Alison Jolly was an anthropologist who specialized in lemurs. This put her in a unique position to study the very different groups of people in Madagascar, forming the centerpiece of Lords and Lemurs: Mad Scientists, Kings With Spears, and the Survival of Diversity in Madagascar. She made repeated trips over a period of almost 40 years for… [Read More]
Blog
Category: Africa
Mozambique: A Treacherous Paradise
A Treacherous Paradise is an unlikely book. Henning Mankell was a Swedish writer best known for the Wallander series of detective stories. He split is time between Sweden and Mozambique; another Swede who traveled there told Mankell that at some point in the late nineteenth or early 20th century, a Swedish woman not only owned one of… [Read More]
Zambia: The Red Bag
The next stop on my quest to learn at least a little bit about every country in Africa is Zambia. Formerly known as Northern Rhodesia, this former British colony has been independent since 1964 and is a functional democracy. It should be wealthier than it is, because of its copper resources and agricultural productivity. However, a very… [Read More]
Angola: Culture and Customs of Angola
Well, my project of learning at least a little about every country in Africa continues. It’s been, what, almost three years now? And I’m up to Angola. This book, Culture and Customs of Angola (Cultures and Customs of the World) is an academic handbook, a basic reference to the life of the people in Angola…. [Read More]
Somalia: Born in the Big Rains
The next country on the my list of African nations to learn about is Somalia. I was in New York City recently and went to the wonderful and amazing Strand Books and asked for books about Somalia, ideally something happy and upbeat. My choices were tales of war and destruction or Born in the Big… [Read More]
