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The Africans
During the four years he spent in black Africa as the bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, David Lamb traveled through almost every country south of the Sahara, logging more than 300,000 miles. He talked to presidents and guerrilla leaders, university professors and witch doctors. He bounced from wars to coups oceans apart, catching midnight flights to little-known countries where supposedly decent people were doing unspeakable things to one another. In the tradition of John Gunther's Inside Africa, The Africans is an extraordinary combination of analysis and adventure. Part travelogue, part contemporary history, it is a portrait of a continent that sometimes seems hell-bent on destroying itself, and of people who are as courageous as they are long-suffering.
371 pages, Paperback
First published January 12, 1983
About the author
David Lamb
73 books19 followersDavid Lamb's work has appeared in numbers publications, from National Geographic to Sports Illustrated. He has been a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, an Alicia Patterson Fellow and a wrier-in-residence at the University of Southern California. Lamb is the author of six books on subjects as diverse as Africa and minor league baseball. His most recent book is "Vietnam, Now: A Reporter Returns". He is a member of the Maine Newspaper Hall of Fame.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 1, 2013
I had expected the title of the book to be ironic, but no, Lamb really does aim to describe “The Africans” in 300 pages. (Given the fact that there is apparently more genetic diversity in Africa than in the rest of the world combined, in addition to immense cultural diversity too, one wonders whether it would actually be easier to write a book about The Non-Africans.)
After the first couple of chapters I was ready to throw the book out of the window as Lamb paints a pretty depressing picture of the continent as a whole. There is little hope, and quite a patronising tone towards Africa and its people. However, I was glad I kept going as there are some very interesting stories, and I learnt a lot about the history of parts of Africa (mainly from the 1960s, when many countries gained independence, to the 1980s when the book was written), albeit told from a particular perspective.
This perspective was evident throughout the book, and I ended up learning as much about the author’s worldview as I did about Africa.
The book is obviously written for an American audience, as there are numerous comparisons with the United States. At times this is helpful (e.g. comparing sizes of countries), whereas at times it seems to imply that America is the standard of development that all African countries should be aiming for (e.g. comparing economic and healthcare statistics). On other occasions the comparison is just bizarre, like when the author asks the reader to imagine each US state having its own currency and trade restrictions, claiming that this is what Africa is like and this situation is thus an unnecessary hindrance to development (pp288-289). Errr… I’m not really sure it’s fair to portray the international borders of 50 different countries as being restrictive to trade by comparing them to regional borders within a single country!
The worrying thing about this perspective is that it seems to see certain countries as being the model that all others should follow, assuming that all countries are on the same path of development (or at least they should be), with some further along than others. Where the author sees things that are different to the USA (for example the many hundreds of languages spoken in Africa), these are viewed as a hindrance on this path to prosperity and something that holds people back, rather than a cultural resource to be treasured as part of the unique development of each country. It is assumed that the aims of all countries must be a strong economy, a western-style democracy, good medical facilities and long life expectancy. These may all be good things, but so are treasuring traditional cultures, honouring the past, living sustainably in our environment and giving dignity to the poor.
I was glad I read this book as in many ways it was an enjoyable read, and it definitely got me thinking. Maybe next time I’ll try to find a book called The Non-Africans, possibly written by a Nigerian who lived in Beijing for four years…
After the first couple of chapters I was ready to throw the book out of the window as Lamb paints a pretty depressing picture of the continent as a whole. There is little hope, and quite a patronising tone towards Africa and its people. However, I was glad I kept going as there are some very interesting stories, and I learnt a lot about the history of parts of Africa (mainly from the 1960s, when many countries gained independence, to the 1980s when the book was written), albeit told from a particular perspective.
This perspective was evident throughout the book, and I ended up learning as much about the author’s worldview as I did about Africa.
The book is obviously written for an American audience, as there are numerous comparisons with the United States. At times this is helpful (e.g. comparing sizes of countries), whereas at times it seems to imply that America is the standard of development that all African countries should be aiming for (e.g. comparing economic and healthcare statistics). On other occasions the comparison is just bizarre, like when the author asks the reader to imagine each US state having its own currency and trade restrictions, claiming that this is what Africa is like and this situation is thus an unnecessary hindrance to development (pp288-289). Errr… I’m not really sure it’s fair to portray the international borders of 50 different countries as being restrictive to trade by comparing them to regional borders within a single country!
The worrying thing about this perspective is that it seems to see certain countries as being the model that all others should follow, assuming that all countries are on the same path of development (or at least they should be), with some further along than others. Where the author sees things that are different to the USA (for example the many hundreds of languages spoken in Africa), these are viewed as a hindrance on this path to prosperity and something that holds people back, rather than a cultural resource to be treasured as part of the unique development of each country. It is assumed that the aims of all countries must be a strong economy, a western-style democracy, good medical facilities and long life expectancy. These may all be good things, but so are treasuring traditional cultures, honouring the past, living sustainably in our environment and giving dignity to the poor.
I was glad I read this book as in many ways it was an enjoyable read, and it definitely got me thinking. Maybe next time I’ll try to find a book called The Non-Africans, possibly written by a Nigerian who lived in Beijing for four years…
August 1, 2008
This is a great book if you are interested in African politics. Each chapter describes a different African leader and what they have done in their countries (good and bad).
January 5, 2018
“The Africans” by David Lamb was an interesting look at Africa during a very specific time frame. It is pretty obvious one would be hard-pressed to write a book summarizing African history in a mere 300 pages…and this book does not attempt to do that. Rather, the book focuses on the period between 1960 and 1980…that period where much of Africa segued from colonialism to independence. Additionally, the book concentrates on the sub-Sahara African countries (Black Africa) purposely excluding the Moslem countries in the north.
Simplistically, with the 1885 General Act of the Berlin Conference, the European nations gathered and agreed on a division of the African continent. Thus was the beginning or formalization of what we would come to know as: the Belgian Congo, British Kenya, French Guinea, German East Africa, Italian Somaliland, Portuguese Angola, and the Spanish Sahara, among others. Over the years the colonial master might change – i.e. the Belgian Congo fell under French rule – but the suffocating impact of colonialism remained. The conversion to independence was not an easy adjustment for these countries, especially so since the colonial power pretty much just picked up its bags and left – leaving the newly independent country without much intellectual capital or infrastructure. Lamb’s book details the early problems of independence.
The author touches on some of the winners in the transfer of power (Kenya and Ivory Coast) and some of the losers (Uganda and Tanzania). He also reviews the lure of capitalism and socialism, and how the new independents chose which competing economic theory to apply. He also devotes a chapter to the experience of South Africa, comparing and contrasting it to the other sub-Sahara nations experience at independence.
All-in-all this was a fascinating story of Africa’s struggle to come to grips with its independence. Recommended.
Simplistically, with the 1885 General Act of the Berlin Conference, the European nations gathered and agreed on a division of the African continent. Thus was the beginning or formalization of what we would come to know as: the Belgian Congo, British Kenya, French Guinea, German East Africa, Italian Somaliland, Portuguese Angola, and the Spanish Sahara, among others. Over the years the colonial master might change – i.e. the Belgian Congo fell under French rule – but the suffocating impact of colonialism remained. The conversion to independence was not an easy adjustment for these countries, especially so since the colonial power pretty much just picked up its bags and left – leaving the newly independent country without much intellectual capital or infrastructure. Lamb’s book details the early problems of independence.
The author touches on some of the winners in the transfer of power (Kenya and Ivory Coast) and some of the losers (Uganda and Tanzania). He also reviews the lure of capitalism and socialism, and how the new independents chose which competing economic theory to apply. He also devotes a chapter to the experience of South Africa, comparing and contrasting it to the other sub-Sahara nations experience at independence.
All-in-all this was a fascinating story of Africa’s struggle to come to grips with its independence. Recommended.
July 9, 2016
David Lamb's book manages to remain an enjoyable and insightful read even 30 years after it was written. David writes from the perspective of a fly on the wall during one of Africa's most turbulent post-colonial period. If you're interested in learning about the myriad of forces that have shaped the great continent, you should definitely give this a read.
February 22, 2008
Anyone who wants a brief yet detailed account of the past of Africa and its' struggle to reinvent itself after colonialism should definitely read.
This is pretty much an autobiographical account of Lamb's journey in Africa. While some may be offended about what he speaks (When you read about the destruction of countries with rich histories, and its' dictators, you can't help but have a negative opinion of its' leaders i.e. Mobutu, that's if you're for capitalism and democracy, but then again that all depends how YOU define that*__*) it is pretty "right on".
August 19, 2011
It is good sometimes to read books outside our usual genre likes. IF someone had asked me would you like to read a political science book on African politics,culture ,history etc. I would surely have answered NO WAY. BUT this was a very enjoyable read. He was funny and I could identify with much of what he said though I have never been to Africa. Now written nearly 30 years ago it is still a book I would choose to re-read.
June 18, 2009
Outstanding book that captures the spirit and enigma that is Africa.
February 7, 2010
This book was a bid deal during my tour in Peace Corps. It's worth a read, but I found it a bit prejudiced and simplistic in its analysis.
January 10, 2011
Fascinating
June 14, 2013
This is an exceptional collection of stories from the continent. Some are hilarious and others depict the challenges facing the great people of Africa. I highly recommend it.
July 14, 2013
This was assigned reading in spring of 1985 for a high school Current Events class with the fantastic Ms. Jane Hollas.
January 30, 2022
(Audiobook) Perhaps if I read this book in the 1980s or even the 1990s, I might rate this work a little higher. However, given that the subject matter of this book is over 40 years old, there is something to be said for how well it did or didn’t age. The fawning over Mugabe is beyond laughable, but then again, you probably could have seen it coming if you think about how Lamb characterizes leaders from other African countries who saw men lead them to independence, but then were corrupted by the power they obtained. Also, what would Lamb have said after the fall of the apartheid government in South Africa, AIDS, the genocide in Rwanda, the massive war in Zaire/DROC, etc? That is also a fascinating exercise in thinking/counterfactual.
Overall, it is hard to separate the bias that Lamb has for Africa with his American perspective. I suppose you could substitute China for the USSR (as that was the main US rival when this work originally went to press). However, the biggest strength of this work is his analysis of how African countries somehow managed to find themselves in bad situations, and how it is not all the fault of the European powers. The tribal and family ties so dominate the African political landscape, and it is hard to keep track of them all, even with the admirable job Lamb does to try to do so. Yet, would this work be better from an African author perspective vs. a foreigner perspective? Maybe, but then, and Lamb does call this out, what is an “African” perspective? There is too much difference and diversity in Africa to make the united African front that Lamb things would do much to help the continent.
The recent history (at least recent in the post-colonial sense to 1980-1986) is a strong suit, but other aspects of this book need to be taken with a modern grain of salt. I don’t know if this book ages well, but you can still learn a few things. The rating is still the same regardless of the format.
Overall, it is hard to separate the bias that Lamb has for Africa with his American perspective. I suppose you could substitute China for the USSR (as that was the main US rival when this work originally went to press). However, the biggest strength of this work is his analysis of how African countries somehow managed to find themselves in bad situations, and how it is not all the fault of the European powers. The tribal and family ties so dominate the African political landscape, and it is hard to keep track of them all, even with the admirable job Lamb does to try to do so. Yet, would this work be better from an African author perspective vs. a foreigner perspective? Maybe, but then, and Lamb does call this out, what is an “African” perspective? There is too much difference and diversity in Africa to make the united African front that Lamb things would do much to help the continent.
The recent history (at least recent in the post-colonial sense to 1980-1986) is a strong suit, but other aspects of this book need to be taken with a modern grain of salt. I don’t know if this book ages well, but you can still learn a few things. The rating is still the same regardless of the format.
December 3, 2018
Absolutely dated, but interesting nonetheless. Strong anti communism message.
December 28, 2016
great read, wish it was current. all written before end of apartheid in Seattle Africa
August 20, 2023
Very very interesting! One of those books that asks to be reread. Although it must be taken in it’s context of production.
June 11, 2017
It's a very interesting picture of Africa from an outsider's perspective. On politics and governance, it's quite a good read. Well researched, the key points are well brought out. Lamb draws very clear parallels between Africa's failed and successful policies and leadership principles.
I loved it, save for a few stereotypes and exaggerations. e.g, 'The Igbo people of Nigeria occasionally supplement their low protein diets with human flesh!!!' Or 'Where a white couple would just kiss, Africans will have intercourse!!!' I'll paraphrase this last one. "An African has no sense of time. He can stand patiently in line for hours on end... (Gives a bunch of examples from how civil servants operate then says, "...but put him behind a steering wheel and in an instant he's got somewhere he needs to be now!" Then talks about how bad the driving is on African roads.
Well, I'll be gracious, seeing as his research was done in the 80's. But I'd sure like to read what David Lamb thinks of Africa now.
Lamb is a gifted writer and the humour in the book, irrespective of how some things can potentially offend an African, can easily have you laughing at yourself and your people. On the other hand, his work is thought-provoking and change-inspiring.
I loved it, save for a few stereotypes and exaggerations. e.g, 'The Igbo people of Nigeria occasionally supplement their low protein diets with human flesh!!!' Or 'Where a white couple would just kiss, Africans will have intercourse!!!' I'll paraphrase this last one. "An African has no sense of time. He can stand patiently in line for hours on end... (Gives a bunch of examples from how civil servants operate then says, "...but put him behind a steering wheel and in an instant he's got somewhere he needs to be now!" Then talks about how bad the driving is on African roads.
Well, I'll be gracious, seeing as his research was done in the 80's. But I'd sure like to read what David Lamb thinks of Africa now.
Lamb is a gifted writer and the humour in the book, irrespective of how some things can potentially offend an African, can easily have you laughing at yourself and your people. On the other hand, his work is thought-provoking and change-inspiring.
March 5, 2016
The author, a freelance journalist, spent 4 years in Africa and wrote a book that is engrossing despite the fact that is very dated. The book was written in 1980 (Mandela is still in prison, the African Union is still the Organization of African Unity, and there are constant references to Soviet (communist) influence vs. American (democratic) influence). However, the book provides a window into the challenges many countries in Africa have faced in the wake of independence after years of colonialism. The book is an easy read and covers a number of issues: dictators, tribalism, as well as economic and political conditions. Africa is not a subject or a history I know well, but this book certainly whet my appetite for more.
September 17, 2015
This is an excruciatingly honesty book about the African continent that gave me insight into many grim dynamics. One such insight that changed my perspective is that when African boundary lines were being carved up by the colonialist powers they put warring tribes in the same nation state and peaceful tribes were separated by national boundary lines. This would help keep the sub-Saharan Africa destabilized and easier to control. Many heart-breaking facts like this opened my eyes to the multi-layered problems that Africa inherited from the beginning. Well written!
-Amos Smith (author of Healing The Divide: Recovering Christianity's Mystic Roots)
-Amos Smith (author of Healing The Divide: Recovering Christianity's Mystic Roots)
November 27, 2015
A superb look at the continent of Africa, the nature of its people, history, way of life and issues for why things are the way they are, and how they one day could be. Despite its age (revised edition published in 1987), most issues discussed go back a long time, and still seem very relevant today.
The author was a journalist living in Nairobi but constantly travelling around in Africa for 4 years, witnessed many critical events first-hand, and interviewed hundreds of people from presidents to slum dwellers during his correspondence.
A very interesting read from the perspective of a westerner, and other than an update to present day, I cannot think of any ways to improve on it.
The author was a journalist living in Nairobi but constantly travelling around in Africa for 4 years, witnessed many critical events first-hand, and interviewed hundreds of people from presidents to slum dwellers during his correspondence.
A very interesting read from the perspective of a westerner, and other than an update to present day, I cannot think of any ways to improve on it.
Read
September 2, 2013This book was invaluable to me before I lived in Southern Africa for a few years. Though it is impossible to ever fully step into another's world view, this book helped me have an appreciation and understanding for tribal thought, the impact of reliance on inyangas and witchcraft, and ancestor worship. How all three of those played a role in the transition from Salisbury to Harare, for example. It helped me see Zimbabwe through the eyes of generations, and not just the slow degeneration we were seeing under Mugabe.
January 1, 2017
This book is basically Lamb's overview of Sub-Saharan Africa when he was living there in the 70s. There are a lot of interesting stories, though the book is heavily influenced by the cold war political atmosphere. Lamb tries to keep ethnocentricity at bay but it peaks its head through a few times. The last thirty years have shown Lamb was wrong about a lot of his predictions about Africa and unfortunately right about a lot of them. The last chapter explains South African apartheid.
August 20, 2007
Written in the early 80's, AIDS isn't even in the index, but its nevertheless a great overview of African politics in the in the 70s. The book is in fact so dated that in the last chapter he talks about Robert Mugabe possibly being just what Southern Africa needs to finally see things turn around. Huh.
January 21, 2011
A nice overview of Africa - its history, its challenges. Off the mark on a few occasions (Somalia is seen as clean and crime-free, Robert Mugabe as "perhaps the most capable leader in Black Africa", the Ivory Coast as a symbol of success), but these attempts are honest - and who could have told things would continue to get so much worse on the unfortunate continent before it may become better...
January 16, 2016
Readability 6. Rating 7. Date estimated. From a view as close to inside as a white man is likely to get, Lamb covers the recent history of about 50 African nations. His patchwork account provides information and insight into an area that my education essentially ignored. The impact of colonialism and tribalism are particularly well covered.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2013
Fascinating and disheartening. I am trying to brush up on the history of Sub-Saharan Africa, and while in some ways this is dated (1980s--when the area is called "Black Africa"), in other ways it seems that nothing has changed on the continent in terms of politics and corruption.
April 1, 2016
Aside from the author's sometimes biased perspective, this is a very good manuscript about everything African. Meet one African president and you've seen them all. African leaders all went to the same nursery school.
June 27, 2020
Out of date but still informative from an historical perspective. I'm always trying to wrap my head around "African history" and this helped fill in a few blanks, even though African history covers huge territory!
June 7, 2010
A few things that Mr.Lamb and I didn't agree on but the book is very informative especially of that Moi Era. I think this book is banned in Kenya..
February 5, 2012
AFRICA IS A GREAT CONTINENT. BOOK NOT TOO GREAT
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2014
Best nonfiction book I've read in a long time. If you want to understand the history of why Africa is the way it is today, this is the book to read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews