Africa Books
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Book review
Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles
by Richard Dowden
PublicAffairs, New York, NY, USA, 2010; 592 pp; pb $19.95
Africa is like a giant tapestry; lots of colourful threads make up a vast and complex continent. However, the Western world often overlooks its many sides. Instead, it sees Africa as one 鈥渃ountry鈥� that is plagued with disasters of every kind. To the Western audience, Africa is hopeless and constantly experiencing suffering.
Author Richard Dowden, who moved to Uganda in 1971 to work as a teacher and journalist, seeks to unravel common misconceptions about Africa. He relies on his extensive travel across the continent to do so in his book, Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles. He is realistic in his quest 鈥� he acknowledges Africa鈥檚 well-known struggle with poverty and corruption but also paints a different picture 鈥� a realistic picture of a land where, along with the struggles and losses, there are victories and triumphs. In short, he showcases an Africa in which there is hope.
The author explains his eagerness to project the 鈥渞eal鈥� Africa: 鈥淭he ordinary gets ignored in Africa as it does in Asia or South America. Normality is nice but it does not 鈥� as they say 鈥� sell newspapers 鈥� It is the same with most of Africa. Not all Africans are fighting or starving. Millions have never known hunger or war and lead ordinary peaceful lives.鈥� But this aspect is not newsworthy and instead the media like to maintain Africa鈥檚 tarnished image.
To explore Africa鈥檚 true essence with all its intricacies and nuances, Dowden introduces readers to his personal accounts: he presents vibrant anecdotes from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Somalia, among others. Each story portrays Africa in its reality and highlights stories of struggle and tales of survival. For expatriates, natives and other foreigners, the 592-page book is something to relish. But the author warns: 鈥淏eware. Africa can be addictive.鈥�
鈥� Pavithra Rao
听
Africa鈥檚 ICT Infrastructure: Building on the Mobile Revolution (Directions in Development) by Mark D.J. Williams, Rebecca Mayer and Michael Minges (World Bank Publications, Washington, D.C., USA, 2011; 296 pp; pb $30)
Africa鈥檚 Infrastructure: A Time for Transformation (Africa Development Forum) by World Bank (World Bank Publications, Washington, D.C., 2009; 382 pp; pb $39.95)
Africa鈥檚 Transport Infrastructure: Mainstreaming Maintenance and Management (Directions in Development) by Ken Gwilliam (World Bank Publications, Washington, D.C., 2011; 574 pp; pb $35)
Africa鈥檚 Water and Sanitation Infrastructure: Access, Affordability, and Alternatives (Directions in Development) by Sudeshna Ghosh Banerjee and Elvira Morella (World Bank Publications, Washington, D.C., USA, 2011; 432 pp; pb $30)
Good Growth and Governance in Africa: Rethinking Development Strategies (Initiative for Policy Dialogue) by Akbar Noman, Kwesi Botchwey, Howard Stein and Joseph E. Stiglitz (Oxford University Press, USA, 2012; 576 pp; hb $99)
Governing Cotton: Globalization and Poverty in Africa by Adam Sneyd (Palgrave Macmillan, UK, 2011; 256 pp; hb $95)
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) as Africa鈥檚 Innovative Thinking on Governance: A Decade of Ghana鈥檚 Experience by S.K.B. Asante (Digibooks Ghana Ltd, Ghana, 2014; pp.267, pb $25)
The Industrial Policy Revolution II: Africa in the Twenty-first Century (International Economic Association) by Joseph E. Stiglitz, Justin Lin Yifu, Ebrahim Patel and Joan Esteban (Palgrave Macmillan, UK, 2013; 634 pp; pb $35)
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