The Africans

by David Lamb

During the four years he spent in black Africa as the bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, David Lamb traveled through almost every country south of the Sahara, logging more than 300,000 miles. He talked to presidents and guerrilla leaders, university professors and witch doctors. He bounced from wars to coups oceans apart, catching midnight flights to little-known countries where supposedly decent people were doing unspeakable things to one another. In the tradition of John Gunther's Inside Africa, The Africans is an extraordinary combination of analysis and adventure. Part travelogue, part contemporary history, it is a portrait of a continent that sometimes seems hell-bent on destroying itself, and of people who are as courageous as they are long-suffering.

Genres: Africa, History, Nonfiction, Travel, Journalism, Politics, Historical

371 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 1983

About the author

David Lamb's work has appeared in numbers publications, from National Geographic to Sports Illustrated. He has been a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, an Alicia Patterson Fellow and a wrier-in-residence at the University of Southern California. Lamb is the author of six books on subjects as diverse as Africa and minor league baseball. His most recent book is "Vietnam, Now: A Reporter Returns". He is a member of the Maine Newspaper Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Mark Woodward]

I had expected the title of the book to be ironic, but no, Lamb really does aim to describe “The Africans” in 300 pages. (Given the fact that there is apparently more genetic diversity in Africa than in the rest of the world combined, in addition to immense cultural diversity too, one wonders whether it would actually be easier to write a book about The Non-Africans.)

After the first couple of chapters I was ready to throw the book out of the window as Lamb paints a pretty depressing picture of the continent as a whole. There is little hope, and quite a patronising tone towards Africa and its people. However, I was glad I kept going as there are some very interesting stories, and I learnt a lot about the history of parts of Africa (mainly from the 1960s, when many countries gained independence, to the 1980s when the book was written), albeit told from a particular perspective.

This perspective was evident throughout the book, and I ended up learning as much about the author’s worldview as I did about Africa.

The book is obviously written for an American audience, as there are numerous comparisons with the United States. At times this is helpful (e.g. comparing sizes of countries), whereas at times it seems to imply that America is the standard of development that all African countries should be aiming for (e.g. comparing economic and healthcare statistics). On other occasions the comparison is just bizarre, like when the author asks the reader to imagine each US state having its own currency and trade restrictions, claiming that this is what Africa is like and this situation is thus an unnecessary hindrance to development (pp288-289). Errr… I’m not really sure it’s fair to portray the international borders of 50 different countries as being restrictive to trade by comparing them to regional borders within a single country!

The worrying thing about this perspective is that it seems to see certain countries as being the model that all others should follow, assuming that all countries are on the same path of development (or at least they should be), with some further along than others. Where the author sees things that are different to the USA (for example the many hundreds of languages spoken in Africa), these are viewed as a hindrance on this path to prosperity and something that holds people back, rather than a cultural resource to be treasured as part of the unique development of each country. It is assumed that the aims of all countries must be a strong economy, a western-style democracy, good medical facilities and long life expectancy. These may all be good things, but so are treasuring traditional cultures, honouring the past, living sustainably in our environment and giving dignity to the poor.

I was glad I read this book as in many ways it was an enjoyable read, and it definitely got me thinking. Maybe next time I’ll try to find a book called The Non-Africans, possibly written by a Nigerian who lived in Beijing for four years…

[Ramonita]

This is a great book if you are interested in African politics. Each chapter describes a different African leader and what they have done in their countries (good and bad).

[Rick]

“The Africans” by David Lamb was an interesting look at Africa during a very specific time frame. It is pretty obvious one would be hard-pressed to write a book summarizing African history in a mere 300 pages…and this book does not attempt to do that. Rather, the book focuses on the period between 1960 and 1980…that period where much of Africa segued from colonialism to independence. Additionally, the book concentrates on the sub-Sahara African countries (Black Africa) purposely excluding the Moslem countries in the north.

Simplistically, with the 1885 General Act of the Berlin Conference, the European nations gathered and agreed on a division of the African continent. Thus was the beginning or formalization of what we would come to know as: the Belgian Congo, British Kenya, French Guinea, German East Africa, Italian Somaliland, Portuguese Angola, and the Spanish Sahara, among others. Over the years the colonial master might change – i.e. the Belgian Congo fell under French rule – but the suffocating impact of colonialism remained. The conversion to independence was not an easy adjustment for these countries, especially so since the colonial power pretty much just picked up its bags and left – leaving the newly independent country without much intellectual capital or infrastructure. Lamb’s book details the early problems of independence.

The author touches on some of the winners in the transfer of power (Kenya and Ivory Coast) and some of the losers (Uganda and Tanzania). He also reviews the lure of capitalism and socialism, and how the new independents chose which competing economic theory to apply. He also devotes a chapter to the experience of South Africa, comparing and contrasting it to the other sub-Sahara nations experience at independence.

All-in-all this was a fascinating story of Africa’s struggle to come to grips with its independence. Recommended.

[Odg]

David Lamb's book manages to remain an enjoyable and insightful read even 30 years after it was written. David writes from the perspective of a fly on the wall during one of Africa's most turbulent post-colonial period. If you're interested in learning about the myriad of forces that have shaped the great continent, you should definitely give this a read.

[Scott Ford]

This book was a bid deal during my tour in Peace Corps. It's worth a read, but I found it a bit prejudiced and simplistic in its analysis.

[Tracey]

Anyone who wants a brief yet detailed account of the past of Africa and its' struggle to reinvent itself after colonialism should definitely read.

This is pretty much an autobiographical account of Lamb's journey in Africa. While some may be offended about what he speaks (When you read about the destruction of countries with rich histories, and its' dictators, you can't help but have a negative opinion of its' leaders i.e. Mobutu, that's if you're for capitalism and democracy, but then again that all depends how YOU define that*__*) it is pretty "right on".

[Barbara]

It is good sometimes to read books outside our usual genre likes. IF someone had asked me would you like to read a political science book on African politics,culture ,history etc. I would surely have answered NO WAY. BUT this was a very enjoyable read. He was funny and I could identify with much of what he said though I have never been to Africa. Now written nearly 30 years ago it is still a book I would choose to re-read.

[Ann]

Outstanding book that captures the spirit and enigma that is Africa.

[Sam]

Fascinating

[Glen]

This is an exceptional collection of stories from the continent. Some are hilarious and others depict the challenges facing the great people of Africa. I highly recommend it.

[Hank Stuever]

This was assigned reading in spring of 1985 for a high school Current Events class with the fantastic Ms. Jane Hollas.

[Scott Martin]

(Audiobook) Perhaps if I read this book in the 1980s or even the 1990s, I might rate this work a little higher. However, given that the subject matter of this book is over 40 years old, there is something to be said for how well it did or didn’t age. The fawning over Mugabe is beyond laughable, but then again, you probably could have seen it coming if you think about how Lamb characterizes leaders from other African countries who saw men lead them to independence, but then were corrupted by the power they obtained. Also, what would Lamb have said after the fall of the apartheid government in South Africa, AIDS, the genocide in Rwanda, the massive war in Zaire/DROC, etc? That is also a fascinating exercise in thinking/counterfactual.

Overall, it is hard to separate the bias that Lamb has for Africa with his American perspective. I suppose you could substitute China for the USSR (as that was the main US rival when this work originally went to press). However, the biggest strength of this work is his analysis of how African countries somehow managed to find themselves in bad situations, and how it is not all the fault of the European powers. The tribal and family ties so dominate the African political landscape, and it is hard to keep track of them all, even with the admirable job Lamb does to try to do so. Yet, would this work be better from an African author perspective vs. a foreigner perspective? Maybe, but then, and Lamb does call this out, what is an “African” perspective? There is too much difference and diversity in Africa to make the united African front that Lamb things would do much to help the continent.

The recent history (at least recent in the post-colonial sense to 1980-1986) is a strong suit, but other aspects of this book need to be taken with a modern grain of salt. I don’t know if this book ages well, but you can still learn a few things. The rating is still the same regardless of the format.

[Word Muncher]

What a powerful book to show how rotten Africa is. The Africans will say this book is harsh, to cover their asses. But we living as civilians in Africa know what we do without, how we struggle and how we compensate for the poor thinking, judgement and actions of our leaders. They are not intelligent no matter what degrees they may have and will always be easily compared to the most slow thinking, illogical and greedy in our world. We will never progress because of their greed and whoring themselves out to the highest bidder whilst pocketing our resources. They complain of colonialism but only because they are the most racist people on the planet and will happily take worse treatment from their own kind. Slow thinking and greedy and now belonging to the Chinese. That is the fate of Africa, no matter which country you name. And this book will tell you why and how in detail. Excellent reading for everyone except the leaders because they do not like to be challenged, guided, criticized or corrected, even for their own benefit. If they were going to progress at all, they would have done so by now. Instead they live on stolen money and bullying tactics whilst their people build and provide for them and then are STILL punished and taken as weak. The mentality of any African person is beyond any understanding, killing their animals, butchering their people and burning their nature is what they do best for quick, easy money, as savages would. #bookreview #goodreads

[Scott Langston]

Seems dated and patronising now. 'The African? Really? For someone who ostensibly understands the continent, Lamb countrifies it consistently .Missed the China influence altogether. I'm not sure I'd read a new edition

[Rosemarie]

Absolutely dated, but interesting nonetheless. Strong anti communism message.

[Jeff Petersen]

great read, wish it was current. all written before end of apartheid in Seattle Africa

[Bert Huisman]

10a t13

[Theo Anastopoulo]

Pathetic

[Shirley Skidmore]

Interesting history, reading a book written 40 years ago

[Jeff]

great read, wish it was current. all written before end of apartheid in Seattle Africa

[GeD.]

Very very interesting! One of those books that asks to be reread. Although it must be taken in it’s context of production.

[Brenda Siara]

It's a very interesting picture of Africa from an outsider's perspective. On politics and governance, it's quite a good read. Well researched, the key points are well brought out. Lamb draws very clear parallels between Africa's failed and successful policies and leadership principles.
I loved it, save for a few stereotypes and exaggerations. e.g, 'The Igbo people of Nigeria occasionally supplement their low protein diets with human flesh!!!' Or 'Where a white couple would just kiss, Africans will have intercourse!!!' I'll paraphrase this last one. "An African has no sense of time. He can stand patiently in line for hours on end... (Gives a bunch of examples from how civil servants operate then says, "...but put him behind a steering wheel and in an instant he's got somewhere he needs to be now!" Then talks about how bad the driving is on African roads.
Well, I'll be gracious, seeing as his research was done in the 80's. But I'd sure like to read what David Lamb thinks of Africa now.
Lamb is a gifted writer and the humour in the book, irrespective of how some things can potentially offend an African, can easily have you laughing at yourself and your people. On the other hand, his work is thought-provoking and change-inspiring.

[Latham]

The author, a freelance journalist, spent 4 years in Africa and wrote a book that is engrossing despite the fact that is very dated. The book was written in 1980 (Mandela is still in prison, the African Union is still the Organization of African Unity, and there are constant references to Soviet (communist) influence vs. American (democratic) influence). However, the book provides a window into the challenges many countries in Africa have faced in the wake of independence after years of colonialism. The book is an easy read and covers a number of issues: dictators, tribalism, as well as economic and political conditions. Africa is not a subject or a history I know well, but this book certainly whet my appetite for more.

[Amos Smith]

This is an excruciatingly honesty book about the African continent that gave me insight into many grim dynamics. One such insight that changed my perspective is that when African boundary lines were being carved up by the colonialist powers they put warring tribes in the same nation state and peaceful tribes were separated by national boundary lines. This would help keep the sub-Saharan Africa destabilized and easier to control. Many heart-breaking facts like this opened my eyes to the multi-layered problems that Africa inherited from the beginning. Well written!
-Amos Smith (author of Healing The Divide: Recovering Christianity's Mystic Roots)

[Märt]

A superb look at the continent of Africa, the nature of its people, history, way of life and issues for why things are the way they are, and how they one day could be. Despite its age (revised edition published in 1987), most issues discussed go back a long time, and still seem very relevant today.

The author was a journalist living in Nairobi but constantly travelling around in Africa for 4 years, witnessed many critical events first-hand, and interviewed hundreds of people from presidents to slum dwellers during his correspondence.

A very interesting read from the perspective of a westerner, and other than an update to present day, I cannot think of any ways to improve on it.

[Jan Proett]

This book was invaluable to me before I lived in Southern Africa for a few years. Though it is impossible to ever fully step into another's world view, this book helped me have an appreciation and understanding for tribal thought, the impact of reliance on inyangas and witchcraft, and ancestor worship. How all three of those played a role in the transition from Salisbury to Harare, for example. It helped me see Zimbabwe through the eyes of generations, and not just the slow degeneration we were seeing under Mugabe.

[Christopher]

This book is basically Lamb's overview of Sub-Saharan Africa when he was living there in the 70s. There are a lot of interesting stories, though the book is heavily influenced by the cold war political atmosphere. Lamb tries to keep ethnocentricity at bay but it peaks its head through a few times. The last thirty years have shown Lamb was wrong about a lot of his predictions about Africa and unfortunately right about a lot of them. The last chapter explains South African apartheid.

[Elise]

Written in the early 80's, AIDS isn't even in the index, but its nevertheless a great overview of African politics in the in the 70s. The book is in fact so dated that in the last chapter he talks about Robert Mugabe possibly being just what Southern Africa needs to finally see things turn around. Huh.

[René]

A nice overview of Africa - its history, its challenges. Off the mark on a few occasions (Somalia is seen as clean and crime-free, Robert Mugabe as "perhaps the most capable leader in Black Africa", the Ivory Coast as a symbol of success), but these attempts are honest - and who could have told things would continue to get so much worse on the unfortunate continent before it may become better...

[Mark]

Readability 6. Rating 7. Date estimated. From a view as close to inside as a white man is likely to get, Lamb covers the recent history of about 50 African nations. His patchwork account provides information and insight into an area that my education essentially ignored. The impact of colonialism and tribalism are particularly well covered.