to Write about Africa" essay for my History of Africa since 1796 class, loved it. I just finished my final exam for that class so I came back to this piece to reread it and see how my perceptions of Africa have changed after learning so much in the class. I still found the essay as fun and biting as I did when I first read it, and I actually realized some of my own ignorance that I had to unlearn, such as viewing Africa "as one country" as Wainaina puts it. Really liked this. I also heard that Wainaina is a very important author so I'll have to remember to check out some more of his stuff! Also need to read the other essays in this book since I've only read the one in the title.
bigbookslilreads's review
5.0
A quick satirical story that is just brilliant in exploring the ironies, contradictions and blatant hypocrisy in some of the literature approaching the African continent. Easy and quick to read, funny and just filled with truth despite the satirical tone. It's easily found online, and everyone should read!
bluli's review
5.0
Thanks to the wonderful booktuber books by leynes, I discovered this little masterpiece.
If you are a Westerner and want to write about Africa, this essay tells you exactly what you need to do…
It is wonderfully satirical and it will only take you about 5 minutes to read.
You can click on the link in the book description or listen to Leynes reading it on YouTube.
I tried to find a few good quotes to make you want to go and read it. Turns out that every single line is brilliant. Still, I managed to narrow it down to 5:
„Note that ‘People’ means Africans who are not black, while ‘The People’ means black Africans.“
„Make sure you show how Africans have music and rhythm deep in their souls, and eat things no other humans eat. […] Make sure you show that you are able to eat such food without flinching, and describe how you learn to enjoy it—because you care.“
„Establish early on that your liberalism is impeccable, and mention near the beginning how much you love Africa“
„Describe, in detail, naked breasts (young, old, conservative, recently raped, big, small) or mutilated genitals, or enhanced genitals. Or any kind of genitals. And dead bodies. Or, better, naked dead bodies. And especially rotting naked dead bodies.“
„Always end your book with Nelson Mandela saying something about rainbows or renaissances. Because you care.“
If you are a Westerner and want to write about Africa, this essay tells you exactly what you need to do…
It is wonderfully satirical and it will only take you about 5 minutes to read.
You can click on the link in the book description or listen to Leynes reading it on YouTube.
I tried to find a few good quotes to make you want to go and read it. Turns out that every single line is brilliant. Still, I managed to narrow it down to 5:
„Note that ‘People’ means Africans who are not black, while ‘The People’ means black Africans.“
„Make sure you show how Africans have music and rhythm deep in their souls, and eat things no other humans eat. […] Make sure you show that you are able to eat such food without flinching, and describe how you learn to enjoy it—because you care.“
„Establish early on that your liberalism is impeccable, and mention near the beginning how much you love Africa“
„Describe, in detail, naked breasts (young, old, conservative, recently raped, big, small) or mutilated genitals, or enhanced genitals. Or any kind of genitals. And dead bodies. Or, better, naked dead bodies. And especially rotting naked dead bodies.“
„Always end your book with Nelson Mandela saying something about rainbows or renaissances. Because you care.“
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