Crossing the Threshold: Essays and Criticism

by Peter Wuteh Vakunta

Crossing the Essays and Criticism is a collection of articles that explore socio-political issues on the African continent. It is the story of Africa’s success story in the making. In more than one instance, the author debunks the myth of an apocalyptic continent doomed to failure, arguing that there is light at the end of the tunnel as signs pregnant with hope appear on the horizon. These essays are insightful observations on the communities, political economy, governmental modus operandi, cultural mores, educational institutions and the environments in which Africans thrive against all odds. The work serves as a mirror that reflects the day-to-day travails of the different peoples that inhabit the fifty-three odd nation-states in Africa. It is a useful pointer to not only the goings-on in contemporary Africa but also the relationships that constitute the nexus between Africa and the international community.Each write-up is an entity sufficient onto itself, harboring a specific theme or a conglomerate of themes. The stories deal with the grist to the mill in Africa— environmentalism, green consumerism, the relationship between governors and the governed, elites and the downtrodden, as well as the ‘small’ people that are constantly making a difference in their lives and the lives of others around them by dint of hard work. In determining the order of presentation in this volume, the author has advertently avoided chronology. Many readers will want to turn first to one essay, the title of which intrigues them the most. Whether the essays are read in the order in which they are presented or at random, the reader stands to gain from the abundance of information that the book harbors. It is fervently hoped that this book will be commissioned to fulfill the educative function it was meant to perform.The didactic value of this collection of essays resides in its suitability to people of all ages. The language is simple and free of sophistry. College and university students with an interest in African anthropology, political systems, socio-linguistics, and literatures of Africa would find this book an invaluable research tool. The crafting of the book was motivated by the need to educate the global community on the status quo in Africa.

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 4, 2013