How to Write About Africa

July 10, 2018 8:18 PM

"In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country. It is hot and dusty with rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals and tall, thin people who are starving."
posted by oprahgayle (14 comments total)

Previously
posted by nicebookrack at 8:24 PM on July 10, 2018

Previouslier
posted by explosion at 8:41 PM on July 10, 2018

Worth revisiting 10 years later though, no?
posted by oprahgayle at 8:46 PM on July 10, 2018 [2 favorites]

Mod note: We can probably call a decade or so a reasonable baseline statute of limitations on a double, yeah.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:55 PM on July 10, 2018 [9 favorites]

That bit about the cover reminds me of As Time Goes By where Lionel has to pose in khakis for the cover of 'My life in Kenya' and how the publisher keeps suggesting things that aren't correct but will be better for sales.

I need to learn more about Africa.
posted by freethefeet at 9:02 PM on July 10, 2018 [2 favorites]

How to Write About Africa II
The revenge
posted by zabuni at 9:14 PM on July 10, 2018 [12 favorites]

So is it or is it not okay to bless the rains down in Africa?

I love that “How to Write About Africa II” is even more scathing than the original.
posted by ejs at 10:33 PM on July 10, 2018 [2 favorites]

Binyavanga Wainana, who wrote this essay, is a very interesting guy. He's Kenyan, born to Ugandan and Kenyan parents. He helped found a Kenyan literary magazine called Kwa Ni? His memoir, One Day I Will Write About This Place, is really amazing (two excerpts). A few years after its publication, he published a chapter he omitted, about coming out and being gay in Kenya.
posted by ChuraChura at 4:39 AM on July 11, 2018 [6 favorites]

So is it or is it not okay to bless the rains down in Africa?

I guess it depends on how racist you want to be today. If the answer is "moderately" it's waiting there for you.

First line: "I hear the drums echoing tonight..."
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 7:24 AM on July 11, 2018

Also, I love Djimon Hounsou reading this.
posted by ChuraChura at 7:47 AM on July 11, 2018

Anyone know if the Kwa Ni literary trust is doing okay? Their last update was in 2016.
posted by honest knave at 7:51 AM on July 11, 2018

They seem to be more active on their Facebook page and moderately active on Twitter. I bought some old copies of the magazine when I was in Kenya back in 2008 - I'll see if I can find and scan some next time I'm home, if folks are interested.
posted by ChuraChura at 7:54 AM on July 11, 2018

I guess it depends on how racist you want to be today

I think ejs was making a meta joke, In that Toto's "africa" is about a white boy wanting to write a song about africa, but he only knows what he's seen on TV.
posted by Dr. Twist at 9:14 AM on July 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

And the books all have the same cover photo (used with the article, too).
posted by Carol Anne at 12:32 PM on July 11, 2018