The Africa blogging project is down to the southern tip of the continent and Lesotho, a country with about two million people and the second-highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world. The country is surrounded by South Africa, which is how Zakes Mda ended up there – his father was the founder and president of the… [Read More]
Blog
Category: Africa
Botswana: Cry of the Kalahari
Botswana is a small country, with 2.2 million people who would probably be in great shape if it weren’t for the high incidence of HIV/AIDS. It has a stable government, a literacy rate approaching 90%, and a GDP per capita of over $16,000. The nation’s big business is diamonds, but tourism generates a lot of… [Read More]
Namibia: Unfinished Business
Namibia was under the rule of the Republic of South Africa until it achieved independence in 1990, with the help of a civil war. This book is an academic text that evaluates the state of the nation’s democracy. I don’t normally read political science works, so it’s been interesting for me to see how it’s… [Read More]
Zimbabwe: We Need New Names
My African book project is starting to wrap up with We Need New Names: A Novelby NoViolet Bulawayo. It’s a coming of age story about modern Zimbabwe, involving a young girl whose childhood is spent in a nation in disarray. She eventually leaves for the United States, and then has to deal with the complications of… [Read More]
Malawi: Growing Up In Malawi
Malawi is a small, young, and poor country. The nation has about 18 million people, almost 70 percent of whom are under age 24. No surprise, there aren’t a lot of cultural exports. I came across a UK indie band called Lake Malawi, but it’s not the same thing. For this stop in my ongoing exploration of Africa,… [Read More]