Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent
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- Create Date：2022-10-03 10:19:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Dipo Faloyin
- ISBN：0393881539
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Summary
Definitive proof that Africa is *not* a country。 A lively， entertaining and informative portrait of modern Africa that pushes back against harmful stereotypes。
Over a billion people have been reduced to one simple story。 Africa Is Not a Country fills in the gaps。
So often Africa is depicted simplistically as a red landscape of safaris and famines。 In this funny， insightful book Dipo Faloyin corrects this view to create a fresh and positive view of the continent。
By turns intimate and political， he looks at buzzy urban life in Lagos and the lively West African rivalry over who makes the best jollof rice， before giving us the story of democracy in ten dictatorships， an insight into different regional accents and the colonial foundation of many countries which are still younger than your grandparents。 We learn about the dangers of white saviours and the cultural significance of Aunties， and he provides us with a tour guide of where citizens of several African countries need to travel to visit their own cultural artefacts - 90% of which are in museums outside the continent。 We immerse ourselves in the energy and fabric of many different cultures and communities as Dipo shows his deep love of the region - as a concept， as a promise and as a reality。
Over a billion people have been reduced to one simple story。 Africa Is Not a Country fills in the gaps。
So often Africa is depicted simplistically as a red landscape of safaris and famines。 In this funny， insightful book Dipo Faloyin corrects this view to create a fresh and positive view of the continent。
By turns intimate and political， he looks at buzzy urban life in Lagos and the lively West African rivalry over who makes the best jollof rice， before giving us the story of democracy in ten dictatorships， an insight into different regional accents and the colonial foundation of many countries which are still younger than your grandparents。 We learn about the dangers of white saviours and the cultural significance of Aunties， and he provides us with a tour guide of where citizens of several African countries need to travel to visit their own cultural artefacts - 90% of which are in museums outside the continent。 We immerse ourselves in the energy and fabric of many different cultures and communities as Dipo shows his deep love of the region - as a concept， as a promise and as a reality。
Reviews
Ana-Maria
，
Entertaining and informative。 Really nice read。
Miglė
，
it's insightful， it's playful， it's brimming with dignity。it's so damn needed。I want to stand up （possibly on a table） and clap for its author for bringing it to life。action is the only reliable predictor of more action。 it's insightful， it's playful， it's brimming with dignity。it's so damn needed。I want to stand up （possibly on a table） and clap for its author for bringing it to life。action is the only reliable predictor of more action。 。。。more
Karin
，
this book is beautifully written， loved part one's description of lagos， and i learnt so much with every chapter。 a first step to make up for the embarassing noninclusion of african history and western colonial past in european educational systems this book is beautifully written， loved part one's description of lagos， and i learnt so much with every chapter。 a first step to make up for the embarassing noninclusion of african history and western colonial past in european educational systems 。。。more
Erin
，
There were some parts of this that were really great， and some parts that didn't seem to fit。 But then again， how could you write only one book about a continent with such a rich and diverse history？ I wonder if separate books on african regions， or by time period， might help hold this together better？I particularly liked the essay on philanthropy and "africa。" And while I'm loathe to ever say that media representations of any place are worth anything （how many movies are in new york and la， but There were some parts of this that were really great， and some parts that didn't seem to fit。 But then again， how could you write only one book about a continent with such a rich and diverse history？ I wonder if separate books on african regions， or by time period， might help hold this together better？I particularly liked the essay on philanthropy and "africa。" And while I'm loathe to ever say that media representations of any place are worth anything （how many movies are in new york and la， but not anywhere else？）， the danger of sensationalizing rural over urban and poverty over success stories was interesting。 。。。more
Nikita Yadav
，
Be prepared for terrific， sassy writing on the stereotypes associated with Africa， be ready to cleanse your brains with pure logic and multiple case in points。This is a great book， well written on a subject as vast as a whole continent。 The themes Dipo touches upon are the sense of community in his home town Laos， the white savior complex the west seems to have， the stereotypes in cinemas where Africa's narrative is flattened to 3-4 simple storylines of jungle safari， white people privilege and Be prepared for terrific， sassy writing on the stereotypes associated with Africa， be ready to cleanse your brains with pure logic and multiple case in points。This is a great book， well written on a subject as vast as a whole continent。 The themes Dipo touches upon are the sense of community in his home town Laos， the white savior complex the west seems to have， the stereotypes in cinemas where Africa's narrative is flattened to 3-4 simple storylines of jungle safari， white people privilege and self discovery。 。。。more
Rachel Post
，
Lots and lots to take in here。 I try to be well informed， so I love books that show me I don't know jack shit。 Faloyin presents several powerful and at times quite funny stories about modern Africa and the devastating effects of colonialism and cultural stereotypes。 I found myself wholeheartedly agreeing with Faloyin's condemnation of poverty porn （ahem， Tom Ahern） and Western Museums' lasting grip on African art and artefacts （preaching to the choir in this case）。 I learned a lot， particularly Lots and lots to take in here。 I try to be well informed， so I love books that show me I don't know jack shit。 Faloyin presents several powerful and at times quite funny stories about modern Africa and the devastating effects of colonialism and cultural stereotypes。 I found myself wholeheartedly agreeing with Faloyin's condemnation of poverty porn （ahem， Tom Ahern） and Western Museums' lasting grip on African art and artefacts （preaching to the choir in this case）。 I learned a lot， particularly the connection between the Royal Niger Company and Unilever， the history of the looting of the Benin Bronzes， the female army of Dahomey， and even quick facts around relative carbon footprints （2 weeks of an average UK resident's emissions is one year that of a resident of Burkino Faso）。 And the section on Independence Day is hilarious。 The book includes a lot of stories around protests and activism in places like Algeria， Mozambique， Guinea Bisseau， Rwanda， etc。， that I wish would make the news more often。 Heartily recommended overall。 Only small frustration is that Faloyin tends to drop his volume at the end of sentences， so I frequently had to replay parts of the text to catch missing words。 Now off to find some jollof rice。 。。。more
Victoria （Eve's Alexandria）
，
Worth it for the section on Jollof rice alone。 A powerful， insightful collection of shorter and longer essays on politics， culture， society and family from across Africa， with a particular focus on Nigeria， the author’s own country。 Lots of lovely writing and bold connections， grounded in the history of European colonialism on the continent。
Andy
，
Incredible book！ This should be taught in US schools。 We learn nothing about Africa except for that's where the slave trade got slaves。 Africa is so much more than that！ Incredible book！ This should be taught in US schools。 We learn nothing about Africa except for that's where the slave trade got slaves。 Africa is so much more than that！ 。。。more
K。J。 Charles
，
Terrific book discussing various facets of Africa。 Obviously this is a huge subject， but this book gives a good sense of the breadth by cherry-picking examples from different countries and histories， and focusing on a particular set of topics。 It covers colonialism and the scramble for Africa， the mass theft of cultural heritage for museums （it is really embarrassing to read this book as a white Brit）， how Hollywood portrays Africa， current issues like strongmen/dictators， success stories， white Terrific book discussing various facets of Africa。 Obviously this is a huge subject， but this book gives a good sense of the breadth by cherry-picking examples from different countries and histories， and focusing on a particular set of topics。 It covers colonialism and the scramble for Africa， the mass theft of cultural heritage for museums （it is really embarrassing to read this book as a white Brit）， how Hollywood portrays Africa， current issues like strongmen/dictators， success stories， white saviours and unhelpful charity， and behaviour which is somewhere between ignorance and appropriation （jollof rice and the Jamie Oliver nonsense）。 My knowledge of African history is pathetic--for some reason we don't learn about that at school， can't think why--so this was hugely informative and helped slot a lot of things together。 I particularly liked the sections on strongmen and wealth-hoarding grossly privileged leaders that included pieces on Johnson and Trump， written in the style in which people write about African despots。 It's very well written: evocative， vivid， often extremely funny， with biting sarcasm but also immense generosity of spirit， which really makes you read with a sense of hope as well as fury。 Compelling reading， highly informative， and highly recommended。 。。。more
Pierke
，
Als witte west-Europese man opgegroeid in een veilige omgeving een must read…Waar je dacht dat je al zo’n globale burger was kom je hier waarschijnlijk tot de conclusie dat je zo veel niet weet。 En dat het paternalisme ook in jou zit！ Het boek opende mijn ogen。 Nu ga ik heel hard proberen mijn leven een beetje te beteren。
Laura Hegarty
，
I am not usually a fan of non-fiction but I absolutely loved this book。 It's definitely in my top three this year。 With chapters that range from 'The birth of white saviour imagery' to 'Jollof wars: A love story'， Africa is not a country deconstructs a narrative that has been fed to us by the songs we listen to， the films we watch and the history we learn （or， more importantly， the history we do not learn）。 It was particularly eye-opening to read this book in the midst of the conversations happe I am not usually a fan of non-fiction but I absolutely loved this book。 It's definitely in my top three this year。 With chapters that range from 'The birth of white saviour imagery' to 'Jollof wars: A love story'， Africa is not a country deconstructs a narrative that has been fed to us by the songs we listen to， the films we watch and the history we learn （or， more importantly， the history we do not learn）。 It was particularly eye-opening to read this book in the midst of the conversations happening around the queen's death and her and the royal family's legacy。Faloyin has the most incredibly engaging writing style， witty but fittingly unforgiving。 This is an absolute must-read; I am delighted to have it in a stunning hardback edition - this is certainly a book that I will come back to。 。。。more
Michelle
，
I have to confess this started a little slow for me， but I am so glad I kept with it， because I think this book is irreplaceable。 I learned so much。 It seemed to me that each section got better and I got more and more involved as we went along， until we got to the sections on repatriating art and I was feeling pretty militant myself。 The perspective here is so critically important。 I "knew" Africa was not a country， lol， but I so enjoyed this beautifully written， urgent and relevant book。 I know I have to confess this started a little slow for me， but I am so glad I kept with it， because I think this book is irreplaceable。 I learned so much。 It seemed to me that each section got better and I got more and more involved as we went along， until we got to the sections on repatriating art and I was feeling pretty militant myself。 The perspective here is so critically important。 I "knew" Africa was not a country， lol， but I so enjoyed this beautifully written， urgent and relevant book。 I know and understand so much more now。 。。。more
Hope
，
This book took me to school in the best possible way。 Incredible and definitely one of my favorite books of the year
Albert
，
What do you know of Africa？ The slave trade？ The brutal colonialists from Europe？ The Ethiopian famine that gave Bob Geldof a soapbox？ The seemingly incessant civil wars？Africa， the giant continent of over 50 different countries， obviously is so much more。 And Nigerian writer Dipo Faloyin jumps right in with both feet to educate us。 He writes of the teeming metropolis of Lagos， Nigeria to let us know that Africa isn’t just wide open savanna covered in wild animals。 He writes of racist， paternali What do you know of Africa？ The slave trade？ The brutal colonialists from Europe？ The Ethiopian famine that gave Bob Geldof a soapbox？ The seemingly incessant civil wars？Africa， the giant continent of over 50 different countries， obviously is so much more。 And Nigerian writer Dipo Faloyin jumps right in with both feet to educate us。 He writes of the teeming metropolis of Lagos， Nigeria to let us know that Africa isn’t just wide open savanna covered in wild animals。 He writes of racist， paternalistic， and ignorant Europeans who took an inaccurate map of the continent and simply drew lines across it to delineate their colonial territory， separating tribes and families forever。 He writes of how these bizarrely written borders made it incredibly difficult for new countries to coalesce around a central identity， leading to military takeovers and lifelong despots。 He then writes about how young people all over the continent are coming up with creative ways of leading the next generation politically and reversing the mistakes of their elders。 He writes of Western museums that hold 90% of African art and refusing to return their ill-gotten gains to their countries of origin， who wish to have their ancestral and historical artifacts returned to their rightful home。 In these writings， Faloyin tells the stories as the journalist he is， but he writes with anger， with humor， with hope。 He breaks down the concept of “Africa” into its component parts and lets us know that the continent has so much more to offer than open fields， hunting， and dirt-floored villages。 Anyone with any curiosity at all will read this book and add several countries onto their wish-to-visit list。 。。。more
Anjie
，
The author addresses a huge pet peeve of mine with FACTS （like less than 10% of the continent’s under authoritarian rule at the time of publishing）， history， humor （who really makes the best jollof rice）， and pride。 A genuinely interesting read that will make you want to visit some of Africa’s many countries。
Ariel
，
A great （if very brief and slightly shallow） introduction to how Africa as a continent has been formed and represented in the West。 I particularly enjoyed Faloyin's joy and enthusiasm in the Jollof Wars chapter。 I did find the historical chapters a bit too brief， but I understand that going into any depth would have made this book a behemoth。 A great （if very brief and slightly shallow） introduction to how Africa as a continent has been formed and represented in the West。 I particularly enjoyed Faloyin's joy and enthusiasm in the Jollof Wars chapter。 I did find the historical chapters a bit too brief， but I understand that going into any depth would have made this book a behemoth。 。。。more
Jamie Sherwood
，
Not quite the book I was expecting， but a good look at African nations， and how they ended up where they are， with a strong message against the typical portrayal， and a call to investigate the country tries within the continent more， which I certainly plan to do。
Andrea Legaspi
，
Don’t exactly have the words to describe how good this book is。 I wish I could read more of it。 And I wish everyone would read it。
Lucas Hershberger
，
Taught me a lot and read like a novel。 Great book。
Amber
，
Fantastic book if you want to learn and understand more about Africa。 Will help you examine and unload all the tropes， biases and whitewashed information you have been fed about the continent。
Vivienne
，
This was such an enlightening book。 While I was aware that Africa is a continent， this proved an eye-opening account in so many respects。I had its unabridged audiobook edition narrated by Dipo Faloyin on loan from BorrowBox。 I hope to purchase the print edition in due course。，
Melissa Bello
，
Perfect， perfect book to inform people about the history of Africa。 I loved it and I’m so glad I stumbled across this book in a random library in Portugal。
Rebecca
，
This was outstanding- a nuanced， complex， and well-written book。 I loved the chapter on historical and present legacies of food preparation and consumption wrt Jollof。 The chapter on social and political movements was also great。
Ivette De
，
Onze steun aan Afrika eens uit andere hoek bekeken， interessant boek， stemt tot nadenken over hoe Europeanen naar dit continent kijken
Steven Lanting
，
Accessible， insightful， interesting， and above all funny。
Marco
，
For those less informed on the past， present and future of Africa this book has so much to tell。 Although I have lived in Mozambique myself as a kid I wasn't fully aware of all the gruesome stories this continent had endured in its past。 The arrogance of Europeans， referred to as White Men in Khaki， was （and still is） simply astonishingThe author also doesn't look away from the fact some African leaders can become megalomane whilst being in power。 In one chapter infamous leaders like Robert Muga For those less informed on the past， present and future of Africa this book has so much to tell。 Although I have lived in Mozambique myself as a kid I wasn't fully aware of all the gruesome stories this continent had endured in its past。 The arrogance of Europeans， referred to as White Men in Khaki， was （and still is） simply astonishingThe author also doesn't look away from the fact some African leaders can become megalomane whilst being in power。 In one chapter infamous leaders like Robert Mugabe from Zimbabwe are being reviewed。 One chapter I did enjoy less was the general view on Africans in （mostly） Hollywood-films。 The stereotypes are obvious for everyone willing to look beyond the horizon that is presented。 And naming the Black Panther movie as a positive exception is understandable， but really has nothing to do with any reality。 。。。more
Grace Pooley
，
Dipo Faloyin's Africa is Not a Country attempts to achieve A LOT: to celebrate the unique identities of 54 distinct nations， tell the story of the colonization of African regions and their subsequent independence， unravel authoritarianism and democracy across the content and critique the western perception and representation of Africa。 This is far more than any one book can achieve but Africa is Not a Country gets damn near close。 A brilliant debut by a brilliant author。 4 stars。 Dipo Faloyin's Africa is Not a Country attempts to achieve A LOT: to celebrate the unique identities of 54 distinct nations， tell the story of the colonization of African regions and their subsequent independence， unravel authoritarianism and democracy across the content and critique the western perception and representation of Africa。 This is far more than any one book can achieve but Africa is Not a Country gets damn near close。 A brilliant debut by a brilliant author。 4 stars。 。。。more
Elke
，
Really like the book， just thought it would still offer so much more。。。
JoAnn
，
Slow clap， folks， slow clap。 I’m standing up for this one。 Africa Is Not A Country: Notes On A Bright Continent is everything it aims to be: a sharp， well-researched critique of white-centric historical narrative and a sharp， well-researched critique of racial “enlightenment” today。 For all the progress the world collectively has made in the direction of decolonization， we have not gotten very far。 In so many ways， we’ve just gone in circles， retracing the road of colonialism with new vehicles。 Slow clap， folks， slow clap。 I’m standing up for this one。 Africa Is Not A Country: Notes On A Bright Continent is everything it aims to be: a sharp， well-researched critique of white-centric historical narrative and a sharp， well-researched critique of racial “enlightenment” today。 For all the progress the world collectively has made in the direction of decolonization， we have not gotten very far。 In so many ways， we’ve just gone in circles， retracing the road of colonialism with new vehicles。 The route of racism is well-worn， a hard path to diverge from。 What’s that phrase…The road to hell is paved with good intentions… that’s the one。 That’s what Faloyin highlights in Africa Is Not A Country: the fact that colonization has continued to perpetuate， only in different modes — and still insidiously， under a familiar guise of tolerance and progressivism。 Ugh， now that I write that I can see nothing has changed， even the veneer of human compassion。The “Civilizing Mission” lives。 Paternalism thrives in our media-frenzied， self-care touting， feel-good-no-matter-who-pays-for-it society。 For the love of biscuits， will it ever just die？ No。 No， it won’t。 That’s Faloyin’s message。 It is a dismal one， but Africa Is Not A Country delivers it with witty， authentic， impassioned prose that balances intellect with humor。 Faloyin does not hold back; words are weaponized in this work， they aim with accuracy at whiteness and the continuing erasure of Africa in all its dimensions。 This use of language is especially poignant; it has been for so long used against the “formerly” colonized world， it is refreshing to see the ammunition firing from the other side。On that note: The language is highly accessible and the case studies within appeal across generations。 I am seriously considering assigning this in my courses on the history of racism。 It is is not academic in the strict sense， but the historical content is sound and importantly， it communicates without pedantism， without supercilious lordliness。 It’s downright funny in parts （well， as funny as history can be。） The case studies Faloyin examines are recognizable; students will be able to relate to this material with little explanation。 For example， Africa Is Not A Country discusses white saviorism in entertainment， film， and on social media。 Even if they are unfamiliar with specific events， they are savvy enough with the world of entertainment and social media to understand the historical implications and contemporary consequences。The structure of the book is also well-suited to the classroom （and for any reader）。 It maps a chronological logic for the reader。 The first chapters are focused on history， giving the reader ample and necessary context to understand what follows。 Specifically， it provides necessary context about the Berlin Conference of the 1880s in which the powers of Europe literally carved up the African continent to assuage their imperial satisfaction。 Prior to this international conspiracy and violation， the continent was autonomous and its peoples organically organized， if not always harmoniously， then at least according to their own choices and actions。 The eradication of African sovereignty， identity， complexity， and visibility occurs rapidly from that point， undergirded by a much older and very established historical foundation of Orientalism and pseudo-scientific racism。 The remaining chapters reveal to the reader how such erasure has continued and been actively perpetuated， purposefully and unintentionally。 The division of these chronological events into short， assignable chapters serve classroom/course use well。My courses are built for students of color， students who come from immigrant backgrounds， are first generation college students， and generally have little experience with academia and the culture of the academic elite。 Africa Is Not A Country is perfect for the student population I serve。Africa Is Not A Country is written with the African continent and its peoples in mind， but coming from a former British colony I found deep connection with this historical/contemporary commentary。 Faloyin is Nigerian; in parts where he brought forth his own history I smiled at particularly British colonial references and uses of language。 I could almost hear my mother’s voice in some of the words… I could not help but laugh out loud sardonically every now and then。 The chapter on “We are the world” （yes， that ubiquitous song touting a generic Let’s-all-get-along-we-just-have-to-try message） summoned up memories and a bit of shame; I loved that song， sang it at all my family’s karaoke-pot-luck parties as a child。 I remember believing so wholeheartedly that I was that future。And that’s the horror of white paternalism。 Colonialism was so successful; we are all complicit in it， regardless of our heritage， our race， our histories。 That too is Faloyin’s message。That said， ultimately， Africa Is Not A Country is also about keeping up the fight。 Despite everything and all the obstacles we all must continue to work towards decolonization。 This book serves as a necessary eye-opener for everyone。 For some readers it is a reminder， an epiphany for others。 This is a book for everyone: People of color， from any “former” or current colony， for those of European descent， for those at the beginning of their decolonization or those in the thick of it （who might need a jolt or encouragement）。 We are all descendants and inheritors of colonial culture。 。。。more
Elva
，