Great African Reads discussion

Libya - The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between
Mauritius The Last Brother
Namibia - Moord op Karibib
Sao Tome and Principe - Equator
Sierra Leone - The Memory of Love
Egypt - Cairo: My City, Our Revolution
Morocco - Secret Son
Sudan - Lyrics Alley
Uganda - A Moonless, Starless Sky: Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa

Completed the first country, Namibia. I am fortunate that Namibia is also a popular setting for books in Afrikaans as the country was a South African protectorate between 1918 - 1989, so I have quite a selection available.

Moord op Karibib is a murder mystery/romance set in Karibib which is between Swakopmund and Windhoek (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karibib). Isa Konrad is Namibian born and is able to integrate the landscape beautifully in this extremely well-written book. I'm going to try and get the second book today from either a library or bookstore to continue the story.

Completed Sierra Leone with The Memory of Love which is absolutely beautiful.

I appreciate this book and its theme of seeking justification in the aftermath of war in the specific context of post-apartheid South Africa where characters like Elias Cole exists.

Some interviews with the author:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHq8R... (BBC)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS2H5...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl4F_... (World Affairs Council)

Another one done - Cairo: My City, Our Revolution. It is an intensely personal telling of the Egyptian revolution in 2011. The mass media could never captured the individual experiences the way this book does - part a personal experience of the revolution and part a set of memories of a beloved city.

Nice to be able to report some progress. Lyrics Alley is beautifully written and tells the story of a family that must adapt to change. Set in Sudan and Egypt in the early 1950's, there is a transition in the politics of the day as these countries obtain independence. But in Mahmoud's household there is also change as the first woman in the family completes school and one of his sons is involved in a terrible accident. I'm so glad I have already picked up another book by this author.

I remember enjoying Lyrics Alley! I have Bird Summons as my next book by her.

Completed The Last Brother for Mauritius - beautifully written. This has been on my TBR for ages, so glad I finally read it.

This one also sounds terrific! Thanks for sharing!

Carolien wrote: "Completed The Last Brother for Mauritius - beautifully written. This has been on my TBR for ages, so glad I finally read it."

This was our regional group read in French last March-April: the discussion is still open, you can share your thoughts here.

Completed Uganda with A Moonless, Starless Sky: Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa.

We need more books like this. The author goes beyond the headlines and look at events from the lives of individuals. Two of the stories I was familiar with based on those headlines - the capture of the Chibok girls in Nigeria and the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda. The other two about slavery in Mauritania and girls basketball in Somalia were new to me. For each of these, background information is provided, but the main story is told through the eyes of the participants. Highly recommended.

I completed Libya with The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between.

I felt a specific affinity with this book. When apartheid ended, South Africa had a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and many of the petitions were made by families looking for relatives who disappeared during apartheid. Libya never had that opportunity and thus the author is left to ponder the possible fate of his father who was held captive by the Libyan government from 1990. Beautifully written, it also improved my knowledge of modern Libyan history.

I completed the final book in this challenge Equator, historical fiction set on Sao Tome et Principe in 1905. My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Definitely recommend it.