African Rhapsody

An anthology of twenty-five short stories by the best emerging and award-winning contemporary African writers illuminates modern-day concerns and realities of African life

Obradovic gathers fascinating and illuminating stories, told and translated with varying levels of skill. The 25 tales in this compilation span the African continent and cover themes from growing up under colonialism and apartheid to aging and dying in the Biafran conflict. Gender is another thing. Obradovic states in her preface that contemporary female writers "have not cultivated the short story as a genre," so there is only one woman in the collection, Sindiwe Magona of South Africa. But her "It Was Easter Sunday the Day I Went to Netreg," is an expertly crafted, psychological powerhouse of a story about a pregnant unwed teenager from a black South African township who is taken by her mother and her mother's white employer to have a backroom abortion. Afterward, the girl reflects that "nothing can bring back the innocence I lost that day . . . . " Some stories end too abruptly, although "The Advance," by Henri Lopes, is all the more devastating for its sudden conclusion. It depicts a Congolese maid, whose own son lies at home dying from starvation and illness, trying to coax her white Belgian mistress's pampered daughter to eat. Other compelling stories present strong anti-war messages. In "The Last Battle," by Ossie O. Enekwe, a Biafran war hero "loses faith" in his own side and surrenders to the enemy after seeing the men he is assigned to lead--"waifs waiting for extermination." These stories, many of them powerful illustrations of moral dilemmas, leave in their wake a memorable impression of contemporary African life.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

An often impressive collection of 25 stories, most appearing in English for the first time, that showcases a broad spectrum of contemporary African writing in countries as disparate as Zambia and Tunisia. As Chinua Achebe notes in a foreword, ``the short story came first, and we did not, of course, have centuries but decades to play with it.'' The pieces here are arranged in order from birth to death, and, as Achebe warns, they ``are not a happy recital any more than Africa today is a happy continent....[The] common factor in all...is a pervasive atmosphere of pain and life's injustice.'' Stories like Congolese Henri Lop‚s' ``The Advance,'' in which a mother has to leave her dying son to take care of a white family; South African Bloke Modisane's ``The Dignity of Begging,'' in which a beggar dreams of challenging the system by empowering beggars; and Zambian William Saidi's ``The Garden of Evil,'' in which an old black gardener is caught between white settlers and black revolutionaries, reflect the colonial or apartheid experience. Others, like those of Nigerian writers Ossie O. Enekwe and Adewale Maja-Pearce, whose ``The Last Battle'' and ``Civil War I-II,'' respectively, are searing accounts of the Biafran War, write specifically about post-colonial Africa. The most notable stories are Zambian Charles Mungoshi's ``The Brother,'' in which a young boy has a stunning lesson in self-destruction when he comes to stay with his brother in the city; Sudanese Tayeb Salih's ``A Handful of Dates,'' which with quiet power tells of a boy's loss of ideals as he learns the truth about a revered grandfather; and Nigerian Ken Saro-Wiwa's ``Africa Kills Her Sun,'' in which a death sentence is a stunning metaphor for political corruption. Some are less substantial--trite reworkings of old themes--but all vividly evoke a still too unfamiliar continent. Timely and instructive. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

In the tradition of Chinua Achebe's Nigerian literary journal Okike, all facets of contemporary African life are reflected in these stories spanning the many nations and languages of the continent. Prizewinning writers with familiar names are included along with emerging writers who will, no doubt, be new discoveries even for those acquainted with African literature. Loosely divided into three sections, this collection is a veritable cornucopia spilling forth the hard facts of life for most Africans. The first stories share themes that prominently feature children, while the next group depicts slice-of-life encounters and events grounded in traditional beliefs. In the final section, the bleak realities of war-torn countries are portrayed. Readers of these stories will find it difficult to resist the challenge to meditate upon certain grim truths coloring these tales of hardship and poverty, political repression, and societies torn to pieces by unending cycles of violence. Alice Joyce

This outstanding assemblage of 25 short stories by African authors, many appearing for the first time in English, offers compelling insight into the realities and hardships of life in Africa. An up-to-date biography is included for each contributor, who range from writers of the early colonial era (Henri Lope, Luis Honwana), to those cataloging the death and destruction of revolutionary and religious upheaval (O.O. Enekwe, A. Maja-Pearce, Alifa Rafaat), to those concerned with modern behavior and relationships (S. Magona, Charles Mungoshi). The foreword consists of an enlightening historical overview by noted Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe. This anthology is as appealing as editor Obradovic's Looking for a Rain God (S. & S., 1990), which also collected contemporary African stories. It is required reading for anyone who studies African culture and the human condition.
- Gayle S. Leach , Prince George's Cty. Memorial Lib. System, Largo, Md.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.