Africa Is Not a Country

Notes on a Bright Continent

De: Dipo Faloyin

Narrado por: Dipo Faloyin

So often, Africa has been depicted simplistically as a uniform land of famines and safaris, poverty and strife, stripped of all nuance. In this bold and insightful book, Dipo Faloyin offers a much-needed corrective, weaving a vibrant tapestry of stories that bring to life Africa's rich diversity, communities, and histories.

Starting with an immersive description of the lively and complex urban life of Lagos, Faloyin unearths surprising truths about many African countries' colonial heritage and tells the story of the continent's struggles with democracy through seven dictatorships. With biting wit, he takes on the phenomenon of the white savior complex and brings to light the damage caused by charity campaigns of the past decades. Entering into the rivalries that energize the continent, Faloyin engages in the heated debate over which West African country makes the best jollof rice and describes the strange, incongruent beauty of the African Cup of Nations. With an eye toward the future promise of the continent, he explores the youth-led cultural and political movements that are defining and reimagining Africa on their own terms.

Africa Is Not a Country celebrates the energy and particularity of the continent's different cultures and communities, treating Africa with the respect it deserves.

©2022 Dipo Faloyin (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Sorely needed

It's obvious there is so much more to the African continent, but that hasn't stopped the aid advert imagery and other stereotypes from taking root in my mind. This book does a remarkable job of guiding you through how we got there and dispelling myths along the way to show you much much more. A MUST read.

A different view of the world

Loved listening to it, informative and a different view on Africa and it's history.
A pity that the West still holds on to African art as theirs to show.
Now I also wanna taste the different jollof rice to see which is the best.

a breath of fresh air

Excellent research of the continent...its trials and all. Worth reading over and over.
I will share this book with my children

The narration and history

I don't know which I enjoyed more: the narrator or the book itself. The blend of history with current events in a way that is eye-opening and often humorous is what makes this book such an amazing find. I enjoyed every second of it. When the narrator changes his accent in various parts in order to illustrate his point will leave you rolling with laughter. Great book and even more amazingly read by the author.

Excellent book

This book opened my eyes to the history of the continent and the diversity. It should be required reading in post colonial societies which were populated by African slaves.

Vibrant Unfiltered Truths

This book offers a profound journey through the unfiltered history of Africa and its diaspora, resonating deeply with my own life, my ancestors’ experiences, and the lives of my relatives on the continent. It not only enlightened me about lesser-known historical facts but also unveiled certain media agendas. Informative and uplifting, it broadened my perspective in unexpected ways.

Insightful & Illuminating

Extremely well written on the labels, atrocities, and standing of Africa from an African’s point of view; as opposed to the Western world’s stereotypes and biases. The writer was the narrator and did an excellent job of keeping pace and tone. If I had to find a criticism it would be that he painted whites with a broad based disdain that while justifiable, was also akin to same biases he so disavows. Nonetheless I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it.

A MUST READ

I have learned so much more about the history of Africa from this one book than I was ever taught in school. This book should be required reading as a jumping off point.

The title was simple but yet captivating!

I loved the history in the book from before slavery to all the way to modern times, I loved even more that it was written by an African with lived experience.

Highly informative and entertaining

I learned so much about Africa. As an American of African descent, there is so much we are never taught about the land of my Ancestors. Although not a comprehensive volume on Africa, it is an excellent introduction to the continent. It's more like a buffet of knowledge about African countries’ histories and current lifestyles. It gives me great points to do more research and learn about specific African country's histories, cultures, people, and politics. My favorite chapter was the last chapter, where Dipo paints an inspiring future of Africa and members of its diaspora. It has increased my desire to tour Africa before leaving this earth.