Africa: A Biography of the Continent
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- Author：John Reader
- ISBN：0140266755
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Summary
Drawing on many years of African experience， John Reader has written a book of startling grandeur and scope that recreates the great panorama of African history， from the primeval cataclysms that formed the continent to the political upheavals facing much of the continent today。 Reader tells the extraordinary story of humankind's adaptation to the ferocious obstacles of forest， river and desert， and to the threat of debilitating parasites， bacteria and viruses unmatched elsewhere in the world。 He also shows how the world's richest assortment of animals and plants has helped - or hindered - human progress in Africa。
Reviews
Stan Prager
，
tAfrica。 My youth largely knew of it only through the distorted lens of racist cartoons peopled with bone-in-their-nose cannibals， B-grade movies showcasing explorers in pith helmets who somehow always managed to stumble into quicksand， and of course Tarzan。 It was still even then sometimes referred to as the “Dark Continent，” something that was supposed to mean dangerous and mysterious but also translated， for most of us， into the kind of blackness that was synonymous with race and skin color。 tAfrica。 My youth largely knew of it only through the distorted lens of racist cartoons peopled with bone-in-their-nose cannibals， B-grade movies showcasing explorers in pith helmets who somehow always managed to stumble into quicksand， and of course Tarzan。 It was still even then sometimes referred to as the “Dark Continent，” something that was supposed to mean dangerous and mysterious but also translated， for most of us， into the kind of blackness that was synonymous with race and skin color。 tMy interest in Africa came via the somewhat circuitous route of my study of the Civil War。 The central cause of that conflict was， of course， human chattel slavery， and nearly all the enslaved were descendants of lives stolen from Africa。 So， for me， a closer scrutiny of the continent was the logical next step。 One of the benefits of a fine personal library is that there are hundreds of volumes sitting on shelves waiting for me to find the moment to find them。 Such was the case for Africa: A Biography of the Continent， by John Reader， which sat unattended but beckoning for some two decades until a random evening found a finger on the spine and then the cover was open and the book was in my lap。 I did not turn back。 With a literary flourish rarely present in nonfiction combined with the ambitious sweep of something like a novel of James Michener， Reader attempts nothing less than the epic as he boldly surveys the history of Africa from the tectonic activities that billions of years ago shaped the continent， to the evolution of the single human species that now populates the globe， to the rise and fall of empires， to colonialism and independence， and finally to the twin witness of the glorious and the horrific in the peaceful dismantling of South African apartheid and the Rwandan genocide。 In nearly seven hundred pages of dense but highly readable text， the author succeeds magnificently， identifying the myriad differences in peoples and lifeways and environments while not neglecting the shared themes that then and now much of the continent holds in common。 Africa is the world’s second largest continent， and it hosts by far the largest number of sovereign nations: with the addition of South Sudan in 2011—twelve years after Reader’s book was published—there are now fifty-four， as well as a couple of disputed territories。 But nearly all of these states are artificial constructs that are relics of European colonialism， lines on maps once penciled in by elite overlords in distant drawing rooms in places like London， Paris， Berlin， and Brussels， and those maps were heavily influenced by earlier incursions by the Spanish， Portuguese， and Dutch。 Much of the poverty， instability， and often dreadful standards of living in Africa are the vestiges of these artificial borders that mostly ignored prior states， tribes， clans， languages， religions， identities， lifeways。 When their colonial masters， who had long raped the land for its resources and the people for their self-esteem， withdrew in the whirlwind decolonization era of 1956-1976—some at the strike of the pen， others at the point of the sword—the exploiters left little of value for nation-building to the exploited beyond the mockery of those boundaries。 That of the ancestral that had been lost in the process， had been irrevocably lost。 That is one of Reader’s themes。 But there is so much more。 tThe focus is， as it should be， on sub-Saharan Africa; the continent’s northern portion is an extension of the Mediterranean world， marked by the storied legacies of ancient Greeks， Carthaginians， Romans， and the later Arab conquest。 And Egypt， then and now， belongs more properly to the Middle East。 But most of Africa’s vast geography stretches south of that， along the coasts and deep into the interior。 Reader delivers “Big History” at its best， and the sub-Saharan offers up an immense arena for the drama that entails—from the fossil beds that begat Homo habilis in Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge， to the South African diamond mines that spawned enormous wealth for a few on the backs of the suffering of a multitude， to today’s Maasai Mara game reserve in Kenya that we learn is not as we would suppose a remnant of some ancient pristine habitat， but rather a breeding ground for the deadly sleeping sickness carried by the tsetse fly that turned once productive land into a place unsuitable for human habitation。tPerhaps the most remarkable theme in Reader’s book is population sustainability and migration。 While Africa is the second largest of earth’s continents， it remains vastly underpopulated relative to its size。 Given the harsh environment， limited resources， and prevalence of devastating disease， there is strong evidence that it has likely always been this way。 Slave-trading was， of course， an example of a kind forced migration， but more typically Africa’s history has long been characterized by a voluntary movement of peoples away from the continent， to the Middle East， to Europe， to all the rest of the world。 Migration has always been—and remains today—subject to the dual factors of “push” and “pull，” but the push factor has dominated。 That is perhaps the best explanation for what drove the migrations of archaic and anatomically modern humans out of Africa to populate the rest of the globe。 The recently identified 210，000-year-old Homo sapiens skull in a cave in Greece reminds us that this has been going on a very long time。 Homo erectus skulls found in Dmansi， Georgia that date to 1。8 million years old underscore just how long！ tSlavery is， not unexpectedly， also a major theme for Reader， largely because of the impact of the Atlantic slave trade on Africa and how it forever transformed the lifeways of the people directly and indirectly affected by its pernicious hold—culturally， politically and economically。 The slavery that was a fact of life on the continent before the arrival of European traders closely resembled its ancient roots; certainly race and skin color had nothing to do with it。 As noted， I came to study Africa via the Civil War and antebellum slavery。 To this day， a favored logical fallacy advanced by “Lost Cause” apologists for the Confederate slave republic asks rhetorically “But their own people sold them as slaves， didn’t they？” As if this contention—if it was indeed true—would somehow expiate or at least attenuate the sin of enslaving human beings。 But is it true？ Hardly。 Captors of slaves taken in raids or in war by one tribe or one ethnicity would hardly consider them “their own people，” any more than the Vikings that for centuries took Slavs to feed the hungry slave markets of the Arab world have considered them “their own people。” This is a painful reminder that such notions endure in the mindset of the deeply entrenched racism that still defines modern America—a racism derived from African chattel slavery to begin with。 It reflects how outsiders might view Africa， but not how Africans view themselves。 tThe Atlantic slave trade left a mark on every African who was touched by it as buyer， seller or unfortunate victim。 The insatiable thirst for cheap labor to work sugar （and later cotton） plantations in the Americas overnight turned human beings into Africa’s most valuable export。 Traditions were trampled。 An ever-increasing demand put pressure on delivering supply at any cost。 Since Europeans tended to perish in Africa’s hostile environment of climate and disease， a whole new class of “middle-men” came to prominence。 Slavery， which dominated trade relations， corrupted all it encountered and left scars from its legacy upon the continent that have yet to fully heal。 tThis review barely scratches the surface of the range of material Reader covers in this impressive work。 It’s a big book， but there is not a wasted page or paragraph， and it neither neglects the diversity nor what is held in common by the land and its peoples。 Are there flaws？ The included maps are terrible， but for that the publisher should be faulted rather than the author。 To compensate， I hung a map of modern Africa on the door of my study and kept a historical atlas as companion to the narrative。 Other than that quibble， the author’s achievement is superlative。 Rarely have I read something of this size and scope and walked away so impressed， both with how much I learned as well as the learning process itself。 If you have any interest in Africa， this book is an essential read。 Don’t miss it。 。。。more
Pacmogda Clémentine
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Great Book with all the main information we need to know from Africa！ I love it
Sergey
，
An interesting overview and a lot of powerful historic facts。
Antonio Troese
，
This is an excellent book。 It covers the geological development and specific regional geography of each region。 It then goes thru the people， resources， and history in wonderful， enthusiastic detail。 I felt the book was flawlessly executed。
Joshua Hedlund
，
This is a giant tome， attempting to cover the entire history of Africa from its geologic and anthropological beginnings （at least as it was commonly believed to be circa late 1990s） all the way to the modern era （that is， circa late 1990s）。 It is an engaging read， despite its scope and length， and its reputation is deserved。 Some of the things I learned include:- The devastation of the slave trade on the continent。 From time to time I have heard almost-apologetic softenings of the era of Western This is a giant tome， attempting to cover the entire history of Africa from its geologic and anthropological beginnings （at least as it was commonly believed to be circa late 1990s） all the way to the modern era （that is， circa late 1990s）。 It is an engaging read， despite its scope and length， and its reputation is deserved。 Some of the things I learned include:- The devastation of the slave trade on the continent。 From time to time I have heard almost-apologetic softenings of the era of Western enslavement of black people with reminders that slavery was also practiced by other cultures， including among Africans themselves。 But Reader argues that the Trans-atlantic slave trade corrupted and exacerbated internal African slavery。 The ever-present threat of being randomly rounded up for eventual sale to the coast disrupted entire cultures and inhibited development across the whole continent （you can't run from would-be kidnappers and also tend to your fields）。 Such matter-of-fact depictions of obvious consequences that I somehow never thought about before was a common thread of the book。- The challenges of terrain and shifting climate， including the influence of both the tsetse fly and the devastating rinderpest plague on cattle。- The arbitrary carving-up of national boundaries by European colonizers and the lasting consequences of those decisions， including both the splitting-up of existing civilizations as well as the combining of opposing groups as tinder for future conflict。- The backdrop to the infamous 1994 Rwandan genocide。 The Belgian interference into the relationship between the Tutsis and the Hutus， including both the Belgians' initial rewarding of power and influence to the allegedly "superior" Tutsis， and their later reversal of alignment with the more numerous Hutus in preparation for democratic independence， completely recast for me both the war itself as a generic example of human conflict as well as its subsequently heralded reconciliations。The book is not a polemic anti-Western screed or anything like that， although the author clearly loves the continent and people of Africa and mourns what has been stolen and lost。 But as someone who， for both theological and humanitarian reasons， longs to see the poor， marginalized， and oppressed uplifted into full participation with the rest of humankind， I am quite interested in understanding the reasons behind the present-day inequalities in many African nations， and what can or should be done about it， so that was a lot of what stood out the most to me among the six hundred and eighty-one pages （including the revelation of in-grained assumptions behind the very concept of those nations as nations in the first place）。I am interested to consider what has transpired in the span of 20+ years since this book's publication。 I am also even more interested to read a book like Why Nations Fail and see how its ideas might complement or contrast with the ideas presented here。 。。。more
Katie
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3。5
Salim
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Read portions on Central Africa， Congo; pre-colonial history
P M E
，
Immense respect for this work's audacious scope， and largely successful execution。 I think some reviews here are too academic or too agenda-based to be fair。 This book isn't "the complete picture" of Africa， and it would be naïve to présume the oldest continent could be summarized in 600 pages。 It drags in the middle third， and is more stolid than prosaic。What is did exceptionally well was allow someone like me， to fill a gaping void in my history of Africa， and provide me enough structural know Immense respect for this work's audacious scope， and largely successful execution。 I think some reviews here are too academic or too agenda-based to be fair。 This book isn't "the complete picture" of Africa， and it would be naïve to présume the oldest continent could be summarized in 600 pages。 It drags in the middle third， and is more stolid than prosaic。What is did exceptionally well was allow someone like me， to fill a gaping void in my history of Africa， and provide me enough structural knowledge to appreciate how Africa as a whole has experienced history。 The ultimate gift now being I have a much， much deeper appreciation for African history， and gain so much more relevance and context to what previously would have been just another article in the Economist about something going on in Africa。 Give yourself the gift of understanding a whole new continent of experience。 。。。more
Cheewai Lai
，
To begin to understand the many troubles that plague Africa today， start with this historical account。
Tom Elliott
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In the less than 700 pages， I now know all there is to know about Africa！Okay， so not really， but like any biography， the writer is selective in the examples he uses to shine a light on broader trends。 The scope is definitely broad， but he zeroes in on different areas of the continent to emphasize different aspects of African history， and it's an enjoyable survey read with enough detail to bring it to life。 In the less than 700 pages， I now know all there is to know about Africa！Okay， so not really， but like any biography， the writer is selective in the examples he uses to shine a light on broader trends。 The scope is definitely broad， but he zeroes in on different areas of the continent to emphasize different aspects of African history， and it's an enjoyable survey read with enough detail to bring it to life。 。。。more
Joshua Wroath
，
Fantastic comprehensive anthropology and history of the continent。 For anyone with little to extensive African knowledge， all will learn from this book。
Javier Andres Omodeo
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Lograr resumir la historia de Africa en un libro es algo difícil， pero John Reader logra hacerlo de una manera magistral。 Desde la geología pasando por la antropología， biología， sociología y muchas áreas más nos permite comprender un poco al Africa actual。 Si te interesa Africa es un MUST！
Brian Hilliker
，
I have never read a more comprehensive dive into Africa than this。 It is filled with nuance， understanding， and a desire to provide the African continent the justice it has long deserved。 Reader clearly understands that African people suffer from the same sins of the rest of the world。 However， he does not， nor should he， sugarcoat the extent of European oppression。 The book ends with a mixture of hope and trepidation as to how the future of Africa may turn out。 May it be one of success rather t I have never read a more comprehensive dive into Africa than this。 It is filled with nuance， understanding， and a desire to provide the African continent the justice it has long deserved。 Reader clearly understands that African people suffer from the same sins of the rest of the world。 However， he does not， nor should he， sugarcoat the extent of European oppression。 The book ends with a mixture of hope and trepidation as to how the future of Africa may turn out。 May it be one of success rather than destruction。 。。。more
Doug Harper
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This is a real beast of a book。 It’s interesting， we’ll written and superbly researched but， because of the length and depth of material， I think only a realistic read for people with deep personal or professional interest in the African continent。
Eli Parkes
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Africa is big。 Enormous， really。 The standard world map skews the relative sizes of the continents so it appears no larger than Greenland。 In reality， Africa is bigger than Europe， China， India， and the United States combined。More importantly， Africa will be home to every third person on earth by the end of this century。I mention these facts not because I learnt them from John Reader’s masterful history of the continent， but so that they may motivate you， as they did me， to learn more about this Africa is big。 Enormous， really。 The standard world map skews the relative sizes of the continents so it appears no larger than Greenland。 In reality， Africa is bigger than Europe， China， India， and the United States combined。More importantly， Africa will be home to every third person on earth by the end of this century。I mention these facts not because I learnt them from John Reader’s masterful history of the continent， but so that they may motivate you， as they did me， to learn more about this utterly under-appreciated part of our world。 （You may of course be far less ignorant than I am about Africa — but I am certain you will still find this a worthwhile read。）Reader’s book is audacious in its scope， spanning geology， ecology， archeology， and history。 That makes his achievement with this volume all the more impressive。 Plainly， Reader loves Africa。 His writing， while scholarly in its appraisal of the sources， is infused with a warmth no doubt born of the decades he spent living and working there。He begins at the beginning: the geological processes that solidified the continental rock itself。 Such a lifeless start （mind the pun） may sound boring， but in fact it enriches the story， giving context to all that is to come。 For example， the continent’s mineral riches like gold and diamonds have had a dramatic impact on human affairs — it is fascinating to know how they came to be there。Effortlessly， he transitions through the climatic conditions that led to the rise of humanity and their spread throughout and beyond the continent。 It is the cradle of our species， so this study of climate and physiology is no less than an exploration of humankind: why we are as we are。By theme rather than chronologically， Reader then surveys the archeological view， from centres of civilisation like the Aksum Empire （in modern-day Ethiopia） to basic subsistence strategies across the continent。However the broad sweep of the book may be described as the story of a motherland’s tragic exploitation by modern and pre-modern empires — her children。 Slavery is a persistent theme。 Reader pulls no punches in describing the vicious history of this trade and the monumental impact it had on the continent。 Colonialism too cops its fair share of criticism。But Reader is anything but simplistic。 His account is nuanced， and does not fall into the trap of “white guilt”， blaming Europe for all of Africa’s woes。 He is clear， for example， that slavery was commonplace within Africa long before the export trade。 Environmental conditions as well， such as disease， climate， and local fauna are all discussed at length。 Overall， the picture he paints is of a continent which faced a daunting array of challenges， but whose people resolutely and continually rose to meet them。The book has been criticised for its focus on sub-Saharan Africa at the expense of North Africa， and as a result European more-so than Arabic influence on the continent。 But at least for this lay-reader， that corresponded precisely to the largest gap in my knowledge。 Having said that， further discussion of North Africa would not have gone unappreciated。The only other obvious flaw is that the story stops in the mid-1990s。 Of course， the book was published in 1997， so that is less critique than glowing endorsement — I‘d have loved to read the author’s take on the last quarter century。Indeed the ending does feel somewhat unsettling， like dropping the curtain in the middle of Act Three。 Reader contrasts the dreams realised at Apartheid’s end with the nightmare of genocide in Rwanda。 Such vivid emotional turmoil leaves the spectator still entangled in the narrative。The African drama is of course ongoing。 With each passing day its global significance grows。 Africans and non-Africans alike will find their place in it。 But at the very least， what this book does is compel us all to pay attention。 。。。more
Jorge Rodighiero
，
Very detailed and exhaustive， but lost focus on the last part （the 20th century） arriving to an ending that sadly feels more like "I ran out of pages" than a closure per se。 Very detailed and exhaustive， but lost focus on the last part （the 20th century） arriving to an ending that sadly feels more like "I ran out of pages" than a closure per se。 。。。more
Brian Muldoon
，
So far the book has been comprehensive to the extreme avoiding political and cultural bias and focusing on the empirical and scientific perspectives。 This book enters Africa hundreds of millions of years ago explaining the basic geology of the continent， the changing landscape and meteorological events 。。。 to the eventual development of the first hominids and then mankind。 What I really liked is the author's comparisons of Africa changing social structures as they are compared to other areas of So far the book has been comprehensive to the extreme avoiding political and cultural bias and focusing on the empirical and scientific perspectives。 This book enters Africa hundreds of millions of years ago explaining the basic geology of the continent， the changing landscape and meteorological events 。。。 to the eventual development of the first hominids and then mankind。 What I really liked is the author's comparisons of Africa changing social structures as they are compared to other areas of the Euro-Asian subcontinent。 The roots of black slavery are discussed leading to a non-emotional description of the African slave trade。 That is as far as I have proceeded 。。。more
Edalma
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This book was so fabulous。
Tom Rampley
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Very good first 200 pages， but the narrative really starts to drag around that point。 Thereafter the book becomes more of a series of vignettes than anything else， some of which are interesting and informative and some of which are not。 The 20th century is also almost glossed over in the last 50ish pages which seems odd given the amount of time spent on the relatively less eventful early modern period。 I learned a lot， but it was a slog and could have used significant editing。
Bryanna Plog
，
While there was a lot of good information here， I somehow wanted more。 I hoped for a little more information about different African civilizations and cultures as well as the 19th and 20th centuries and colonialism。 Still a nice introduction to many aspects about Africa， however。
Janice Bridger
，
I thought this was a fascinating and challenging book。 It starts with the uniqueness of African geology which lead to the formation of valuable mineral resources in some areas and their later exploitation。 Then it explains that the continent is the birthplace of all life on earth and later the emergence and emigration of humans。 It includes speculation about human evolution and the underpopulation of the continent due to climate change eg drought and disease。 The history of white Europeans as so I thought this was a fascinating and challenging book。 It starts with the uniqueness of African geology which lead to the formation of valuable mineral resources in some areas and their later exploitation。 Then it explains that the continent is the birthplace of all life on earth and later the emergence and emigration of humans。 It includes speculation about human evolution and the underpopulation of the continent due to climate change eg drought and disease。 The history of white Europeans as so called discoverers not recognising their relatives in fact exploiting them with slavery is shocking and contributed to the failure of population growth。 Also it is shocking when you realise much of the slavery exploitation was internal。 It discusses that the tribal identity which had led to so many problems in Africa was caused by the white invaders need to label groups。 Also that internal African warfare was made worse by white involvement and selling of weapons。 My only negative was that there is so much to take in and then at the end I would have liked some kind of summary of the countries- yes I know they are artificial boundaries and keep changing but 。。。。。！ 。。。more
Sally Dark
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This book took me AGES to read。 Mainly because I spent half the time Googling events and people that the author mentions to find out more about them。 This book is magnificent。 The amount of research that must have gone into its compilation is incredible。 The fact that there was no internet at the time of its creation， is absolutely mystifying。 I have been wanting to read a book about African civilisations for a while， and I am so glad that it was this one that I chose。 This is an epic book， full This book took me AGES to read。 Mainly because I spent half the time Googling events and people that the author mentions to find out more about them。 This book is magnificent。 The amount of research that must have gone into its compilation is incredible。 The fact that there was no internet at the time of its creation， is absolutely mystifying。 I have been wanting to read a book about African civilisations for a while， and I am so glad that it was this one that I chose。 This is an epic book， full of facts and figures and fairly impartial in its view。 I would highly recommend this book to anyone interesed in learning about the history of Africa and its people。 Truly brilliant。 。。。more
David Waldron
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This extraordinary book covers the formation of the African continent; the evolution of human life; the development of agriculture and animal husbandry; the development of writing; the rise of African civilizations; the slave trade and its impacts; European colonization and liberation。 Each of these topics--and others--is treated with great care and depth。 The author provides innumerable insights。 His writing style is clear and engaging。 I found it hard to put this book down。
Prea Singh
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Epic。 An incredible and richly researched narrative on Africa， from the formation of the continent to a message of hope for its future。
Sarah
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Fascinating。 Would recommend and will re read。Great history of a continent from a geographical perspective。
Marc Menz
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An immense book！ Such a vast breadth of African history。 I was most impressed with how well （and at the same time terrifyingly） portrayed 400 years of slavery was described from the African viewpoint。 The disaster of Europeans and colonialism - but from the point of view of the locals， just how disruptive it was on their communities and rulers for centuries。 It’s a challenging read， from slavery， colonialism， the horrors of the Congo， wars and even genocide - however one gets the sense that on t An immense book！ Such a vast breadth of African history。 I was most impressed with how well （and at the same time terrifyingly） portrayed 400 years of slavery was described from the African viewpoint。 The disaster of Europeans and colonialism - but from the point of view of the locals， just how disruptive it was on their communities and rulers for centuries。 It’s a challenging read， from slavery， colonialism， the horrors of the Congo， wars and even genocide - however one gets the sense that on the whole， Africans see the silver lining and the future may be brighter than we think。 It’s worth the read for those that want to understand the history of the continent a little better and to put modern African states into a clearer perspective。 。。。more
Carl
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I read Meredith's "The Fortunes of Africa" & Reader's "Africa: The Biography of the Continent" at the same time & found remarkable similarities in the two works so I will review them together。 Both are large volumes covering the history， geography， people， & colonization of the continent。 Probably 90% or even more of the material covered overlaps and very few instances are found where the authors contradict each other in their conclusions。 Readers' work covers more detail of the prehuman history I read Meredith's "The Fortunes of Africa" & Reader's "Africa: The Biography of the Continent" at the same time & found remarkable similarities in the two works so I will review them together。 Both are large volumes covering the history， geography， people， & colonization of the continent。 Probably 90% or even more of the material covered overlaps and very few instances are found where the authors contradict each other in their conclusions。 Readers' work covers more detail of the prehuman history & geology of the continent & Meredith's work is more extensive in the coverage of the politics of post-colonial Africa。 I liked & recommend both books & not as an either/or alternative but for their complementarity。 There is much to be learned about the unfortunate continent & these works are a wealth of information。 。。。more
Marco Cerbo
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Una panoramica del continente africano dalla preistoria alla decolonizzazione。 Geologia， antropologia， climatologia si sovrappongono e si integrano per offrire un’ottima lettura。
James Duncan
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A rather expansive， but necessarily superficial， overview of the history of Africa from the formation of the continent through to the early years of post-colonial independence。 Almost any chapter could have been expanded into a book of its own， so one comes away with a feeling of speeding through major events， barely scraping the surface of the scope and impact of what’s being described。 That said， this would serve as a great introduction to African history， and the author’s love of the continen A rather expansive， but necessarily superficial， overview of the history of Africa from the formation of the continent through to the early years of post-colonial independence。 Almost any chapter could have been expanded into a book of its own， so one comes away with a feeling of speeding through major events， barely scraping the surface of the scope and impact of what’s being described。 That said， this would serve as a great introduction to African history， and the author’s love of the continent is profoundly apparent。 There are many other fine books that dive deeper into pre-colonial， colonial， and post-colonial history - so after priming yourself with this book， I’d recommend moving into those。 。。。more
William
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