Following on from Black History Month in October, it is imperative to keep educating ourselves year-round about Black history and culture, with such books as the one kindly reviewed below by Tadhg Kwasi. Get reading!
Review of Africa is Not a Country by Dipo Faloyin
Africa is a Not a Country by Dipo Faloyin is phenomenal. It’s from a Nigerian writer so it has funny biases (his preference for Jollof) and cool insights into Nigeria. But it’s overall a great read which highlights the dangers and debunks the stereotypes of African nations as well as bringing to light to the complex histories and politics of the continent in a tone that balances humour and seriousness.
In short, it should be required reading in all schools.
As a son of the diaspora, I learned a lot about the complex history of my nation and African heritage, but to many natives from the African continent – who will probably recognise a lot of what he’s saying – the book still offers in abundance a celebration of all things Pan-African. Overall, it’s a great start to get in touch with your cultural and historical roots, and serves as a good education for others on the reality of this often stereotyped and misrepresented land, full of rich untold stories and potential.
This book marries the personal to the historical to give an accurate account of how colonialism still affects the continent to this day: taking on new forms, exploiting economic debt, and profiting from the climate crises that burden many African nations. Faloyin also expounds on the rich and diverse cultures and people within this magical continent. Africa is not a nation, nor a barren wasteland of diseases, war and poverty. It’s a land rich in culture, people, history and resources. These resources – gold, cocoa, diamonds and manual labour – were and still are stolen, thus stunting and disabling a whole sub-section of humanity. But Faloyin doesn’t just recycle tales and images of black pain – he highlights our achievements and gives rich anecdotes of quite real and tangible Wakandas that exist.
The following quote is from a Zambian Pan-African which personifies the untold story of any descendant of Africa, be it Black-British, African American or Jamaican:
“African Christianity first came to my country, Zambia, via my tribe the Bemba (a royal clan from the kingdom of Kongo) in 1328 after our long relationship with Portugal in Congo. It is important to understand that original African Christianity is completely different from the European Christianity brought through missionaries before, during and after the colonisation of 90% of the continent.
“African Christianity was well accepted as one of many other forms of African spirituality. Pre-colonisation Christianity was brought in by Europeans and was written off of the templates of Roman Catholicism and Anglican Christianity to mention a few, which of course means the Vatican still holds ultimate power in our modern day. This was because Christianity was turned into one of the earliest forms of organised religion in Europe itself, and was used to wipe out all other non-Christian (pagan) faiths, and vilified all their worshippers for centuries to come. This was and still is the current form of Christianity that was used in pre-colonisation, during colonisation itself, and now in neo-colonialism, villifying all other indigenous African faiths.
“It is globally evident that geographical regions that have held on to their indigenous faiths have had a direct correlation with their cultural successes, and have then fostered successful independent globally recognised economies. For example the great Chinese dynasty in China with Confucianism, the Nordic religions in Sweden and other European countries, and the Celtic faiths of Scotland, to mention just a few. So, should an African in the continent or the diaspora be born into or even be forced into being a Christian such as my own Zambia (“Christian nation”) expects? To then embrace European Christianity and therefore undermine or even negate our own indigenous faiths? I and many Pan-Africans believe not. Our European education system was and still is from the West, and does not even teach our true history let alone at the very least promote our indigenous faiths, alongside our scientific and cultural achievements.”
An example is the Akan indigenous faiths, which have a legitimate non-European metaphysics which emphasises respect for nature. This has been undermined, as Christianity is equated with being civilised – a double standard when all the prized (stolen) artefacts currently in the British Musuem represent all that is uncivilised and anti Christian.
The kingdom of Benin with its advanced aquaducts and architecture was ransacked and burned down to the ground. Kumasi, which had its road paved with gold, was also burned down to the ground.
These are the untold stories which Faloyin brilliantly brings to light. He extinguishes the myth of the dark continent, which is really a rich beating heart of civilisation.
