Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa

by Keith B. Richburg

With a new afterword written by the author, this compelling personal journey into his African-American delves deeply into one man's experience as he witnesses the horrors of Africa, from Somalia to Rwanda and on into South Africa. Reprint.

Genres: Africa, Nonfiction, Memoir, Travel, History, Politics, Biography

266 pages, Paperback

First published February 5, 1997

Reviews

[Stefani · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author reminds of me of that friend you have who you can always rely on for a blunt and honest opinion-the one who would have no problem telling you that your ass looked fat in those jeans-and would probably not give a damn if anyone opposed what she said.

So, while I'm not trying to equate opinions about political and social upheaval in Africa to unflattering denim, I can definitely say that Keith Richburg was going out on a limb by writing this very candid account of his experience in Africa over a 3-year period in the midst of some of the most horrific civil wars in Somalia, Rwanda, and, briefly, Liberia. Especially since his predecessors, African-American politicians and academics, have praised any attempts by corrupt African dictators as "progress" and have been unified in their support of black leaders.

Without sugarcoating or cloaking his experiences in metaphor, Richburg talks about the prostitute with AIDS, the hundreds of dead bodies floating in a Rwandan river, and the Somalian snipers as freakishly normal in a culture that he believes doesn't value human life. The more horrific stories are primarily told through the voice of others-neighbors hacking off each others body parts with panga knives-and are too nightmarishly real to have been conceived by even the best horror writer.

Richburg's conclusions at the end of his tenure in Africa are essentially pessimistic-he doesn't think Africa has a shot at progressing anytime soon. Comparing the problems of Africa-colonialism, tribal divisions, and poverty-to countries in Asia that had similar issues but were able to grow and prosper over the years, may be a result of culture. Quoting the Ugandan leader Musvani whose explanation for the discrepancy is that "Asians have more discipline," the author attempts to analyze the difference. The cultural divide between these groups can't possibly be explained that simplistically, and even if it could, presupposes that one group is superior to the other, which is clearly not the case.

Rampant corruption aside, Richburg does make it clear that he thinks countries that depend solely on foreign aid in order to survive are doing themselves a great disservice, and are seriously underestimating their own capabilities to rise out of poverty.

Although other reviewers have disagreed with the author's viewpoints and have stated that he is self-loathing and racist, I couldn't disagree more with these denouncements. For one, the author is simply stating an opinion, which he is entitled to after spending a pretty significant chunk of time in the continent. Furthermore, I don't think Richburg's attitude about Africa could be construed as anything other than unpopular-he doesn't wax poetic about the atrocities he sees nor does he make excuses out of guilt or fear-he speaks candidly, yet sensitively, about the numerous inequities he observes and, ultimately, gets fed up by the slow progress of change.

[Cwn_annwn_13 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember hearing about this book in the 90's and all the heat that the author took over it from pseudo black nationalists and white liberals. The writer stood his ground instead of backing down and I think I even remember him saying "thank God for slavery!" in an interview when reflecting on his time in Africa, which of course further added fuel to the fire. After all these years I've only just recently gotten around to reading it. I expected this to be good but I would have to put up with Richburg being one of those preachy oddball "black conservatives" or black Limbaugh types, and Richburg does have a slight streak of that to him, but overall he comes off as a pretty liberal guy. But he's a liberal thats seen enough reality to be honest about the situation in Africa.

Before I get into this I will be fair and bring up that Richburg doesn't bring up the exploitation that has went on for centuries by the globalist scumbag uber-capitalists and still goes on to this day, whether they be the world bank buying the puppet African leaders and running their loan/debt scams, or the Rothschild/British crown sponsored shenanigans of Cecil Rhodes, or the phony revolutions funded by the same people who the Africans thought they were throwing out but were actually only destroying their own infrastructure (which mainly consisted of middle, upper middle, and low level wealthy whites) while the uber capitalist banking/mining/business mafias conducted business as usual in most cases. And if you think those European/Jewish banking and business cartels were bad for Africa just wait a few years down the line and see what happens now that the Chinese have massively invested in various African nations! So what I am saying for all their massive faults the continent and people of Africa have truly been and still are being economicly raped and exploited.

That being said you can't really get around that Africans seem to have trouble governing themselves and that everything Richburg talks about in this book is from firsthand experience during his time working as the African correspondent for a major US newspaper. Every time the super wealthy whites have decided to rid African nations of the mid level whites that upheld the infrastructure they fall into complete chaos. Just go to google video and search for the documentary Africa Addio to see this with your own eyes. Just coincidentially a guy from Ghana was just telling me yesterday about how its common for the police there to commit armed robberies, and this is in one of the African nations thats considered to be reasonably stable to the outside world. But Richburgs recollections and observations really are fascinating. Its worth grabbing from the library or buying at bargain table prices.

[Kitty Red-Eye · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's difficult to sum up the impressions after this book, as there are so many themes worthy of exploring, most of which I don't know much about. The experience of being African-American, or *black American*, as the author would insist upon, of living in Africa for three-four years covering incredibly brutal (un)civil wars as in Somalia, Rwanda and Liberia, visiting South Africa just before the 1994 elections... somehow his disillusionment reminds me of a Romanian friend who had lived in Germany for fifteen years, and told me that every time she went back to Romania, she was reminded of how much she hated that country (she grew up under Ceaucesco). And how glad she was that she could leave. When she told me, I felt a little embarrassed - as a West European, terrified of agreeing with her and thus be "racist" or "west-o-centric" (don't know the English word for this!) or "chauvinist" or in any other way arrogant that way. But yeah, I too am Happy that I am from one of those countries people emigrate to and not from. By no virtue of my own, obviously. I happened to be born here. I'm not proud of it, but happy, definitely.

The book is about so much more than this, but it seems to me that this is where the antipathy against it comes from. I don't think it paints ordinary Africans in a bad light, though it leaves one with a sense of great tragedy and a huge question about whether there really is anything anyone can do about it. Not an optimistic book. But a very strong and interesting memoir.

[Shannongibney · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book really made me mad. Richburg purports to tackle the whole "African American and continental African relationships" issue, but what he really ends up doing is reinscribing unequal power relations between the two groups. He uses his experience as a reporter in Africa for many years as leverage for his "expert" perspective, but I saw no such dedication to difficult investigation here. Richburg includes almost no African history in his account. The colonial and neo-colonial history of the West/North are conspicuously absent, as are the ongoing exploitation of various African nations by "First World" financial institutions such as the IMF and World Bank.

If you want to read something that actually digs at the deep differences in power, culture, mobility, and politics of continental Africans and African Americans, read Eddie Harris's _Out of America_.

[Wayne Jordaan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected to be angered, and I was not disappointed in that regard. One of the biggest needles being the sweeping generalisations about Africans based on the horrific experiences of the author in Somalia, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. Second I would have to point to the author's seeming disregard for the crippling impact of centuries of colonialism, racial and economic discrimination. His attitude is one of, yes it happened, so get on with it, after all look at the East-Asian tigers. There is very little regard to the skewed balance of power - and economic relations that governs the globe. An imbalance that is a direct consequence of the transformation of the hegemony during colonialism to a new lofty position safe-guarded by the Bretton Woods institutions. I suppose the author's view is to be expected if one limits oneself to a cursory glance of the status quo at a given point in time.

So why do I give this book such a high rating if I have such difficulty with some of the conclusions (I did drop one star after some introspection. Firstly, the issues raised in the book challenge me to re-examine my own views. Secondly, the author's courageous expressions of his views needs to be applauded, and finally, the issues which he grappled with are issues which countless Africans are grappling with every day, and thank goodness, because these "unfortunate ones" do not have the option of retreating into an alternative "safe space" will be forced to cooperate in our struggle towards a human rights based future.

[Book Concierge · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars supposedly means "I loved it." Well that's a hard thing to say about this book because that sounds too trite. It's an extraordinary work of journalism and was a real eye-opener for me. It is hard to read at times because of the violence, harshness and cruelty depicted. Yet Richburg lived through these nightmares. His perspective, as a black man, is invaluable. But I wonder if my positive reaction to his book is just a sigh of relief - a "permission" to feel racist? A very thought-provoking book. It sparked a great deal of discussion among our book club members. I highly recommend it.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was awed by the courage of the author to stand up to the stereotypes of the African Homeland. I wish America didn't have so far to go in becoming a truely integrated society, but I also think he is right that we need to realize how far we have come and how much better it is here than in Africa. The book is a bit repetitive and bitter in parts, but I found it insightful and brutally honest. I only wish there was a newer version with more recent history.

[Reka Beezy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will be a tough read for the fake Afrocentrics out there. It’s a rough book, but it is important. I personally found it interesting because it really puts Africa’s lack of infrastructure down in gritty terms. I wouldn’t read this if you think Africa is the dreamland that all Black Americans will be embraced into, or even want to be.

[Markus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily among the top 5 of the most hard-hitting books about race relations in America and Africa.

It's about a black American reporter going to Africa for three years looking to discover his identity and the reasons for Africa's endless suffering.

Originally published in 1997, this book couldn't be written today without and angry mob looking to burn every copy of it in a gigantic ritual fire among other books daring to tackle the issue of race relations in America or Africa.

I guess we could start with the reason this author and many other blacks in America would want to go to Africa. There's a great vignette in the middle of the book, where Keith Richburg, the author, goes to Goree island off the coast of the Atlantic ocean, which was supposed to be the main area where slaves departed on ships to America in 17th and 18th centuries. There he sees blacks from America on a kind of a religious pilgrimage decrying racism in America and thanking the skies to finally be at home where their real roots are and so on.

Richburg on the other hand, has already traveled across Africa for 2 years and seen all the unimaginable savagery, misery, the indifference to human lives and the normalization of death and violence, having many of his friends, who've tried to help Africans, brutally murdered by the same people, they were trying to help, having almost been murdered himself several times and experiencing actual blatant racism as a black man from other blacks.

So Richburg stands there, completely drained of all hope and enthusiasm about the virtues of Africa, overcome with the same cynicism about Africa that he saw in his colleagues in the beginning of his trip and thought would become a part of him. He looks at these black Americans on their pilgrimage to Africa, having seen nor experienced nothing of what Africa really is, shedding tears to finally be in their motherland and perhaps praying for some revenge for the whites, as some angry woman wrote in an inscription into the visitors book of the slave museum there.

To Richburg this scene is kind of a farcical show of silly tourists acting out the great white conspiracy of horrible racism in America, while completely and purposefully ignorant of the actual tribal brutality and racism between blacks of Africa. This scene represents pretty well the ethos of the whole book and the state of race relations in America and Africa.

Africa is really a kind of a mirage for delusional Americans, a supposed mecca of black empowerment, a last refuse from the horrible white racism of America, while in reality, for those who actually care about the truth, Africa is just the most brutal, savage, corrupt place on earth that will tear you to shreds either literally or psychologically if you spend enough time in there. Some places in Africa are worse than others but the backwards tribal violence and racism towards other blacks are pervasive. Of course, this backwards understanding of Africa of delusional Americans extends concordantly to understanding of America, where the imagined great conspiracy of white racism is a kind of a viral meme among many blacks who seriously believe in it.

This review could go on forever if we were to go through all that is significant in the book so I will list some briefly.

- African dictators harping on about how white racism has destroyed Africa while murdering black Africans in masses based on tribal ethnic differences. One such example of a dictator lecturing Richmond about the mistreatment of blacks in America while having all the blacks of a rivaling tribe murdered in the country.

- It's actually dangerous to be a black foreigner in many parts of Africa as you might be murdered if some African thinks you're from the wrong tribe.

- Brutal tribal murders being a normal part of life even in the most peaceful parts of Africa, like Kenya.

- Murders not being investigated, bodies not identified, not even counted.

- Corruption in Africa to the extent that dictators don't just take 50% or 70% of the aid money and let the rest be used on whatever projects the money was meant for. Instead they just take 100% of the aid money for themselves and just lie that the project was done.

- With regard to black journalists from America, there's a massive pressure from other blacks to be "black" first and journalist second in that wherever blacks are in power, even if they're murderous dictators in Africa killing other Africans, a "black" journalist must support the cause of these dictators as this is what it means to be a "black" journalist. Same goes for reporting in the States.

- The issue of many states in Asia with very similar histories of warring, colonialism and American interventionism thriving while Africa is wallowing in misery and poverty and blaming others. This question was asked by Richmond during a press conference from an African dictator, who was nonetheless a straight talker and had maintained at least a modicum of respect and humanity. His answer being that Africans lack the discipline that Asians have due to a history of a lack of competition for resources such as food. A similar question was asked by Richmond of his black father, a well read, seasoned straight talker - why do Asians thrive in neighborhoods where blacks have only failed for decades? The answer being that these blacks think the whites owe them something and are waiting for handouts.

- The entitlement of Africans to international aid and American intervention to remove the dictators. According to Richmond at least, many people in Africa feel that it is the responsibility of Americans to remove their murderous dictators.

- The so called great white conspiracy being pretty much the same in Africa and in the States. Everything can be blamed on the whites and massive problems among blacks ignored completely.

- Not talked about in the book, but it would be hard to miss the black on black gang violence in America which is eerily similar to tribal violence in Africa.

- Africans and African dictators having learned to use the white fear of being labelled a racist to the fullest extent to extract resources.

Even this list could go on and on and to be honest, I'm quite done with Africa for a while as well. The descriptions of the savagery and misery were pretty graphic but definitely necessary for a better understanding of Africa in my opinion. I can only imagine how drained Richmond was after three years of this.

[Hasan Randolph]

Out Of America is a non-fiction book telling about a black American man who learned that he would rather call himself as an American, than to define himself by his race. This happened during Mr. Richburg's depressing tour of duty of his job in Africa as a reporter for The Washington Post. While he was there, he saw the chaos of Africa. Shootings, murders,and wars. He even saw that Africa was infested with AIDS. It showed that the continent had no good future ahead. Keith originally came expecting to find something new about himself. Instead is scarred by Africa's daily routine of violence and mayhem.

I loved everything about this book. The story was so raw and real. The book describes everything that happened with Keith in Africa. The drama comes from Keith wanting to learn more about himself but only seeing Africa's bad side. The plot was so incredible. All these elements doing made the story amazing. I like how the author told the story. He told everything the exact way he saw it.

I would highly recommend Out Of America. The way Africa was described kept me reading. I think anybody who enjoys a drama book of visiting your birth home and finding horrible things will like this book. I hope he writes another book for me to read.

[Farquar McSpadden · Rating 5 out of 5]

As some other reviewers have mentioned, Keith B. Richburg's "Out Of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa" has a bit of legendary status. For a few years, I had read about it but not seen it. Then, I finally sought it out.

Richburg voices uncomfortable truths from his position as a journalist working in Africa in some of the most tumultuous times: two genocides, AIDs, and the general corruption that is always ongoing in Africa.

It seems requisite to say that Africa has a great amount of good that is only barely touched on in this book. One counterpoint to genocide is rural Africans' incredible generosity and tight-knit family structures. Africa encompasses all of those wide-sweeping opposites.

Richburg's book is stunning and it cannot be categorized. No group trying to advance a cause can claim it: neither the back-to-the-homeland types nor the so-called race realists. It's simply one man's raw account of an unruly, ungovernable continent told with pure honesty.

[Saul · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is basically a long journalistic essay about a black american reporter's experiences reporting from africa. he witnessed a lot of atrocities, and a few non-horrific events, during the early '90s: starvation in somalia, genocide in rwanda, many stolen elections, and the end of apartheid in south africa. his conclusion? that he's lucky his ancestors were stolen and sent to america to be slaves. needless to say, this caused a lot of controversy at the time. his point of view is that the afrocentric movement in the US are naive and that africa is basically the scene of crime after crime against humanity.
it's a very pessimistic take on africa, and 15 years later, he might find the situation improved-- i don't know, having never been anywhere in africa. somebody should read this so i have someone to discuss it with!

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just finished with the book, and I read the comments below.
The book is narrating about the civil wars Somalia, Rwanda and South Africa(he used three countries used to compare a whole continent, which is not relevant- Nobody will use Nazi Germany to compare Western Hemisphere), and the facts were sincere.
Now, South Africa is part of the G20 and Rwanda has remarkable growth in its GDP.
I only hope the readers should have rational thinking by knowing what the author is talking about, the period and the locality this book was written.
To read this book, separate your political motive and use more your logical thinking, especially to the white flows in the comment below.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author gives a stunning view of Africa, country by country, culture by culture. I felt sad for this continent burdened with generations of fraud, corruption, abuse, and seeming apathy. It makes me marvel even more at the loving spirit of the Lost Boys and for a leader like Nelson Mandela who live to create a new home land. This book will stay with me for a very long time.

[Krisann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling, this book opened my eyes. It is a more serious read written by a journalist looking for roots in Africa but ends up appreciating his own country, America more than he realized he could. Frankly parts of this book will make you sick but...

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A black child from Detroit becomes the Washington Post bureau chief for the entire continent of Africa and takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of personal experiences/conflicts. Well written and one I really enjoyed reading.

[Lek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. True story. Too gruesome in parts for kids. Very educational and interesting.

[Paul Brandel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent read,though so tragic what has transpired in
Africa.Richburg doesn't pull any punches on what he witnessed.
Not a book for the afrocentric folks.

[Howtobeterrell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Racist

[LibraryCin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

The author is a black reporter, and in the early 1990s, represented The Washington Post in Africa. He was excited to go, to follow his “roots” in Africa. In his three years there, he experienced the civil war and famine in Somalia, the genocide in Rwanda, the many corrupt authoritarian and dictator “governments”, kids in the streets bearing AK-47s. He thought about his African-ness vs his American-ness, and came home (as many reporters in Africa do) beaten down.

The first part of the book is more about his childhood. He grew up in inner-city Detroit in the 1960s and 70s. Initially, he was a minority in his neighbourhood, but that changed. While he continued to go to school with mostly white kids and had friends there, he hated choosing “sides” between his white school friends, and his black neighbourhood friends.

The book included specific chapters on Somalia and Rwanda, and later on, South Africa (and the relative success of the introduction of democracy there vs the mess of it in the rest of Africa). He also has lots of examples throughout the rest of the book on the health care and AIDS in Africa, and plenty on the politics and governments of various countries.

I found the country-specific chapters more interesting, as well as the health care one, rather than the political chapters. I think it was because there are just too many names to remember and who is related to which country/city, etc. I also found the author’s own thoughts and introspection on what he encountered in Africa and his own feelings about being black and being American vs having those African roots. I also found his own biographical details quite interesting.

The edition I read came out in 2009, though it was originally published in 1997. So, this one had an additional foreword, written shortly after Obama was elected president.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book . . it started out pretty angry and I could see how it could put some people off, but I feel like I learned a lot from this book. I haven't highlighted as much in a long time.

I typically read for enjoyment. I don't like to get bogged down in political or non-fiction readings because for the most part they are usually biased (one way or another) and difficult to take in all at once. They are also emotionally exhausting. That's not to say they shouldn't be read, so every now and again I will make sure that I challenge myself. I'm still learning about medieval times, so am not up to speed with more recent happenings. I believe this book got on my TBR pile through a twitter recommendation. I am glad I finally read it - I learned quite a bit from this one small book.

[Itai Gurira · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its a bit difficult to write a review for me personally without getting emotional. The book is interesting, not in that it adds anything new to the discussion on Africa (which it doesn't) but in that it gives a more concise view of the general world's perception of Afrika. Apart from spelling errors and a completely biased view of the continent from an individual who only spent 3years on the continent, the book is as shallow as it is full of dogma. I do not regret reading it merely as an exploration into the psyche of those who see no hope in our continent and have an "unfavourable" view of black people. In short Uncle Ruckus could not have written it better.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

After living and working in Africa, Keith Richburg fails to find a connection as a Black man. He becomes more cynical, detached and disillusioned as he realizes that his values are American values. He abhors the ubiquitous corruption and violence of myriad African countries and comes to the conclusion that Black American energies and hopes would best be directed into, “making America work better, into realizing the dream of a multiracial society, than in clinging to the myth that we belong anyplace else.”

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, having lived in Africa myself it just explains some things although of course it is not always applicable, there are alot of good lessons for anyone to be won out of this book. I am not black, but I still learned many important lessons about life that transcend skin color or heritage country.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

First - an interesting examination of a personal journey by an African-American to see the differences between his own experience versus his perceptions of being of African descent.
Second - a brutally detailed and personal look at the civil war in Rwanda

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, that was a difficult read. I can't believe people are currently living in those conditions. I learned a lot, but, it's grim. So grateful for journalists who put themselves in harm's way to report what's happening across the globe.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A black Washington Post reporter spends three years in the continent of his ancestors. Disease, genocide, war and corruption make him thankful for his ancestor who came to America in chains. He finished the book in 1996. I fear nothing has changed.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning account of a foreign correspondent's experiences in mid-1990's Africa. Chapters focus on Somalia, South Africa, Rwanda. The author is absolutely fearless in his frankness about the things he witnesses there and the substance of his resultant soul-searching.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading this memoir 30+ years after the author lived it. Having traveled extensively in West Africa and a bit in East Africa, I can see how those nations evolved since then, and how the cultural clash I lived when I visited in 2018-19 still persists. The anthropologist in me is riveted.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to argue with a man who has lived what he's writing about.