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The Rift: A New Africa Breaks Free
A vivid, powerful and controversial look at how the world gets Africa wrong, and how a resurgent Africa is forcing it to think again.
Africa has long been misunderstood--and abused--by outsiders. Correspondent Alex Perry traveled the continent for most of a decade, meeting with entrepreneurs and warlords, professors and cocaine smugglers, presidents and jihadis. Beginning with a devastating investigation into a largely unreported war crime-in 2011, when the US and the major aid agencies helped cause a famine in which 250,000 Somalis died-he finds Africa at a moment of furious self-assertion. To finally win their freedom, Africans must confront three last false prophets-Islamists, dictators and aid workers-who would keep them in their bonds.
Beautifully written, intimately reported, and sure to spark debate, THE RIFT passionately argues that a changing Africa revolutionizes our ideas of it, and of ourselves.
Africa has long been misunderstood--and abused--by outsiders. Correspondent Alex Perry traveled the continent for most of a decade, meeting with entrepreneurs and warlords, professors and cocaine smugglers, presidents and jihadis. Beginning with a devastating investigation into a largely unreported war crime-in 2011, when the US and the major aid agencies helped cause a famine in which 250,000 Somalis died-he finds Africa at a moment of furious self-assertion. To finally win their freedom, Africans must confront three last false prophets-Islamists, dictators and aid workers-who would keep them in their bonds.
Beautifully written, intimately reported, and sure to spark debate, THE RIFT passionately argues that a changing Africa revolutionizes our ideas of it, and of ourselves.
464 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2015
73 people are currently reading
1333 people want to read
About the author
Alex Perry
43 books71 followersAlex Perry is a nonfiction writer. He is the author of The Good Mothers, The Rift, Falling Off The Edge, and Lifeblood, as well as several ebooks. His journalism has won numerous awards, and he is a contributing editor at Outside magazine, while his work has also appeared in The New Yorker, The Guardian, Harper's, TIME, Newsweek, and others. Born in Philadelphia and raised in England, Perry lived and worked for 15 years in Asia and Africa. He now lives in Hampshire, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
September 30, 2018
The author’s thesis, that Africa is experiencing (or will have) a rift – by which he means a break with its past into freedom, is presented in a narrative that is part travelogue, war correspondence, history and political and social commentary. Alex Perry, in covering so many countries in so many aspects, showed me why I prefer more in depth narratives.
Each chapter having its own balance of genre (i.e. history, commentary, travelogue) works well as an independent article. The chapters don’t hang together and don’t support the thesis. The upbeat ending is not convincing since all that that precedes it is so depressing. It may be that the ambition of “The Rift” together with my preference for more thorough treatments, causes me to go against the 4 and 5 star ratings trend for this book.
When I was familiar with the history or a current situation, the commentary was meaningful; when I had no context, it was hard to understand the fundamentals. For instance, knowing something of Ethopian history and its current situation, the material on it made sense up to and including the hopeful piece at the end. For some places such as Guinea and Mali, something, I don’t know what, was missing. Rwanda is shown to have emerged the tragedy of 20 years ago as stable and prospering. Perry spent a week with President Paul Kagame, but the talk was mostly about the Congo and possible corruption and assassination charges. There is no explanation of how the city got its shiny new office buildings and traffic lights that work.
Perry is at his best in his “travelogue” (for want of a better name) parts. He writes of walking through the debris of Malakal, South Sudan, a town so recently destroyed that a pile of newly cleaned clothes smelled of laundry soap. He describes 5 days without food in a Zimbabwean prison, after which he attends a Robert Mugabe campaign rally and speech. He meets everyday people and reports their take on events such as the locals in Nigeria on Boko Haram and in Nairobi on the siege of the Westgate Shopping Mall.
There is plenty of criticism of aid programs and the work of the UN. Perry blasts those who have worked to heal the human tragedy of Africa’s many disasters, particularly celebrities. While he shows the careerism and corruption in aid programs, should the public sit idly by? Should celebrities just sip champagne by their pools? I regret that he does not acknowledge the desire to help from which this springs. In the case of the UN, it seems that he wants (and others whom he quotes want) the UN to take a side. There is no recognition that to “win” the peace forces the UN to become an army which it is not.
The thesis (Africa breaking free) is contradicted throughout the book, such that the hopeful signs at the end are too little too late. An example is the chapter on Nigeria which is a total indictment of the country the content of which is summarized by an "evangelist ... who formed his own Christian-Muslim vigilante force", "It will get worse and worse. I see the end of the world." (p. 286). A statement at the end of the book that the government of Nigeria"... was accountable to its people once again" (p.352) seems to come from no where as does the marvelous infrastructure development in Lagos: “Traffic slackened. Garbage dumps were replaced by green parks. (access to, sic.) clean water rose from one third to two thirds… tens of thousands of government jobs… trained 250,000 people in trades… microloans..” (p.351) and more. How did this happen? Did the evangelist and the others similarly quoted in the Nigeria chapter not know?
The book could use some better maps. Each location is introduced showing its location in Africa. More detail would help, particularly when discussing north and south Sudan or Nigeria.
Now that I’ve blasted this book for its once over lightly feel and its contradictory content, like the author I will give some little and too late praise. The author is both brave and resourceful. He has traveled under difficult conditions and survived to tell what happened. He has recorded the thoughts of ordinary voices that are not often heard. Perhaps the editor was overworked. Better intros and maps and a re-thinking of what would be included (the author surely has tons of material that would connect the dots) could have made this a great book. While this book is loosely organized and at times contradictory (like Africa itself), it is unique and highly readable.
Each chapter having its own balance of genre (i.e. history, commentary, travelogue) works well as an independent article. The chapters don’t hang together and don’t support the thesis. The upbeat ending is not convincing since all that that precedes it is so depressing. It may be that the ambition of “The Rift” together with my preference for more thorough treatments, causes me to go against the 4 and 5 star ratings trend for this book.
When I was familiar with the history or a current situation, the commentary was meaningful; when I had no context, it was hard to understand the fundamentals. For instance, knowing something of Ethopian history and its current situation, the material on it made sense up to and including the hopeful piece at the end. For some places such as Guinea and Mali, something, I don’t know what, was missing. Rwanda is shown to have emerged the tragedy of 20 years ago as stable and prospering. Perry spent a week with President Paul Kagame, but the talk was mostly about the Congo and possible corruption and assassination charges. There is no explanation of how the city got its shiny new office buildings and traffic lights that work.
Perry is at his best in his “travelogue” (for want of a better name) parts. He writes of walking through the debris of Malakal, South Sudan, a town so recently destroyed that a pile of newly cleaned clothes smelled of laundry soap. He describes 5 days without food in a Zimbabwean prison, after which he attends a Robert Mugabe campaign rally and speech. He meets everyday people and reports their take on events such as the locals in Nigeria on Boko Haram and in Nairobi on the siege of the Westgate Shopping Mall.
There is plenty of criticism of aid programs and the work of the UN. Perry blasts those who have worked to heal the human tragedy of Africa’s many disasters, particularly celebrities. While he shows the careerism and corruption in aid programs, should the public sit idly by? Should celebrities just sip champagne by their pools? I regret that he does not acknowledge the desire to help from which this springs. In the case of the UN, it seems that he wants (and others whom he quotes want) the UN to take a side. There is no recognition that to “win” the peace forces the UN to become an army which it is not.
The thesis (Africa breaking free) is contradicted throughout the book, such that the hopeful signs at the end are too little too late. An example is the chapter on Nigeria which is a total indictment of the country the content of which is summarized by an "evangelist ... who formed his own Christian-Muslim vigilante force", "It will get worse and worse. I see the end of the world." (p. 286). A statement at the end of the book that the government of Nigeria"... was accountable to its people once again" (p.352) seems to come from no where as does the marvelous infrastructure development in Lagos: “Traffic slackened. Garbage dumps were replaced by green parks. (access to, sic.) clean water rose from one third to two thirds… tens of thousands of government jobs… trained 250,000 people in trades… microloans..” (p.351) and more. How did this happen? Did the evangelist and the others similarly quoted in the Nigeria chapter not know?
The book could use some better maps. Each location is introduced showing its location in Africa. More detail would help, particularly when discussing north and south Sudan or Nigeria.
Now that I’ve blasted this book for its once over lightly feel and its contradictory content, like the author I will give some little and too late praise. The author is both brave and resourceful. He has traveled under difficult conditions and survived to tell what happened. He has recorded the thoughts of ordinary voices that are not often heard. Perhaps the editor was overworked. Better intros and maps and a re-thinking of what would be included (the author surely has tons of material that would connect the dots) could have made this a great book. While this book is loosely organized and at times contradictory (like Africa itself), it is unique and highly readable.
January 16, 2016
Alex Perry is a journalist who has worked in Africa for much of his career and this book reflects his thoughts on that continent. There are three main points in this book: 1) yes, Africa does have some problems, but 2) the international humanitarian aid that is supposed to address (and ideally even fix) those problems are at best ineffective, and at worst totally counterproductive. And for the record, Perry seems to think they are more counterproductive than effective. His third and final point is that people are missing the fact that a new, more prosperous Africa is emerging. That last point is the basis of the title, but oddly enough it is something he really doesn’t spend too much time on. He has a few quick chapters at the end on it, but the first 85% of the book is on the other points.
In that first 85%, he decries the sense of institutionalized emergency, where aid groups justify their existence by finding causes to support in the continent. Sometimes, these things are entirely self-centered. He is especially hard-hitting on the movement a few years ago to take down Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army. He notes the people calling for this were more interesting in their own self-promotion. The guys behind it made a documentary that was mostly about themselves, and only secondarily about Kony. He derides them as “designer activists.” It made people feel good to sign up for a cause. They did it at a time when Kony was at his weakest (and least threatening) and still couldn’t solve anything. He also notes (with regard to the Kony group and others) that many humanitarian groups are all too willing to support foreign military incursions in a region to back up their goals. It’s for a cause, but Perry argues it’s ultimately neo-imperialism. The key problem is agency. All this action – whether humanitarian or military or whatever comes from a belief that Africans can’t solve their own problems, and by taking up action on FOR Africans, you ultimately further disempower Africans. He also criticizes George Clooney for his actions in the South Sudan. Yes, there were problems, but he argues that the country was a “pre-failed state” and sure enough it did rip itself to pieces. They’d been freed by Clooney, not themselves, and didn’t have the infrastrature to cope once world attention went elsewhere. Several times in the book Perry notes times when aid agencies spend the lion’s share of their money on …themselves. They’ll see to it that they have well-established quarters with nice amenities and meanwhile virtually nothing goes to the surrounding people that they’re supposedly helping. Perry once says “aid workers were Africa’s 1%.” He spends time in Zimbabwe and finds Mugabe stuck in the past. It is all about the old liberation struggle, not the present concerns. Perry argues that Mugabe is a mirror image to the aid workers – they’re all blind to how Africa has changed. The West hailed Mali as a nice place full of quality economic reform, when in reality is had become a narco-state, with the government feeding off of drug running. That corruption led to a self-serving culture at every level of government. With people in it just for themselves, that allowed a Muslim insurgency to emerge; one that addressed this self-serving culture.
Actually, that leads to another background theme in the book: various Islamic insurgencies in the continent. Perry notes that late in life bin Laden (yeah, that bin Laden) re-thought al-Qaeda’s approach due to its ruined credibility. Bin Laden said the organization must focus on dealing with local situations and allying with local battles over social inequity. Perry argues that Mali is an example of how that plays out. Somalia was sort of one, except the Muslim forces there turned highly violent. But Perry also notes that the corruption of Nigeria was a key element accounting for the rise of Boko Haram. Their title can be translated as “Books are blasphemous” as the leaders argued – hey, what has all of this given you, except for greater corruption and exploitation? He even ties Boko Haram into his criticism of modern day narcissistic aid workers. The twitter hashtag #BringBackOurGirls after the raid on a girl’s school gained international attention. But rather than hurt the movement, Perry argues this is EXACTLY what they wanted. The problem wasn’t a lack of attention.
The last part rather belatedly addresses how Africa is changing. They have more commercial farming. They’ve figured out a way to arguably combat desertification – and have reclaimed five MILLION hectacres in Nigeria accounting for 200 million new trees. There is a new confidence. China has become a major player. Trade with China advanced from $3 billion in 1995 to $107 billion in 2008; more than US trade. There is increased infrastructure in places like Lagos, Nigeria. There are an estimated one BILLION mobile phones in Africa. Perry notes that some, like Mugabe and Winnie Mandela, are stuck in the past, but the continent moves forward.
In all, it’s a really good book. Perry can press his points too far at times. (For instance, he decries the death tolls given for the Congo war, and then notes there are only some tens of thousands of deaths. Umm….really? Sounds like he’s only counting military deaths as the only deaths. And even if aid workers are overcounting, it sure as hell sounds like his numbers are incredibly low. And he needs to do more than a few sentences before dismissing the conventional wisdom of the war’s death toll). Also, he spends so much time on the problems of Africa that it really impairs the point he makes at the end and in his title. You read about what a mess it is for 335 pages, and then in the next 80 are told how it isn’t a mess.
OK, there are things I can critique. But overall it’s a really impressive book.
In that first 85%, he decries the sense of institutionalized emergency, where aid groups justify their existence by finding causes to support in the continent. Sometimes, these things are entirely self-centered. He is especially hard-hitting on the movement a few years ago to take down Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army. He notes the people calling for this were more interesting in their own self-promotion. The guys behind it made a documentary that was mostly about themselves, and only secondarily about Kony. He derides them as “designer activists.” It made people feel good to sign up for a cause. They did it at a time when Kony was at his weakest (and least threatening) and still couldn’t solve anything. He also notes (with regard to the Kony group and others) that many humanitarian groups are all too willing to support foreign military incursions in a region to back up their goals. It’s for a cause, but Perry argues it’s ultimately neo-imperialism. The key problem is agency. All this action – whether humanitarian or military or whatever comes from a belief that Africans can’t solve their own problems, and by taking up action on FOR Africans, you ultimately further disempower Africans. He also criticizes George Clooney for his actions in the South Sudan. Yes, there were problems, but he argues that the country was a “pre-failed state” and sure enough it did rip itself to pieces. They’d been freed by Clooney, not themselves, and didn’t have the infrastrature to cope once world attention went elsewhere. Several times in the book Perry notes times when aid agencies spend the lion’s share of their money on …themselves. They’ll see to it that they have well-established quarters with nice amenities and meanwhile virtually nothing goes to the surrounding people that they’re supposedly helping. Perry once says “aid workers were Africa’s 1%.” He spends time in Zimbabwe and finds Mugabe stuck in the past. It is all about the old liberation struggle, not the present concerns. Perry argues that Mugabe is a mirror image to the aid workers – they’re all blind to how Africa has changed. The West hailed Mali as a nice place full of quality economic reform, when in reality is had become a narco-state, with the government feeding off of drug running. That corruption led to a self-serving culture at every level of government. With people in it just for themselves, that allowed a Muslim insurgency to emerge; one that addressed this self-serving culture.
Actually, that leads to another background theme in the book: various Islamic insurgencies in the continent. Perry notes that late in life bin Laden (yeah, that bin Laden) re-thought al-Qaeda’s approach due to its ruined credibility. Bin Laden said the organization must focus on dealing with local situations and allying with local battles over social inequity. Perry argues that Mali is an example of how that plays out. Somalia was sort of one, except the Muslim forces there turned highly violent. But Perry also notes that the corruption of Nigeria was a key element accounting for the rise of Boko Haram. Their title can be translated as “Books are blasphemous” as the leaders argued – hey, what has all of this given you, except for greater corruption and exploitation? He even ties Boko Haram into his criticism of modern day narcissistic aid workers. The twitter hashtag #BringBackOurGirls after the raid on a girl’s school gained international attention. But rather than hurt the movement, Perry argues this is EXACTLY what they wanted. The problem wasn’t a lack of attention.
The last part rather belatedly addresses how Africa is changing. They have more commercial farming. They’ve figured out a way to arguably combat desertification – and have reclaimed five MILLION hectacres in Nigeria accounting for 200 million new trees. There is a new confidence. China has become a major player. Trade with China advanced from $3 billion in 1995 to $107 billion in 2008; more than US trade. There is increased infrastructure in places like Lagos, Nigeria. There are an estimated one BILLION mobile phones in Africa. Perry notes that some, like Mugabe and Winnie Mandela, are stuck in the past, but the continent moves forward.
In all, it’s a really good book. Perry can press his points too far at times. (For instance, he decries the death tolls given for the Congo war, and then notes there are only some tens of thousands of deaths. Umm….really? Sounds like he’s only counting military deaths as the only deaths. And even if aid workers are overcounting, it sure as hell sounds like his numbers are incredibly low. And he needs to do more than a few sentences before dismissing the conventional wisdom of the war’s death toll). Also, he spends so much time on the problems of Africa that it really impairs the point he makes at the end and in his title. You read about what a mess it is for 335 pages, and then in the next 80 are told how it isn’t a mess.
OK, there are things I can critique. But overall it’s a really impressive book.
March 10, 2016
Loved this book! While it's a long read with just over 400 pages it never feels tedious. Alex Perry is a gifted writer who consistently delves into historical events in a way that is not only relatively easy to understand but also enjoyable. He portrays the people he interviews in various African countries as real people rather than as stereotypical caricatures usually used to paint a picture of Africans.
He also gives a ton of perspective on the ways US and UK are at fault for a lot of the famine, corruption, and terrorism that plagues many of the countries he writes about. At no point do you feel like he's making excuses for either side, but with broad strokes he paints a picture that complicates much of what mainstream media says about usefulness of charitable organizations and the UN, but also of terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram.
That being said those broad strokes can make it difficult to keep track of where we are geographically. He jumps from Nigeria to Zimbabwe and Kenya and back and with so much information it's easy to get lost. I often had to go back and remind myself of the names of people and places. Still, it's easy to walk away from this book with a lot of insight about 1.) how we think about aid and charity, 2.) how we think about mainstream media and it's portrayal of Africa and Africans, and 3.) how we think about terrorism and our own role in it. Great read!
He also gives a ton of perspective on the ways US and UK are at fault for a lot of the famine, corruption, and terrorism that plagues many of the countries he writes about. At no point do you feel like he's making excuses for either side, but with broad strokes he paints a picture that complicates much of what mainstream media says about usefulness of charitable organizations and the UN, but also of terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram.
That being said those broad strokes can make it difficult to keep track of where we are geographically. He jumps from Nigeria to Zimbabwe and Kenya and back and with so much information it's easy to get lost. I often had to go back and remind myself of the names of people and places. Still, it's easy to walk away from this book with a lot of insight about 1.) how we think about aid and charity, 2.) how we think about mainstream media and it's portrayal of Africa and Africans, and 3.) how we think about terrorism and our own role in it. Great read!
May 1, 2016
The Rift, by Alex Perry, is part travelogue, part expose, part critique and part history. It touches on the many aspects that make up Africa's varied states and landscapes. This book worked well in many ways, and was an interesting and refreshing look on a continent that is often ignored, belittled or talked down in western spheres. Perry talks about this issue a lot, on how aid organizations and western governments and development groups treat African's as inferior, and one of the first things most think of when the word Africa comes to mind is a starving, fly covered child, or of war and poverty, or of corruption. Many of these issues do remain in Africa, and as recently as 2011, famine has struck in South Sudan, one of the world's newest nations, due to mismanagement and covert international politics. Perry is equally critical of those who control the ground in South Sudan, as to those aid agencies (Oxfam, UN etc.) who have withheld aid in regions like South Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia due to geopolitical constraints and counterterrorist ideals.
Perry's book is varied. He talks on nations all over Africa, from South Africa at the southernmost tip, to South Sudan in the north, and Guinea-Bissau tot he east. He shows that Africa is a land that has many of the same characteristics, but also extremely different ones as well. The Rift is primarily about how the author thinks Africa will "break free" from its constraints, both internal and external, and take its place as a world powerhouse. Nations such as Nigeria and Kenya have massive potential, as large nations with resources to spare, and huge populations, booming industries and exploding demographics. However, both are constrained by internal corruption, poverty traps, and external influence by governments, criminals and aid/development agencies. There is hope, but there is also a long road ahead.
I thought The Rift was interesting. It has tickled my need for great books on Africa in its present condition, and books that try their best to move away from stereotypes on warlords and corruption that is rife within literature on Africa in Western circles. Instead this book focuses on issues and solutions. Perry has traveled Africa extensively, seeing nations at their best and worst. He is well versed and veteran enough that his editorializing and expose style writing carries some weight.
A few small criticism I could offer do exist. The book does present its own form of western exceptionalism, and Perry may not be able to see the philosophical forest for the trees, so to speak. He often criticizes Western aid agencies for their "Band-Aid" solution mentality, but offers little in the way of critique. He does say that Africans should have sway over Africa, but also that businesses should invest in Africa's booming commerce and electronics sectors. Perry, it seems, has decried generalization, and then has made a few of his own. A final criticism is this books absolute lack of sourcing. Perry is a journalist, and I am sure many of his facts and figures are straight from the frontline, but there are many facts and figures in this book that are not sourced, and not explained. This unfortunate lack of data lessens the books overall credibility, in my mind.
All in all, The Rift is a very interesting take on Africa. It tries its best to look at Africa in a hopeful light, and move away from Western preconceptions on how many African nations are run. Perry tries to show the many contradictions in Africa. Yes, war, poverty, corruption and even genocide and mass starvation are issues facing many of Africa's nations. However, many of these nations are also experiencing above 5% HDI and GDP growth, are hubs for start ups and technological innovations and are moving from authoritarian politics toward a democratic future, not on a Western model, but on an African one. The Rift does a good job showcasing these contradictions, and trying to frame Africa in a new light. An interesting read through and through, and a book I would recommend.
Perry's book is varied. He talks on nations all over Africa, from South Africa at the southernmost tip, to South Sudan in the north, and Guinea-Bissau tot he east. He shows that Africa is a land that has many of the same characteristics, but also extremely different ones as well. The Rift is primarily about how the author thinks Africa will "break free" from its constraints, both internal and external, and take its place as a world powerhouse. Nations such as Nigeria and Kenya have massive potential, as large nations with resources to spare, and huge populations, booming industries and exploding demographics. However, both are constrained by internal corruption, poverty traps, and external influence by governments, criminals and aid/development agencies. There is hope, but there is also a long road ahead.
I thought The Rift was interesting. It has tickled my need for great books on Africa in its present condition, and books that try their best to move away from stereotypes on warlords and corruption that is rife within literature on Africa in Western circles. Instead this book focuses on issues and solutions. Perry has traveled Africa extensively, seeing nations at their best and worst. He is well versed and veteran enough that his editorializing and expose style writing carries some weight.
A few small criticism I could offer do exist. The book does present its own form of western exceptionalism, and Perry may not be able to see the philosophical forest for the trees, so to speak. He often criticizes Western aid agencies for their "Band-Aid" solution mentality, but offers little in the way of critique. He does say that Africans should have sway over Africa, but also that businesses should invest in Africa's booming commerce and electronics sectors. Perry, it seems, has decried generalization, and then has made a few of his own. A final criticism is this books absolute lack of sourcing. Perry is a journalist, and I am sure many of his facts and figures are straight from the frontline, but there are many facts and figures in this book that are not sourced, and not explained. This unfortunate lack of data lessens the books overall credibility, in my mind.
All in all, The Rift is a very interesting take on Africa. It tries its best to look at Africa in a hopeful light, and move away from Western preconceptions on how many African nations are run. Perry tries to show the many contradictions in Africa. Yes, war, poverty, corruption and even genocide and mass starvation are issues facing many of Africa's nations. However, many of these nations are also experiencing above 5% HDI and GDP growth, are hubs for start ups and technological innovations and are moving from authoritarian politics toward a democratic future, not on a Western model, but on an African one. The Rift does a good job showcasing these contradictions, and trying to frame Africa in a new light. An interesting read through and through, and a book I would recommend.
March 25, 2016
I won this for free though a Goodreads Giveaway:
This is a strong collection of insights into the "New Africa."
Definitely worth a read for any global citizen.
This is a strong collection of insights into the "New Africa."
Definitely worth a read for any global citizen.
January 9, 2016
This is one of the most difficult (for an American) yet rewarding books I've ever read. I can only hope that the author is right.
July 25, 2017
Some spoilers, maybe.
3.5 stars ONLY because: the framing of the intro & blurbs paint that this will be the story of new ideas and progress against poverty & corruption, etc. However, in truth: 340 pages are detailed descriptions of fucked up history, imperialist colonization, local corruption, warlords, tribal conflict, the failures of international aid, religious extremism cum terrorism, rape, famine, & lots and lots of death. Then: about 75 pages about new progressive changes & hopeful things. But: 4 stars because the writing did a decently effective job of handling really sensational topics with minimal sensationalizing. (IMO. I'm sure many would disagree.) And also because those last 75 pages are full of FASCINATING THINGS.
Now, that said. It makes a lot of sense when you consider that the vast majority of his reporting was done for U.S. weekly news magazines (Time / Newsweek) & what do we love more than a dramatic poverty/terrorism Africa story? (Maybe ISIS stories.) Also: his healthy doses of critique and skepticism about Western impact on Africa's economy & social fabric are pretty sobering, & I appreciate that.
Just wish it had spent more time on stories like the last ~15% of the book. I do wonder how representational that would have been, & can't wait to dig through here to get other people's takes, especially those with firsthand or other expertise on any of the subjects he covered. Would LOVE to get to pick some brains about his topics in general. I'm glad he wrote it, & I'm glad I read it.
3.5 stars ONLY because: the framing of the intro & blurbs paint that this will be the story of new ideas and progress against poverty & corruption, etc. However, in truth: 340 pages are detailed descriptions of fucked up history, imperialist colonization, local corruption, warlords, tribal conflict, the failures of international aid, religious extremism cum terrorism, rape, famine, & lots and lots of death. Then: about 75 pages about new progressive changes & hopeful things. But: 4 stars because the writing did a decently effective job of handling really sensational topics with minimal sensationalizing. (IMO. I'm sure many would disagree.) And also because those last 75 pages are full of FASCINATING THINGS.
Now, that said. It makes a lot of sense when you consider that the vast majority of his reporting was done for U.S. weekly news magazines (Time / Newsweek) & what do we love more than a dramatic poverty/terrorism Africa story? (Maybe ISIS stories.) Also: his healthy doses of critique and skepticism about Western impact on Africa's economy & social fabric are pretty sobering, & I appreciate that.
Just wish it had spent more time on stories like the last ~15% of the book. I do wonder how representational that would have been, & can't wait to dig through here to get other people's takes, especially those with firsthand or other expertise on any of the subjects he covered. Would LOVE to get to pick some brains about his topics in general. I'm glad he wrote it, & I'm glad I read it.
April 26, 2017
This was a stunning book . The product of a vast amount of time in Africa . Clearly the author has the skill , courage , will and assets to get to the heart and soul of Africa . If you are enthralled with Africa this is a must read
June 16, 2024
A portfolio of the countries of Africa and the pulse of each. Africa is like a sad, old woman who wakes up every day and feeds her people but barely has enough life to make herself happy. She is humble and hardworking and has so much wealth, but the scent of poverty and sadness is never far and the tears are always wet. This book is extraordinary and although it talks about so much and has so much depth, it says just enough. She is coming to life and soon she will not need crutches - as long as her people treat her with more love and give her the power she is meant to have.
August 19, 2017
One of the best books I've read in a while.
Read
March 3, 2023Ich hab dieses Buch gerne gelesen, war mir allerdings nicht bewusst, dass es sich inhaltlich um Reportagen von Reisen durch Afrika handelt.
Besonders lesenswert fand ich das Kapitel über das Engagement von China in Afrika.
Bezüglich 'Reise in die Zukunft' habe ich nicht allzuviel im Buch entdeckt - was ich dann wiederum enttäuschend finde...
Besonders lesenswert fand ich das Kapitel über das Engagement von China in Afrika.
Bezüglich 'Reise in die Zukunft' habe ich nicht allzuviel im Buch entdeckt - was ich dann wiederum enttäuschend finde...
July 18, 2017
First hand account of experiences in Africa. Lots of insight into dictators, aid agencies and UN.
December 29, 2016
This is a revealing book about the politics of news coverage and the US (and the Western world in general) response to "African problems." The author, having covered many nations on the continent, brings a perspective that is undeniably his own - in a way that I found refreshing, because it isn't as shaded by assumptions often made in writing by non-Africans about Africa. The author breaks through a lot of these assumptions and blind spots, showing how Africans are doing things differently in some areas - and how a lot of social, industrial, and economic development is happening in spite of blunders, hypocrisies, and intentional mishandling of outsiders.
Aid agencies and international collaborations come under a lot of critique in the book. It seems that, to a large extent, many of their staff would do well to read this book as well.
Aid agencies and international collaborations come under a lot of critique in the book. It seems that, to a large extent, many of their staff would do well to read this book as well.
September 29, 2015
I received this book as part of a Goodreads Firstreads promotion.
The Rift: A new Africa Breaks Free by Alex Perry is a highly informative book, written from his knowledgeable perspective. The average person has no clue as to what has gone on and what continues to go on in Africa today. I was surprised to read about what aid workers and their superiors were really like and how they are not interested in helping the people (or actually interacting with them). Their main concern is keeping their jobs by keeping the people needy and collecting their high salaries. Also interesting was the part about George Clooney and the part he played in Somalia. Read this book and open your eyes to what is really going on in Africa.
The Rift: A new Africa Breaks Free by Alex Perry is a highly informative book, written from his knowledgeable perspective. The average person has no clue as to what has gone on and what continues to go on in Africa today. I was surprised to read about what aid workers and their superiors were really like and how they are not interested in helping the people (or actually interacting with them). Their main concern is keeping their jobs by keeping the people needy and collecting their high salaries. Also interesting was the part about George Clooney and the part he played in Somalia. Read this book and open your eyes to what is really going on in Africa.
February 5, 2016
There are descriptions in this book that are horrific. I've read a few apocalypse books in the last year; their imaginings don't measure up to the reality of people's lives right now in some parts of the world. Those descriptions are accompanied by a provocative, critical view of western humanitarian aid. It has to be an insurmountable disaster. So it can be hard to reconcile the final hopeful notes in the last section of the book. But then I don't know Africa. The author does, crossing the continent over years and apparently thinking deeply about it. If he sees possibility in the new changes, it must be there.
January 13, 2017
Last night I was telling my mom everything I had learned from this book and really could not stop talking. Alex Perry carefully exposes such interesting (thoughtful, inspirational, catastrophic) stories about a host of African nations in a variety of contexts (historical, social, cultural, economic, technological). It stuns me. My favorite accounts were of the presidential election in Zimbabwe (and Perry's time in a Zimbabwean prison), the ANC and 'legacy' of Mandela in South Africa, born-again Rwanda, the cocaine deals in Burkina-Faso and Guinea, the history of terrorism in Somalia, the famine disaster in Sudan, and Safaricom in Kenya.
August 8, 2016
Really informative book, the first 3/4 is very much a history lesson about Africa, how much you get out of it will depend on how much you know of Africa already. Although I would still recommend anyone to read it as in places his opinion of events go against an established narrative. The last 1/4 is in my view the most interesting and a great insight into the present and future Africa.
In parts the book is overly simplistic but this is necessary as he has chosen to give an overview of an entire continent not just one isolated issue or place.
In parts the book is overly simplistic but this is necessary as he has chosen to give an overview of an entire continent not just one isolated issue or place.
November 29, 2016
Nice try. But "Nature creates drought but only man makes a famine?" And the book is full of this kind of deepities. I am sure the guy has some idea, but the brain power is simply not there to express what he has in mind. And the cheap journalistic jargon stays in the way. A New Africa? Aliens came and replaced the old continent with one made of polystyrene? And how come it's new? Just because his white man convictions were not confirmed on site? The old one is the one from grandma's tales? And breaks free from what? From Madagascar? From the Atmosphere?
February 3, 2016
In short a great book, which I would recommend to everybody. Specially Perry's approach to humanistic activists as he call the Aid Sector is very interesting and worth to look through and the role it play in the African context.
If I find time I will write more about it but I fully recommend it.
If I find time I will write more about it but I fully recommend it.
January 7, 2016
A very good, compelling and interesting read. I won this book through goodreads.
September 16, 2015
Compelling and well written. I learned so much from this book. Won courtesy of Goodreads Giveaway.
January 21, 2016
Excellent companion to Why Nations Fail by Acemoglu and Robinson. Hang in there for the first anguishing, depressing, horrifying (but edifying) first 3/4 of the book for some good news at the end.
May 10, 2017
Good book. Tries to cover too much geography and history. Has a definite anti-UN, anti-humanitarian bias. But some brilliant descriptions of geography and personal vignettes.
September 15, 2020
Africa is breaking free of dependency, environmental disaster, tyrants, and terrorism, and moving towards freedom. Innovation, and self reliance. Most of the book focuses on the former, and the history behind it. The first humans trekked out of Africa due to climate change that moved the Sahara to Zanzibar. Hundreds of thousands of years later, when Europeans stumbled on Africa while looking for a route to Asia, they were incurious and arrogant, and assumed the continent was worthless. When they looked closer, they saw resources to exploit, and missed the rich historical traditions. Narratives of the inferiority of African people combined with faith-based charity helped to justify to Europeans what they did. Africa suffered from centuries of pillaging from colonialism, and then by new colonial tyrants, geopolitics, and charity. The result has been advances in health and education, but little economic growth until the last two decades, when Africans took the lead on innovation in key areas such as desert agro forestry and mobile telecommunications and banking. Massive assistance from China has helped, but the main thing has been Africans taking the lead.
Perry was a journalist based in Capetown for Time and Newsweek, so much of the book follows him around the continent chasing the news cycle, mostly focused on violence, corruption and general mayhem. Lots of visits to Somalia, watching it suffer during the 2011 famine partly engineered by geopolitics, and then go through a kind of recovery a few years later. Many visits to Lagos, Africa's largest city, again a mess on early visits because the government was accountable to oil investors, not to citizens, and then Lagos was remarkably spruced up after a time; not very clear why this happened. Many days of interviews with Rwanda's Paul Kagame, who persuades Perry that he is an authentic African patriot, not a dictator. One of the most poignant sections is on Zimbabwe. Perry is arrested as a journalist without credentials, and spends 5 days in prison with no food, and then tried and convicted for a fine of 700 zim dollars (US$ 0.005). Mugabe won't grant him an interview, so he visits campaign rallies and reports on Mugabe's sad obsession with his past liberation struggles, and inability to stop the collapse of his independent country. South Africa is also a disappointment as ANC freedom fighters won't make the transition from law breaker to provider of public services, and instead raid the public larder for themselves and their cronies, and leave the country worse off for most citizens then under apartheid. In all of this, the west has a sorry record, where assumptions, extrapolation and imagination conjure up illusions more captivating than reality, with casual disregard for sovereignty. The aid industry and war on terror are two examples highlighted
Why has it taken longer for African's to take the lead, than for other cultures elsewhere? The book argues that one reason is the size of the continent, so much larger than any other. In the premodern era, some African jurisdictions were economically and politically advanced compared to Europe, but were organized differently: focusing on collective (ubuntu) rather than individual rights.. However, in the modern era, the vast space and inaccessibility discouraged urban settlement, and the innovation and change that goes along with it. Only in recent times has urban settlement and mobile communication taken off, and with it the prospects for the continent. While most of this book focuses on the post independence mayhem, the last 20 percent or so is more hopeful. Keep your fingers crossed.
Perry was a journalist based in Capetown for Time and Newsweek, so much of the book follows him around the continent chasing the news cycle, mostly focused on violence, corruption and general mayhem. Lots of visits to Somalia, watching it suffer during the 2011 famine partly engineered by geopolitics, and then go through a kind of recovery a few years later. Many visits to Lagos, Africa's largest city, again a mess on early visits because the government was accountable to oil investors, not to citizens, and then Lagos was remarkably spruced up after a time; not very clear why this happened. Many days of interviews with Rwanda's Paul Kagame, who persuades Perry that he is an authentic African patriot, not a dictator. One of the most poignant sections is on Zimbabwe. Perry is arrested as a journalist without credentials, and spends 5 days in prison with no food, and then tried and convicted for a fine of 700 zim dollars (US$ 0.005). Mugabe won't grant him an interview, so he visits campaign rallies and reports on Mugabe's sad obsession with his past liberation struggles, and inability to stop the collapse of his independent country. South Africa is also a disappointment as ANC freedom fighters won't make the transition from law breaker to provider of public services, and instead raid the public larder for themselves and their cronies, and leave the country worse off for most citizens then under apartheid. In all of this, the west has a sorry record, where assumptions, extrapolation and imagination conjure up illusions more captivating than reality, with casual disregard for sovereignty. The aid industry and war on terror are two examples highlighted
Why has it taken longer for African's to take the lead, than for other cultures elsewhere? The book argues that one reason is the size of the continent, so much larger than any other. In the premodern era, some African jurisdictions were economically and politically advanced compared to Europe, but were organized differently: focusing on collective (ubuntu) rather than individual rights.. However, in the modern era, the vast space and inaccessibility discouraged urban settlement, and the innovation and change that goes along with it. Only in recent times has urban settlement and mobile communication taken off, and with it the prospects for the continent. While most of this book focuses on the post independence mayhem, the last 20 percent or so is more hopeful. Keep your fingers crossed.
November 1, 2018
To be honest, I only got halfway through this book (200 pages of about 400) even while renewing it the maximum number of times and returning it late! I may return to it sometime because I know I'm missing out on some vivid descriptions of the cultural landscape in several sub-Saharan nations. One chapter does this especially impactfully by contrasting the state of Rwanda with that of Congo. While Rwanda has flourished in its recovery from the incomprehensible genocide, neighbouring Congo struggles deeply. Rwanda emerges as a model for African sovereignty and its necessity for the people and for growth, possible only because they stand firmly against western intervention even while that may cost them their reputation in America--but so what?
What big bully America and its United Nations buddies have to offer is clearly, in Perry's view, infinitely worse than Africa and Africans just finally being left alone. Humanitarianism is a banal evil quite akin to imperialism, according to Perry, with the UN, NGOs, and western do-gooders the worst offenders. Some particularly damning examples include the sign in a UN compound's residential area reminding staff that "Sex with minors is prohibited," the dismissals that have occurred in no small numbers for the UN staff's soliciting of sex from child refugees, and the guards at the gate of a UN compound pointing rifles at refugees to get them to disperse while refusing to respond when refugees beg for help to stop their daughters and wives from being raped. All this, and your typical middle management position at a UN compound in Africa rakes in $500,000 in non-taxable salary and benefits yearly. It's not just the UN that's at fault. The fancy restaurants of all genres for the aid workers to frequent while refugees starve nearby and the image of the water skiing NGO staff in a motor boat blaring popular music while refugees watch this showboating from shore reveal a catastrophic failure of humanitarianism to address the root of global inequality.
So why did I give Perry's book only 3 stars when I've learned so very much from it? His tone and attitude are a complete turn-off, and will likely deter a majority of leftists, who actually need to learn this stuff. Perry writes only for the most cynical of us. While my views were effectively challenged by the facts that he presents, the polemic he accompanies them with made much of The Rift a spiteful slog.
What big bully America and its United Nations buddies have to offer is clearly, in Perry's view, infinitely worse than Africa and Africans just finally being left alone. Humanitarianism is a banal evil quite akin to imperialism, according to Perry, with the UN, NGOs, and western do-gooders the worst offenders. Some particularly damning examples include the sign in a UN compound's residential area reminding staff that "Sex with minors is prohibited," the dismissals that have occurred in no small numbers for the UN staff's soliciting of sex from child refugees, and the guards at the gate of a UN compound pointing rifles at refugees to get them to disperse while refusing to respond when refugees beg for help to stop their daughters and wives from being raped. All this, and your typical middle management position at a UN compound in Africa rakes in $500,000 in non-taxable salary and benefits yearly. It's not just the UN that's at fault. The fancy restaurants of all genres for the aid workers to frequent while refugees starve nearby and the image of the water skiing NGO staff in a motor boat blaring popular music while refugees watch this showboating from shore reveal a catastrophic failure of humanitarianism to address the root of global inequality.
So why did I give Perry's book only 3 stars when I've learned so very much from it? His tone and attitude are a complete turn-off, and will likely deter a majority of leftists, who actually need to learn this stuff. Perry writes only for the most cynical of us. While my views were effectively challenged by the facts that he presents, the polemic he accompanies them with made much of The Rift a spiteful slog.
November 11, 2021
Overall Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars!
As a Southeast Asian who has next to no knowledge about Africa, let alone ever stepped foot on the continent, this book has well and truly opened my eyes on the realities of Africa. The great thing is, the book is narrated by a writer who got his stories not from comfortable desk chairs in New York, but from active war-zones in the villages of DR Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, etc.
A recent Twitter “fight” between Elon Musk and the head of the WFP, has made this relatively old book become relevant by the time I was reading it. The book made me question the billions of dollars spent to “aid” Africa. Where has it gone to? Why are there still extreme poverty and fractious conflicts?
However, despite being nearly a perfect book as a beginner’s guide to the continent, I shall share some of my feedback.
Firstly, the author didn’t quite explain the background on why tribal lines are still one of the main division that stir brutal conflict in Africa. I compared it spontaneously with my country (which has hundreds of tribes, yet there are very few large tribal conflicts in recent memory).
Secondly, I just hope there will be a part two of some sort, because some of the positive improvements that the author mentioned in Africa have taken several setbacks, most notably the current situation in Ethiopia, which is erupting into another civil war, as I’m typing this review.
Nevertheless, this is still one of the best non-fiction books I have read this year. I hope Africa will thrive in the upcoming decades, and become a beacon of prosperity for mankind.
As a Southeast Asian who has next to no knowledge about Africa, let alone ever stepped foot on the continent, this book has well and truly opened my eyes on the realities of Africa. The great thing is, the book is narrated by a writer who got his stories not from comfortable desk chairs in New York, but from active war-zones in the villages of DR Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, etc.
A recent Twitter “fight” between Elon Musk and the head of the WFP, has made this relatively old book become relevant by the time I was reading it. The book made me question the billions of dollars spent to “aid” Africa. Where has it gone to? Why are there still extreme poverty and fractious conflicts?
However, despite being nearly a perfect book as a beginner’s guide to the continent, I shall share some of my feedback.
Firstly, the author didn’t quite explain the background on why tribal lines are still one of the main division that stir brutal conflict in Africa. I compared it spontaneously with my country (which has hundreds of tribes, yet there are very few large tribal conflicts in recent memory).
Secondly, I just hope there will be a part two of some sort, because some of the positive improvements that the author mentioned in Africa have taken several setbacks, most notably the current situation in Ethiopia, which is erupting into another civil war, as I’m typing this review.
Nevertheless, this is still one of the best non-fiction books I have read this year. I hope Africa will thrive in the upcoming decades, and become a beacon of prosperity for mankind.
February 5, 2019
Alex Perry lives in Capetown and has traveled extensively throughout Africa talking to the people who live there. He talks about the inadequacy of Western government aid, the UN, and various non-profits in how they have handled famines and other situations, labeling it a different form of white colonialism. He pulls no punches on the effects on the average African of the bad leadership in many countries, Islamic extremism that has been a counterpoint to some of them, and various tribal conflicts that continue to this day. But he ends the book with examples of how Africans themselves are finding solutions to their problems. Cell phones have replaced a corrupt monetary system with the ability to easily transfer money. Agricultural exchanges have allowed for farmers to have a market to rise above subsistence farming. Africans themselves have figured out ways to farm in the desert. Sustainability is a way of life in many communities and not just a buzzword. Many of the people who have gone to school elsewhere have come back and are working on helping the continent catch up with the rest of the world.
November 17, 2019
This book is bad! A diatribe against aid workers, an apologist for political violence in Rwanda, a war correspondent linking up personal anecdotes and presenting this as the image of a new Africa.
I was expecting an uplifting, personal narrative from someone who had lived in many parts of the continent. Instead, we are served with sensationalist stories from the front line. We have people dying as the author stands by (Somalia), body parts flying around (Nigeria) and islamistes taking over in unexpected places (Bissau).
The African population has zero agency, as they are reduced to personal fixers, visionary leaders or islamist thugs. Everything, yes really everything, is blamed on western aid workers who make more money than the US president (seriously, did the author even check any of his wild claims?).
Gladly there is still George Clooney, obviously a good guy, not a humanitarian but a celebrity, readers of Time and Newsweek can relate with. Let's hope the author moves on to another branch, as this book is an absolute waste of time and money.
I was expecting an uplifting, personal narrative from someone who had lived in many parts of the continent. Instead, we are served with sensationalist stories from the front line. We have people dying as the author stands by (Somalia), body parts flying around (Nigeria) and islamistes taking over in unexpected places (Bissau).
The African population has zero agency, as they are reduced to personal fixers, visionary leaders or islamist thugs. Everything, yes really everything, is blamed on western aid workers who make more money than the US president (seriously, did the author even check any of his wild claims?).
Gladly there is still George Clooney, obviously a good guy, not a humanitarian but a celebrity, readers of Time and Newsweek can relate with. Let's hope the author moves on to another branch, as this book is an absolute waste of time and money.
January 23, 2022
From a Eurocentric perspective, Africa often gets a bad rap. Western media, when it mentions Africa at all, brings reports of war and famine, of political corruption and distress. But is this all the massive continent has to offer?
Well, the simple answer is no. Africa is not a continent that can or needs to be saved by the West. Instead, Africa, with its wealth of resources and innovative approaches, could actually be the solution to the problems faced by the rest of the world.
The African continent cannot be reduced to unending conflicts, war crimes, tyrannical despots, and extreme poverty. Africa is a growing and innovative continent that is developing strategies and technologies to deal with challenges in ways that can only bring inspiration to the West.
Well, the simple answer is no. Africa is not a continent that can or needs to be saved by the West. Instead, Africa, with its wealth of resources and innovative approaches, could actually be the solution to the problems faced by the rest of the world.
The African continent cannot be reduced to unending conflicts, war crimes, tyrannical despots, and extreme poverty. Africa is a growing and innovative continent that is developing strategies and technologies to deal with challenges in ways that can only bring inspiration to the West.
December 13, 2017
It's admittedly ironic that Perry is writing one book about all of Africa, when the main theme is that Westerners frequently misunderstand Africa, usually because of lack of nuance. However, his strategy to let simple stories and interviews be the bulk of the book, rather than constantly making sweeping generalizations, makes it pretty credible in my mind. Tough to get through the whole tome, but rather than trying to paint a picture about all of Africa Perry provides a solid, nuanced understanding of a few key topics in a few key countries, making it worth at least a skim.
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